¸£ÀûÔÚÏßÃâ·Ñ

Building Mediterranean climate resilience through ocean observations

The Department of Geosciences was represented at the , held at Casa Mediterráneo in Alicante, Spain, on 14 May 2026. The forum brought together experts from across the Mediterranean to discuss how regions can work together to prevent and respond to climate-related risks, including floods, wildfires, desertification, coastal hazards, and water scarcity.

Prof. Adam Gauci was invited to participate in the panel focusing on the Interreg programme and on territorial cooperation as a tool for building a more resilient Mediterranean. The discussion explored how cooperation projects can help Mediterranean regions move from isolated actions towards shared systems, stronger collaboration, and better preparedness.

During the panel, Prof. Gauci presented the University of Malta’s contribution to MEDJICARP, an Interreg NEXT MED project that builds on several years of cooperation in ocean observation and climate-risk monitoring. He highlighted that resilience is not built within a single project cycle, but through connected initiatives that leave behind infrastructure, technical capacity, protocols, and trusted partnerships.

The Department of Geosciences, through the work of Prof. Gauci, Prof. Alan Deidun, Prof. Sebastiano D’Amico and other colleagues, has been involved in several Interreg projects that have strengthened Malta’s capacity for marine and environmental monitoring. These initiatives have supported the development of observing systems such as HF radar networks, sea-level monitoring tools, and meteo-marine risk services, while also fostering collaboration with local stakeholders, public authorities, civil protection entities, environmental agencies, and maritime operators.

A central message from the forum was that data alone does not create resilience. Scientific information becomes useful when it reaches the right people, at the right time and in a format that supports action. This is particularly important for applications such as search and rescue, oil spill response, pollution tracking, coastal monitoring, and climate adaptation planning.

The forum also underlined the need for stronger links between real-time observations, emergency response, water management and nature-based planning. Through its participation, the Department of Geosciences reaffirmed its role in supporting Mediterranean resilience through science, ocean-observing infrastructure and long-term regional cooperation.