Coordinators: Erik Cordes and Elva Escobar
Group Update - November 2025
Contributor: Dr. Elva Escobar
Affiliation: Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (UNAM)
Working Group: Western Tropical Atlantic and Caribbean (WTAC)
Update:
The WTAC subgroup has been working to integrate deep-sea science into IOCARIBE’s agenda, including training at sea. These priorities were formally adopted in the Decisions and Recommendation Statements of IOC/SC-IOCARIBE-XVIII/3s (May 2025), marking an important step toward strengthening regional capabilities in deep-ocean exploration and education.
Relevance to Challenger 150:
This work directly supports C150 milestones on regional growth, and training new generations of deep-sea scientists, particularly in under-represented regions.
Upcoming Opportunities:
Plans are underway for the 2026 SIGSBEE cruise to the SIGSBEE Abyssal Plain, designed to train early-career researchers at sea and sample the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) station. Partial funding is already secured, and additional support opportunities are being explored.
Contact:
Dr. Elva Escobar — [email protected]