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A community engagement programme in East Africa led by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) has demonstrated how marine robots have the potential to transform ocean research for developing nations, offering a viable alternative to expensive research infrastructure, such as ships.

Monthly composites of remote sensing reflectance at 555 nm wavelength (Rrs555) from ocean color imagery of the MODIS sensor onboard the Aqua platform were used to characterize the spatial and temporal variability of coastal plume in the Sofala Bank and its relation to river discharge, local rainfall, and wind speed. To achieve the objective, maps of monthly composites of Rrs555 over the Sofala Bank were inspected and statistical analysis was performed, including correlation, analysis of variance, and wavelet coherence between environmental variables and both plume area and Rrs555. Climatology of Rrs555 revealed that both plume dispersion and Rrs555 values are higher during June to December and lower during January to May. A positive correlation (r = 0.77) between wind speed and monthly time series of Rrs555, and a negative correlation between the Zambezi river discharge (r = −0.21) and rainfall (r = −0.67) with Rrs555 were found. These results suggest that variation of suspended matter in the Sofala Bank is mainly controlled by erosion and re-suspension by winds rather than the input of terrigenous matter by the Zambezi River discharge and rainfall, assuming that Rrs555 can be a valid proxy for the inorganic suspended matter. The southern portion of the Sofala Bank (i.e., near the mouths of the Pungue and Buzi Rivers) presented higher values of Rrs555 if compared to the center region near Zambezi river mouth and the northern region near Licungo river mouth. The higher Rrs555 values in the southern region might be associated with higher re-suspension rates due to increased tide mixing, dredging activities, and the shallower nature of bathymetry in the southern region. The dominance of wind in controlling the variability of suspended sediments and the eventual relatively greater contribution of Pungue and Buzi River than the Zambezi in supplying sediments could represent an evidence of weakening of Zambezi River supply of sediments, a process that might have start

◆ Observational data analysis indicates that cold water brought up by coastal upwelling south of Java can trigger the onset of Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). ◆ A method to accurately determine coastal upwelling signal based on satellite chlorophyll-a data was developed and used for analysis in areas with limited observations. ◆ As IOD affects the global climate, including summer weather in Japan, the findings of this study are expected to help improve the predictability of both the global climate and IOD.

Tuna regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) have long suffered from the domination of distant water fishing nations (DWFNs) in decision-making processes. The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) is no exception. In recent years, coastal states of the Indian Ocean (IO) have tried to change this dynamic - led by countries like the Maldives, Kenya, South Africa, and Australia - to deliver greater benefits to the region, including East Africa. These countries are gathered under the informal group of G16 and have increasingly improved their involvement in the IOTC. Here, we ask how the rise of the G16 benefited coastal States through participation and collective understanding in the Indian Ocean. To do this, we analyzed proposals submitted by the G16 for conservation and management measures and the participant lists of the Commission meetings in the past ten years. Our results show that, individually and collectively, the G16 has played a significant role in shaping the IOTC's rules. The coastal States have established a good representation, with only a handful of Members absent in some years. Unveiling the efforts of coastal countries is essential to guide further capacity building in the region in terms of negotiations. We also call for international oversight of the actions of DWFNs, such as the EU, whose efforts often differ markedly from their claims of being sustainability champions. The G16's work is essential to keep the coastal States of the Indian Ocean in the driver's seat for managing Indian Ocean fisheries to benefit future generations.

Ocean acidification, deoxygenation, and warming are three interconnected global change challenges caused by increased anthropogenic carbon emissions. These issues present substantial threats to marine organisms, ecosystems, and the survival of coastal communities depending on these ecosystems. Coastal upwelling areas may experience significant declines in pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), and temperature levels during upwelling events, making marine organisms and ecosystems in these areas more susceptible to ocean acidification and deoxygenation. Understanding the dynamics of pH, DO, and temperature in coastal upwelling areas is essential for evaluating the susceptibility of resident organisms and ecosystems to lower pH and DO conditions occurring during upwelling events. To accomplish this, we used the pH and the DO loggers to measure high-frequency data for pH and DO, respectively, over six months in the open ocean and for a 24-hour cycle within the mangrove, seagrass, and coral reef ecosystems of the Tanga-Pemba Seascape (T-PS) during the northeast monsoon season. Our findings revealed the occurrence of multiple upwelling events, with varying durations, that result in significant declines in pH, DO, and temperature within the seascape. This is the first study to confirm the occurrence of multiple upwelling events in the T-PS. Moreover, the study has revealed a pH threshold value of 7.43 for ocean acidification in the T-PS. This is the first study to report a threshold value for ocean acidification in coastal upwelling areas of the Western Indian Ocean (WIO). Furthermore, it revealed that the extremely low levels of pH that occurred during upwelling events were above the pH threshold value of 7.43 for ocean acidification, while the extremely low levels of DO fell below the oxygen threshold value of 4.6 mg/L for deoxygenation. During upwelling events, seagrass and coral reef ecosystems, but not mangrove ecosystems, demonstrated elevated mean hourly values of pH and DO com

Kenya is committed to the global efforts on climate change mitigation and adaptation as seen through investments in various sustainable green and blue economy projects. In this review paper, we present the current status of what has been done, particularly on the blue carbon offset initiatives undertaken in the mangrove and seaweed ecosystems as well as the decarbonization activities at the port of Mombasa and which should form reference information for local, regional, bilateral/multilateral partners, scientists and other climate change stakeholders. The blue carbon offset projects involve mangrove conservation, reforestation and carbon credit sale as well as seaweed farming. The initiatives have several unique features amongst which are the community-led income generation systems that simultaneously act as an inducement for ecosystem preservation, co-management and benefits sharing which are recipes for economic, socio-cultural, and environmental sustainability. A notable project impact is the conferment of economic power to the locals, particularly the women and the youth The model used embraces a collaborative approach involving multisectoral engagements of both the government, multilateral organizations, NGOs, and local communities. This integrated top-down (government) and bottom-up (local community) method deliberately targets the strengthening of economic development while ensuring sustainability.