CommOCEAN 2026 – Day 1: DCC-CR in Bergen

The Decade Collaborative Centre for Coastal Resilience joined the first day of CommOCEAN 2026 in Bergen, Norway.

Organised by the University of Bergen on behalf of the Norwegian Marine University Consortium, CommOCEAN is a leading international conference dedicated to marine science communication. This year’s edition, “Communication for and within the UN Ocean Decade: Setting Sails for 2030”, brings together the international ocean communication community to exchange innovative practices, tools and approaches.

Among the contributions presented during the conference, Green Tides: Resilience Conversations, the DCC-CR podcast, is featured in the official CommOCEAN 2026 poster exhibition.

Through conversations with scientists and experts, Green Tides aims to make complex Coastal Resilience challenges accessible to wider audiences. Its presence at CommOCEAN highlights the role of science communication and Ocean Literacy in making Coastal Resilience knowledge accessible beyond the scientific community.

The first day's programme also provided opportunities to explore approaches directly relevant to the DCC-CR's communication activities.

The Circus Session “Press releases as a strategy to amplify ocean visibility in the media” focused on how effective science writing and media engagement can strengthen the visibility of ocean science.

The session “Using art & storytelling to preserve the nuance of ocean science while deepening citizen engagement” explored the intersection between art, science and public engagement, an area of growing interest within the DCC-CR's communication activities.

The day concluded with the IOC-UNESCO Venice workshop “Designing Ocean Literacy communication for diverse audiences: lessons from a travelling exhibition”, which examined how Ocean Literacy initiatives can be designed to better engage different audiences and respond to diverse contexts.

Participation in CommOCEAN 2026 offers the DCC-CR an opportunity to share its experience, exchange practices with the international marine science communication community, and explore new approaches to communication and engagement within the UN Ocean Decade.

The conference continues tomorrow with the second and final day of activities in Bergen.