The 2024 Seignelay Prize of the Western Brittany Committee of the French Institute of the Sea and the National Chamber of Maritime Brokers of France will be awarded during their General Assembly at the CCI Finistère on Thursday, March 6, 2025, to François Gokce, a master’s student at IUEM/UBO.

The purpose of this prize is to reward a student for their work in favor of the sea and to support them in continuing their studies, entering professional life, or carrying out a maritime project.

This year, the award goes to François Gokce for his master’s thesis within the “Applied Economics for Agriculture, the Sea, and the Environment” (E2AME) – Blue Economy track.

He will notably receive a prize valued at 1,000 euros.

Congratulations to François, who was also the first work-study student at Amure during the 2023-24 academic year!

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In March 2025, 32 high school students from Brest will be embarking on a scientific and civic adventure with the creation of a Club Jeunes Océan – an initiative launched by the IRD in partnership with Surfrider Foundation Europe. Supervised by their teachers and an oceanography researcher from the institute, they will learn about the scientific approach to exploring the impact of marine waste and how to take concrete action to protect the environment.

The Young Ocean Clubs initiative launched by the IRD is part of ‘2025, Year of the Sea’, in preparation for the United Nations Conference on the Oceans, to be held in Nice in June 2025. Seven clubs have been launched in mainland France, overseas France and Africa. Supervised by four teachers of Life and Earth Sciences, Physics and Chemistry, History and Geography and French, the Brest branch will benefit from the scientific support of Christophe Maes, a researcher at LOPS (Physical and Space Oceanography Laboratory). A specialist in the dispersal of plastics at sea, he is studying their pathway on a global scale to better understand their impact and propose solutions.

Field trips to analyse coastal pollution
The Club Jeunes Océan programme is organised around eight sessions combining awareness-raising, an introduction to the scientific approach and practical experience. After an introduction to the issues involved in protecting the oceans, the pupils will head out to the coast to collect and analyse waste. With the support of our researcher, and using the data collected in the field, the students will carry out an investigation to try and understand where the waste comes from, the behaviour that causes it and how to take effective action to limit this pollution.

A plea to defend their ideas to the public
As well as making scientific observations, the students will be asked to draw up a plea to raise awareness among the public and decision-makers. They will work together with their supervisors to determine the awareness-raising action they want to take, thus becoming true ambassadors for the preservation of the oceans.

 

In 2023, the IPCC deemed it highly unlikely that the AMOC would collapse by the end of the century. In a recent letter, some experts believe that this risk has been underestimated. What is this current? How does it influence the climate? Is its collapse imminent? What would be the consequences?

With

• Didier Swingedouw Climatologist at the Environnements et Paléoenvironnements Océaniques et Continentaux (EPOC) laboratory in Bordeaux.
• Pascale Lherminier Physicist at Ifremer, UMR LOPS in Brest.

View the broadcast here

Global warming is threatening a vast set of marine currents in the Atlantic Ocean: the AMOC. According to 43 international experts, we have underestimated the risks of shutting it down. What would be the consequences?

The AMOC is a system of ocean currents, of which the Gulf Stream is a part. It is one of the major drivers of climate, playing a crucial role in redistributing heat around the planet, and is one of the reasons why our climate in Western Europe is temperate. In a recent letter, experts stress the collateral effects of its slowing down, or even its collapse. Because this is now a probable risk.

On 18 November 2024, the annual Brest-Iroise Workshop Zone (ZABrI ) Day was held at the Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM) in Plouzané. Attended by 60 participants, the central theme of the event was co-construction between scientists and local stakeholders. The aim was to explore and strengthen collaboration to improve understanding and management of socio-ecosystems.

Enriching discussions on co-construction

The day began with an introduction and presentations of projects illustrating the diversity of multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches. Participants were able to discover, among other things, the ETICS project on the development of innovative methods based on molecular biology for trophic ecology and the DYNARADE project, focusing on the shared management of coastal environments in the Brest harbour, with the example of the Spartina.
Three thematic sessions followed, offering a variety of perspectives on co-construction. The presentations highlighted the importance of close cooperation between researchers, local authorities, associations and other stakeholders in tackling environmental issues. Inspiring examples, highlighting, for example, the role of biosphere reserves in strengthening partnerships, participatory observation approaches, the involvement of local authorities in governance, the importance and methods of mediation in sharing knowledge and transforming practices, illustrated the diversity of projects and partnership dynamics carried out in the ZABrI and the other Workshop Zones.

Collaborative workshops to build the future

The second part of the afternoon was devoted to workshops. Divided into groups, the participants considered co-construction approaches in conjunction with different types of stakeholder: local authorities, civil society and natural environment managers. These discussions helped to identify levers for action to enhance collaboration and improve existing practices.

An action-oriented conclusion

At the end of the day, the workshops were summed up in a summary of the discussions and proposals, confirming the participants’ commitment to continuing this collaborative dynamic. Fred Jean, Director of the IUEM, brought the event to a close by stressing the importance of strengthening the links between science and territory in the face of environmental challenges.
The day’s events were a great success, providing food for thought on how to build close, lasting partnerships to serve socio-ecosystems. The cross-disciplinary approach adopted by ZABrI illustrates how research can be part of a collective approach to meeting local and global environmental challenges.