26 Mar When Math Meets the Sea 

Canada, France, and Chile unite to build stronger connections in mathematics and ocean science  

When you gaze out at the ocean, you might not usually be thinking about mathematical equations… but, for a group of international researchers on Canada’s West Coast, something incredible is in the works after spending a few days doing just that. 

In mid-February, the second Canada–France–Chile Research Connections Workshop in Ocean and Mathematical Sciences brought together international researchers from various disciplines to tackle modern ocean problems by exploring the interface of ocean science, data science, and mathematics.  

Hosted by the Pacific Institute for Mathematical Sciences (PIMS) at UBC and the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre (BMSC), and supported by the collaborative agreement with MEOPAR and the CNRS, this workshop aimed to understand research challenges at the intersection of ocean sciences and mathematics, identify what data are being collected, what data are missing, and map out how the different disciplines can be used to derive new insights into critical ocean processes. Additionally, the groups worked to identify funding that could drive these projects forward and develop plans for researcher and student mobility between the three countries – three countries that are collectively home to over 20% of the entire world’s coastline! 

International collaboration to advance transdisciplinary ocean science  

Transdisciplinary approaches are an essential part of the ocean sciences. The ocean is a complex system where physical processes, biological systems, human activities, policy, and local and Indigenous community are tightly interconnected. Addressing major ocean challenges – including climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainable food systems – requires integrating knowledge across disciplines, knowledge systems, and borders. 

Math, ecology, and oceanography can be considered foundational pillars of ocean science as they strive to explain how the ocean works physically, how life functions within it, and how we can understand these processes to test predictions. With this in mind, expert researchers in these areas across institutions in Canada, France, and Chile gathered with the goal of building shared research pillars to develop transdisciplinary framework to research shared ocean challenges.  

The workshop discussions were catalyzed by many recent events, the France–Western Canada ocean and polar science meeting hosted by PIMS in 2024; a growing enthusiasm for France and Canada to collaborate on ocean science on a grander scale;  the recent signing of a statement of intent of collaboration between the Océanos Institute and Pacific Marine Science Alliance (PMSA) under the PRISMS project; and the MoU signed by Canada’s NSERC and Chile’s ANID. All these recent milestones support collaborative efforts to link expertise, technologies, data, and resources across the three countries. 

Workshop participants included researchers from PIMS, individuals from each of PMSA’s member universities (University of British Columbia, University of Victoria, University of Alberta, University of Calgary, Simon Fraser University), University of Saskatchewan, Ocean Networks Canada, Ocean Frontier Institute, TRIUMF, Nantes Université, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Station biologique de Roscoff, Paris-Est Créteil Université, European Marine Biological Resource Centre (EMBRC-ERIC), Universidad de Chile, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and Universidad de Concepción. 

The group spent the three days together for this workshop, two days at PIMS, and a final day at BMSC to explore what could be done collaboratively.  

Why bring these groups together?  

The mathematical and data scientists, marine ecologists, and oceanographers from various institutes came together with the following major objectives:  

• Define two to three tri-national pilot research projects at the interface of ocean and mathematical science. 

• Identify specific funding opportunities for the above defined projects. 

• Draft project concepts and proposal text to apply for funding. 

• Propose student and researcher mobility plans between the three countries. 

• Formalize management and scientific leadership plans for a three-nation ocean – math research network. 

Dr. Lionel Guidi, senior scientist at CNRS, commented on his experience and the workshop stating, “[it] was a great opportunity to bring together Western Canadians, Chileans, and French researchers interested in Ocean science and the future of observing this complex ecosystem in order to better anticipate its changes. On top of that, this was a unique opportunity to put together Mathematician and oceanographers/Marine biologists in the same room in order to start thinking about co-designing research projects that could be of interest and challenging for both disciplines. This will probably take a bit longer that this week-long workshop, but we need[ed] to start somewhere in order to come up with a common understanding of the challenges ahead and a joint program to face these challenges.” All in all, this meeting was a catalyst for future collaborative work across disciplines, marine stations, and nations.  

Working together internationally across marine stations 

International mobility strengthens Canada’s research ecosystem and global partnerships by building strong networks, attracting top global talent, and fostering the development of internationally connected skills. As Dr. Sean Rogers, Executive Director of The Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, put it, “Marine stations exist to give scientists and students direct access to the ocean for research and education, and to connect researchers and students through networks that support collaboration, training, and shared data. In fact, when Anton Dohrn founded the first modern marine station in Naples in the 1870s, he called it a “marine station” deliberately—imagining coastal research hubs as part of a global network where scientists could come together to advance ocean science, rather than laboratories tied to a single university.”  

Supporting mobility plans will include graduate student exchanges, integration with field schools for students, postdoctoral opportunities, technical staff training, and more.  

“Math in the sand”   

The tours of both PIMS and the BMSC station allowed participants to better appreciate the resources available to support ocean research along Canada’s Pacific coast, and the opportunities to bring new methods and tools to existing approaches. At the BMSC, the group toured facilities and infrastructure for experiments and data collection, such as the PEARL (Pacific Ecosystem Autonomous Research Lab). This lab holds a suite of sensors to collect continuous data for atmospheric conditions and ocean surface variability. It currently measures hydrography (temperature and salinity), plankton biomass (chlorophyll), productivity (oxygen accumulation), and carbon dioxide, with the capacity to host many more sensors and devices.  

More than anything, the best thinking, work, and relationship building tends to happen in person, and outside traditional working spaces. A walk along Brady’s Beach helped not only to stimulate some creative conversations and ideas, but form lasting relationships, that are the true backbone of a major collaboration like this one. 

Alejandro Maas, Director of International Relations and PI at the Universidad de Chile, spoke to the experience of meeting in person for collaboration, “When one does multidisciplinary work, it is crucial to meet in person, since it goes beyond understanding the technical issues and problems each group faces.  Facing a problem together requires eliminating hierarchies, meeting on the same level, and putting the problem in the center – and this crucial way of thinking happens more naturally when everyone is in the same room.”  

An optimistic wrap up 

At the final wrap up of the workshop, the group was optimistic about future opportunities to combine their expertise, knowledge, and resources to tackle key ocean research challenges. As the PIMS director, Özgür Yilmaz, put it “The Canada–Chile–France Ocean Research Workshop is about turning shared ocean challenges into shared solutions. By bringing together mathematicians, ocean scientists, and data scientists from three countries and ocean regions, we’re strengthening the connections needed for long-term international collaboration. The workshop created space for researchers to share perspectives, identify key challenges, and shape ideas for future collaborative work.”  

Now, teams from the workshop are drafting proposals and already have follow up meetings planned to move these projects forward. Various individuals will also have the chance to meet again at The Third World Congress of Marine Stations, which will also be held at The Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre. All in all, the workshop was a significant success, and a major step forward for interdisciplinary ocean science.   

See the PIMS Story on the workshop here: PIMS Hosts Canada–France–Chile Ocean Research Connections Workshop | PIMS – Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences