Dates: 11-15 August 2025
Location: Kingston, Jamaica
Deadline for receipt of application from the nominating national authority: 2 July 2025
The course is a cooperative effort organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre (OA-ICC) and hosted by the Government of Jamaica through the University of the West Indies (UWI) as the local organizer.
Introduction
The IAEA’s Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre (OA-ICC) supports IAEA Member States to minimize and adapt to OA and report towards SDG 14.3 and the GBF, with a strong focus on building capacity to study ocean acidification and related stressors and promoting international collaboration and coordination.
Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are particularly vulnerable to ocean acidification due to their reliance on the ocean for food, income, and recreation. This Basic Training Course on Ocean Acidification will provide scientists from Caribbean SIDS with foundational knowledge on conducting ocean acidification monitoring and designing purposeful experiments to understand the impacts of ocean acidification on key marine organisms in the Caribbean region. By the end of the course, participants will have a better understanding of the challenges and complexities presented by ocean acidification and the critical role we all play in addressing this issue and developing solutions.
Objectives
The course aims to empower Caribbean SIDS to monitor ocean acidification and its effects on key marine species, informing both SDG 14.3 and Target 8 of the Global Biodiversity Framework, and to explore local solutions to increase the resilience to ocean acidification in the region.
It will cover various topics, including theoretical aspects and best practices for the measurement of seawater carbonate chemistry, how to evaluate the impacts of ocean acidification on marine species and ecosystems, and potential solutions for minimizing its effects, including possible local adaptation measures. Guidance on how to report towards Sustainable Development Goal 14.3 and its indicator 14.3.1 on ocean acidification will be provided.
The course will be taught by experts in the field of ocean acidification, who will provide lectures, interactive discussions, and hands-on activities to ensure that participants gain a comprehensive understanding of the topic. The course will also provide opportunities for participants to network with peers and engage with the broader ocean acidification community. Local aquaculture managers will be invited to a special session to discuss potential local adaptation measures to counter the effects of ocean acidification in the Caribbean.
Target Audience
The course is intended for scientists from the Caribbean who are entering the ocean acidification field. It is open to 10 to 12 trainees from the following countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
Priority will be given to early-career scientists with experience in marine sciences. Scientific publications in related fields will be valued.
Working Language: English
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Participation and Registration
All persons wishing to participate in the event have to be designated by an IAEA Member State or should be members of organizations that have been invited to attend.
In order to be designated by an IAEA Member State, participants are requested to send the Participation Form (Form A) to their competent national authority (e.g. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Permanent Mission to the IAEA or National Atomic Energy Authority) for onward transmission to the IAEA by 2 July 2025. Participants who are members of an organization invited to attend are requested to send the Participation Form (Form A) through their organization to the IAEA by the above deadline.
Selected participants will be informed in due course on the procedures to be followed with regards to administrative and financial matters.
Participants are hereby informed that the personal data they submit will be processed in line with the Agency’s Personal Data and Privacy Policy and is collected solely for the purpose(s) of reviewing and assessing the application and to complete logistical arrangements where required. The IAEA may also use the contact details of Applicants to inform them of the IAEA’s scientific and technical publications, or the latest employment opportunities and current open vacancies at the IAEA. These secondary purposes are consistent with the IAEA’s mandate.
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Additional Requirements
The participants should have a university degree in marine chemistry, biology, oceanography or a related scientific field, and should be currently involved in or planning to study ocean acidification. Scientific publications in related fields will be valued.
Selection will be based on merit and interest. Applications should include:
- A motivation letter with a short description of the candidate’s research interests and how the course would benefit the applicant’s current or future research (max one A4 page).
- CV with publication list.
IAEA / OA-ICC, 4 June 2025. More information.
