Interdisciplinary training initiative designed to build the capacity of early-career researchers and graduate students working in marine sciences. Hosted by CCMAR, Portugal.
Ocean observation has expanded enormously over the last two decades, yet training programmes for early-career researchers have not kept pace with this transformation. Young scientists are typically educated within disciplinary silos: molecular biologists rarely engage with satellite oceanography, physical oceanographers seldom handle eDNA datasets, sediment geochemists work apart from plankton ecologists, and few are exposed to the cross-scale, multi-platform integration that defines modern ocean observation. MOMM 2.0, Multiscale Oceanography: From Micro to Macro, directly addresses this gap by training the next generation of ocean observers to navigate, integrate and interpret data across molecular, microbial, planktonic, benthic, mesoscale and basin-scale processes within a unified observational framework.
The first MOMM edition (October 2025, CCMAR) confirmed unequivocal demand for this approach: over 180 applications were received from 45+ countries for 22 in-person and 28 online seats, with 7 fully funded bursaries delivered through POGO, SCOR, SEA-EU, VWR, BeLIFE and the Municipality of Faro. Early-career researchers from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe took part in field campaigns in the Ria Formosa, hands-on laboratory training, expert lectures and collaborative integration projects. Post-course evaluations placed overall satisfaction above 4.7/5, with the strongest feedback on cross-scale integration, networking and cohort diversity. Several alumni have already launched joint publications and proposals, providing concrete evidence that MOMM functions as a long-term scientific incubator rather than a one-off event.
MOMM 2.0 builds on this consolidated foundation. The course will be delivered as a hybrid programme combining a one-week online preparatory module and a five-day intensive in-person school at CCMAR. Field campaigns will be conducted in the Ria Formosa lagoon and the adjacent continental shelf, and laboratory training will span the full chemical and biological observation chain: physical oceanography and coastal upwelling; nutrients and the marine inorganic carbon system (alkalinity, pH and ocean acidification); HPLC pigments and phytoplankton biomass; zooplankton ecology, invasive species and microplastic contamination; benthic communities and eDNA metabarcoding; biotoxins and harmful algal blooms; ecotoxicology bioassays for marine pollution; and sediment geochemistry including paleoceanographic foraminiferal proxies. Integration workshops will fuse in situ, autonomous, satellite remote sensing and molecular data streams. Faculty are drawn from POGO member institutions in Europe (CCMAR, AWI, CSIC), Asia (KIOST) and the Americas (UFPA), complemented by experts from Met Éireann, CESAM, UFRJ, UFF, IPMA and CIMA to address specific gaps in expertise.
Year: 2027
Members involved
