Atlantic Seabed Mapping Roadmap

Abstract

This Vision Statement arises from the activities of the Atlantic Seabed Mapping International Work Group (hereafter referred to as Seabed Mapping Group), and is conducted through the Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance (AORA) between Canada, the European Union and the United States of America. The progress and vision towards achieving a baseline seabed and habitat map of the Atlantic Ocean, was presented at the All Atlantic Ocean Research Forum, 6-7 February, 2020, in Brussels, Belgium. A diverse group of stakeholders participated in this work and the outcome summarised here is a result of extensive consultation with workshop and meeting participants, as well as others that were invited to comment on the work as it progressed. The Seabed Mapping Group has, in the last five years, defined and tested all the necessary steps to map the previously uncharted seafloor of the Atlantic Ocean. With the onset of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, the Seabed Mapping Group calls on the international leaders to provide the resources and framework necessary to achieve this ambitious goal, in order to deliver on their commitment to the Galway and Belém Statements. Creating an accurate fact based map of the Atlantic seafloor is essential for the sustainable use of our ocean, and will greatly help us to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal.