First World Ocean Assessment
Chapter 50 of the first United Nations World Ocean Assessment is dedicated to the Sargasso Sea ecosystem as a unique and critically valuable part of the global ocean. The Sargasso Sea has the distinction of being the only "named" ecosystem in the entire volume, which consists of 55 separate chapters. The Sargasso Sea chapter, whose principal author was Professor Howard Roe, acknowledges that "the importance of the Sargasso Sea is now recognised internationally." The Sargasso Sea will also be included in the second World Ocean Assessment, which has just been released in April 2021.
Chapter 50: The Sargasso Sea
Second World Ocean Assessment
The Second World Ocean Assessment (WOA II) is the major output of the second cycle of the Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the States of the Marine Environment, including Socioeconomic Aspects. It is the newest outcome of the only integrated assessment of the world's ocean at the global level covering environmental, economic and social aspects. WOA II provides scientific information on the state of the marine environment in a comprehensive and integrated manner to support decisions and actions for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, in particular goal 14, as well as the implementation of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Chapter 7Q, written by authors Professor Howard Roe, Dr Tammy Warren, Dr Brian Luckhurst, Dr Laurie Kell, and Dr David Freestone, covers the Sargasso Sea ecosystem.
