We are pleased to share that the Report of the 2nd Session of the IMDOS Steering Committee has been released.
The 2nd Session of the Integrated Marine Debris Observing System Steering Committee(IMDOS-SC-2) took place on 19-20 March 2026 at the Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences (IO PAN) in Sopot, Poland. This hybrid event, sponsored by the EU-funded projects BioGeoSea and EU4OceanObs, successfully brought together global experts for a productive exchange that took IMDOS forward in coordinating marine debris observations worldwide. The two-day gathering was full of intense discussions in plenary and in breakout groups, taking IMDOS significantly closer to addressing the ambitious strategic objectives outlined in the 2023 IMDOS Strategy document.
Sixteen Steering Committee (SC) members travelled from around the world to attend the meeting in person, and four others demonstrated tremendous dedication by actively participating online from Australia, Asia and the Americas throughout the entire agenda. In addition, the Director and Deputy Director of IO PAN, as well as three members of the International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project (IOCCP) & GOOS Biogeochemistry Panel of Experts, attended the meeting in person as guests.
The meeting provided an excellent opportunity to check on the status of IMDOS Task Team activities and discuss gaps and needs for further action, which together informed the development of an action plan for the next 1-2 years.
Gaps in harmonization of observing methods and marine debris data dominated the discussions. This ultimately resulted in a clearer view of how IMDOS can make a difference by better coordinating the numerous activities in this space. To this end, the SC made decisions on how to best expand on the IMDOS community engagement, while capitalizing on growing coordination office capacity.
One of the immediate outcomes of the meeting will be the public review launch of the draft Marine Plastics Debris Essential Ocean Variable (EOV) Specification Sheet. The EOV development process is being closely monitored by the GOOS Biogeochemistry Panel, and is supported by a dedicated task of advancing marine plastics debris observation within the EU BioGeoSea project.
Ultimately, the meeting strengthened the idea that IMDOS can add value by acting as an inter-stakeholder broker when applied to observing approaches and initiatives, guideline landscapes, regional initiatives, and data systems. The meeting, therefore, positioned IMDOS less as a destination and more as a catalyst that can help move existing efforts into a more connected and usable international observing framework directly supporting the policy-making processes.
Read the whole report here