2C Meeting Room

ST 2.2: A Training Session on Pollution Assessment and Management (PAM)

Overview

This training session will introduce the fundamental concepts and best practices in environmental risk assessment and management of chemical contaminants. It will also provide an overview of the frontier technologies in monitoring and assessment of marine pollution. Special focus will be placed on new pollutants and the risks they pose to the marine ecosystem and public health. We will also introduce the research progress of some global-scale studies.

Through this training session, participants will acquire the concepts and principles of environmental risk assessment, risk management, and communication as applied in practice. They will also understand the basic risk assessment tools (i.e., prospective, retrospective, and tiered approaches) for environmental risk management. By learning from the latest research, participants will learn about advanced methods for monitoring emerging chemicals of concern and their current status in coastal environments around the world. This training session will also enable participants to appreciate and employ modern approaches in pollution assessment and management in environmental policy formulation and decision-making.

Programme

TIME

AGENDA

Chair

  • Professor Kenneth Leung (Chief Professor), Dean of School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong; Chair Professor of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong; Director of State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution (City University of Hong Kong)
10:00 – 10:10 Welcoming and Introduction

  • Professor Kenneth Leung
10:10 – 10:55

 

Environmental Risk Assessment and Risk Management

  • Professor Kenneth Leung
10:50 – 11:00 Break
11:00 – 11:40

 

The Threats and Monitoring Techniques for Antibiotic Resistant Gene

  • Professor Xuemei Mao
11:40 – 12:00

 

Free Discussion and Closing Remarks

·         Professor Kenneth Leung

·         Professor Xuemei Mao

 

ST 2.3: Capacity Building Workshop on the Global Estuaries Monitoring (GEM) Programme

Overview

Currently, more than 100,000 chemical substances are used in our daily lives and industries. Many of these chemicals eventually end up in estuaries and oceans through various pathways such as rivers, surface runoff, and partially treated wastewater from treatment plants, ultimately causing potential hazards to marine organisms. Unfortunately, there is a lack of information regarding the occurrence and environmental risks of various contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in global estuaries, particularly in Africa, South America, Southeast Asia, and Oceania coastal areas.

To address this issue, the Global Estuaries Monitoring (GEM) Programme has been launched under the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Its visions are to develop a global monitoring network, reveal the pollution status, and co-create solutions with the global partners for cleaner and safer estuaries.

Expected outcomes and outputs

The GEM Workshop will serve as an affiliated activity of the GEM Programme. This workshop will provide a platform for participants to bring together action partners, to deliver the latest research progress and achievements of the GEM Programme during 2021 – 2024, to co-create potential collaborative projects and action plans for the next phase of GEM, and to develop innovative solutions for combating estuary and marine pollution problems, with an aim to achieve UN Ocean Decade’s ultimate goal of a cleaner ocean by 2030.

Program

TIME AGENDA
Chair

· Professor Kenneth Leung (Chief Professor), Dean of School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong; Chair Professor of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong; Director of State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution (City University of Hong Kong)

14:30 – 15:05

 

Welcoming and Introduction of the GEM Programme

· Professor Kenneth Leung

15:05 – 15:40

 

Pollution and land-sea transport of plastic debris and microplastics in the river estuary

· Professor Xinhong Wang

15:40 – 15:55 Break
15:55 – 16:25 Progress and Prospects of the GEM Programme

· Dr. Chong Chen

16:25 – 16:55 Advanced Passive Sampler Development

· Ms. Demilade T. Adedipe

16:55 – 17:30 Free Discussion and Closing Remarks

· Professor Kenneth Leung

· Professor Xinhong Wang

 

ST 3.2: Digital DEPTH (Workshop on Digital Deep-sea Typical Habitats Programme)

Overview

“Digital DeEP-sea Typical Habitats (Digital DEPTH)” is one of major scientific plan in the field of deep-sea habitats initiated under the framework of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (UN Ocean Decade). It was officially approved by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO on World Oceans Day in 2023 and is open to the world. The programme is operated by the China Deep Ocean Affairs Administration and led by chief scientist, Dr. Jiabiao Li, from Second Institute of Oceanography. Digital DEPTH focuses on 4 types of deep-sea habitats: seamounts, mid-ocean ridges, continental slopes and abyssal plains, which are vulnerable to human activities and global changes. The programme successfully hosted the western Pacific International Expedition. The workshop will help to discuss the update for the programme, emphasize the importance of international collaboration, thereby promoting the science-based approach to achieve deep-sea conservation and sustainable development.

Program Objectives:

The “Digital DEPTH” workshop is a groundbreaking initiative that delves into the typical deep-sea habitats. These unique ecosystems are not only essential to the planet’s biodiversity but also increasingly being vulnerable to human activities and global environmental changes. The Digital DEPTH is designed to strengthen our capacity to observe, simulate, and map these deep-sea environments, ultimately fostering a harmonious balance between deep-sea conservation and sustainable development. The successful western Pacific international Expedition has attracted scientists from 5 continents and valuable samples have been collected. A consensus has been achieved for exploring the deep-sea habitats to foster a sustainable ocean.

Program

TIME AGENDA
Opening and Introduction
Part 0. Welcome remarks

· Mrs. Dongmei Tang, China Deep Ocean Affairs Administration, Ministry of Natural Resources, China

· Dr. Yinxia Fang, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, China

Part 1. Introduction and progress of Digital DEPTH, and International Cruise 2024

· Dr. Jiabiao Li, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, China

Part 2. Academic reports and roundtable discussion for 2024 Western Pacific International Expedition (Dr. Xuewei Xu)

· Habitats and inhabitants of the deep-sea: from diversity to ecology to a prosperous ocean world,

o Erika Gress, James Cook University, Australia

· Research priorities for deep sea habitats,

o Dongsheng Zhang, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, China

· Deep-sea exploration for biodiversity,

o Ruiyan Zhang, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, China

Part 3. Introduction of newly adopted and future projects under Digital DEPTH (Dr. Rong Wang)

· Junhui Shi, Zhejiang Lab, China

· Bassem Jalali, Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer, Tunisia & Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, China

· Yang Liu, Ocean University of China, China

 

Part 4. Vision for Digital DEPTH by international collaborator and advisory (Dr. Peiyuan Qian)

1. Amr Hamouda, National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Egypt

2. Peiyuan Qian, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, China

3. Suzan El-Gharabawy, National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Egypt

4. Jianwen Qiu, Hong Kong Baptist University, China

Part 5. Discussion on future plan in 2025 and beyond

· Dr. Xuewei Xu, National Deep Sea Center, Ministry of Natural Resources, China

Part 6. Closing remarks

· Dr. Jiabiao Li, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, China

· Mrs. Dongmei Tang, China Deep Ocean Affairs Administration, Ministry of Natural Resources, China