Dear Colleagues, Dear Friends,
This is the first announcement of the “Oceans from Space” Symposium, 5th edition, which will take place once again in Venice, Italy, on 12-16 October 2020.
Worthy venue of the conference, and of most of the related social events, shall be the Scuola Grande di San Marco (http://en.venezia.net/venice-scuola-grande-di-san-marco.html), a refined and fitting location right in the center of the historical lagoon city. The timing of the conference, in mid-October of 2020, was chosen to respect the decadal frequency of the Symposium series, while avoiding overlaps with other major events, as well as high season periods in which Venice is overcrowded.
As in the past editions of 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2010, “Oceans from Space” Venice 2020 aims to demonstrate the state of the art in satellite oceanography, including ongoing basic and applied research. However, the appellation of the current edition additionally suggests the “2020” expression meaning “perfect vision”, and invites us to look ahead, beyond traditional scientific approaches, into e.g., new products modeling, in situ technologies, calibration methods, CubeSats, citizen science.
Thus, the Scientific Committee will work to renew and expand the breath of topics and sessions for this new edition of our Symposium. We hope that the week-long event will provide a forum to debate topical issues, as well as to explore ideas for novel approaches of ocean retrievals by means of new technologies, instruments and missions, without neglecting the potential links to management and policy at large. Your contribution in shaping the conference program would be most welcome.
The 5th edition will follow the same format we have already adopted before, with a certain degree of success. The heart of the Symposium shall be the daily poster session, during which a buffet lunch will be served, to encourage both technical and social contacts among participants. Further, daily oral sessions and panel debates shall focus on new developments and future outlooks. Once again, no parallel sessions are foreseen, so that each participant may have a chance to follow all talks.
As customary, the technical program of the Symposium will be complemented by a series of social events, aiming at fostering community spirit and offering opportunities for informal exchanges between participants. We are planning art exhibits, music recitals, as well as – tentatively – a visit to the MOSE (i.e., MOdulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico), destined to protect Venice and its Lagoon from acqua alta flooding (see e.g., https://www.water-technology.net/projects/mose -project/).
This first mailing, primarily intended to announce dates and venue of Venice 2020 to all who attended previous editions of “Oceans from Space”, will soon be followed by more detailed information. A dedicated website shall be opened in the coming months, to provide a tentative program, issue a call for papers, and offer logistical data. Conference registration and abstract submission will be possible on the same website. Please address inquiries or advice at: oceansfromspace@gmail.com.
We would like to thank you in advance for your contribution, in this early stage of preparation for our traditional decadal appointment, and we hope to see you in Venice in October 2020!
V. Barale, (Ret.) Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Ispra (Italy)
J.F.R Gower, (Ret.) Institute for Ocean Sciences, Sidney (Canada
L. Alberotanza, (Ret.) CNR – ISMAR, Venice (Italy)
F. Melin, Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Ispra (Italy)
P. Bontempi, Earth Science Division, NASA, Washington DC (USA)
V. Brando, CNR – ISMAR, Rome (Italy)
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Dr Vittorio E. Brando
CNR-ISMAR
vittorio.brando@cnr.it +39.329.1667011