KUALA TERENGGANU—The Institute of Oceanography and Environment (INOS), in collaboration with the First Institute of Oceanography (FIO), China hosted the Tropical Ocean and Marine Sciences International Symposium (TOMSY 2018) from 30-31 October here to discuss issues on ocean and marine sciences through oral discourse and poster presentations.

The symposium brought together under one roof leading academic scientists, researchers and research scholars, for them to exchange and share experiences and research results about all aspects of ocean and marine sciences especially in the tropical areas.

In line with the theme Discovering the Oceans for Future Sustainability, the symposium hoped to review the activities and processes that contributed to the threat of pollution, reduction of pH due to sea water acidity, coral bleaching, and others to ensure sustainability of marine resources, as well as to find the best method that is well-established, symposium chairman Associate Professor Dr Suhaimi Suratman said.

The two-day symposium was attended by 110 participants from local regions and other countries including China, Indonesia and Vietnam.

A total of 110 papers were presented either as posters or oral presentations. The papers covered various related areas such as ocean biogeochemistry, marine geology, biological oceanography, satellite oceanography and ocean governance.

The keynote speaker was Professor Dr Chen Li Qi of the Third Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration of China, who presented a paper entitled Global Ocean Acidification Without Borders: A Case Study from the Arctic Ocean on the first day of the symposium.

Plenary speakers were Professor Dr Wan Izatul Asma Wan Talaat of UMT; Associate Professor Dr Ir Ario Damar of Bogor Agricultural University, Indonesia; Dr Gao Zhigang of National Marine Data and Information Service, Ministry of Natural Resources, China; Renee Teo Yong Yin of Bruker Malaysia Sdn Bhd; and Associate Professor Dr Mohd Fadzil Mohd Akhir of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu.

UMT Vice Chancellor in her speech said that all researchers needed to share existing knowledge and new discoveries to the public in order to create a generation that is aware of ocean pollutions and conservation.

“This symposium can provide methods to solve the crisis regarding ocean and marine sciences especially in this region, and share them with concerned authorities,” Professor Nor Aieni said.

Also held was the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding between UMT and National Marine Data and Information Service (NMDIS) of China that calls for research and technical collaboration in Marine Big Data Platform.

Scientific equipment expo was also held to give participants exposure to the latest equipment in the market which can help in the research and teaching, especially in the Malaysian setting.

At the end of the symposium, participants were taken on an excursion to a few popular places in Kuala Terengganu.