OA Week 2025 - Mediterranean Hub

The Mediterranean is a semi-enclosed and climate-vulnerable basin, where warming, acidification, deoxygenation, and biodiversity loss are unfolding at faster-than-global rates. The Ocean Acidification Mediterranean Hub (OA Med-Hub) will explore the growing climate-related pressures on the Mediterranean Sea, with a focus on ocean acidification in a multi-stressor context. Afterwards, ocean-based solutions, namely marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) approaches in the Mediterranean, will be navigated. Through a focused talk and panel discussion on climate threats, the session will highlight region-specific scientific evidence, knowledge gaps, and stakeholder perspectives. A second segment will introduce mCDR technologies, opening a space for a panel discussion on their applicability, risks, and governance needs in the Mediterranean context. The session aims to foster knowledge exchange and regional dialogue, contributing to OA literacy and coordinated responses to emerging climate solutions in one of the world's most impacted marine regions. Moderators: Abed El Rahman Hassoun GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel & National Council for Scientific Research in Lebanon (CNRS-L) Iris Hendriks Cientifico Titular of the Spanish Research Council (CSIC) & Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (IMEDEA, CSIC-UIB) Speakers: Patrizia Ziveri Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA) Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) Nina Bednarsek Jožef Stefan Institute, Slovenia Panelists: Marco Reale National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics-OGS Louis Hadjioannou Cyprus Marine & Maritime Institute (CMMI) Susana Flecha Institute of Marine Sciences of Andalusia (ICMAN), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) Nathalie Hilmi Centre Scientifique de Monaco Cale Miller Utrecht University, Netherlands Nayrah Shaltout National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Egypt