This book presents the personal insight on the evolution of modern oceanography of Gunnar Kullenberg, a distinguished ocean scientist and former Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. It leads us through the transition from IOC-UNESCO serving as a platform for cooperation among leading nations in operational oceanography in the 1960s to its role as a facilitator for the sharing of oceanographic knowledge and technology for the benefit of all nations in the 1980s and 1990s. Through this dual perspective, Kullenberg describes how the practice of oceanography has evolved, from physical exploration to relying largely on computer modelling together with analysis of remote observations, both from satellites and in situ moored and drifting profiling recording instruments, and now artificial intelligence. It reflects how the growing awareness on ocean issues at all levels of society and the engagement of marine actors are crucial to address sustainable development. In a quickly changing word, Kullenberg’s testimony reminds the new generation of oceanographers of the equal importance for them to keep developing a robust retrospective knowledge of their subject. |
