At the Pan-CLIVAR Meeting in Bali (22–27 September 2025), A’an Johan Wahyudi—member of the IMBeR Scientific Steering Committee and National Contact for Indonesia—presented “IMBeR Activities and Updates for the 2025 Pan-CLIVAR Meeting.” The session outlined IMBeR’s achievements, ongoing work, and future directions in advancing ocean sustainability.
Since 2016, IMBeR (Integrated Marine Biosphere Research) has worked under its Science Plan and Implementation Strategy, addressing three Grand Challenges: understanding marine ecosystem variability, projecting future change, and linking science with policy for sustainable management. Supported by SCOR and Future Earth, and coordinated by the Scientific Steering Committee and International Project Office, IMBeR connects over 6,000 scientists and 1,300 early career researchers worldwide through its global network of national contacts.
IMBeR evolved to be a global program emphasizing the interconnectedness of marine and human systems. Now, as of September 2025, IMBeR has entered a new exploratory phase to design its next science plan with guidance from Future Earth, SCOR, and East China Normal University. This process builds on insights from the Future Oceans 3 Conference (Shanghai, May 2025), which identified three key Themes: 1) Land-Ocean-Climate & Pollutant Nexus and Coastal Tipping Points, 2) Integrative Interventions for Climate Mitigation, Adaptation, and Nature Repair, 3) Coupling Blue Transitions with Food System Transitions.
The long-standing IMBeR–CLIVAR partnership remains central. Their collaboration integrates climate dynamics with marine ecosystem processes to improve Earth system modeling. Joint initiatives—such as the Upwelling Systems Working Group, IOC-R, and SIBER—highlight this interdisciplinary engagement. At Future Oceans 3, CLIVAR representatives further strengthened ties by presenting ongoing activities and a new working group on biogeochemical–physical interactions.
A strong regional voice comes from the Indonesia Marine Biogeochemistry Forum (IMBF), which contributes to IMBeR through research on carbon fluxes, nutrient cycling, and ecosystem dynamics, as well as data-sharing, literacy programs, and interdisciplinary capacity building. IMBF’s integration of Indonesian science into IMBeR’s global efforts reflects the program’s vision of connecting local knowledge with international sustainability goals.
The Bali meeting reaffirmed the importance of IMBeR’s collaborative model—linking global science, regional expertise, and policy-relevant research. With its next science plan under development, IMBeR is poised to continue leading marine biosphere research and fostering solutions for a sustainable ocean future.