IAEA-MEL Director's Word
Preservation of a healthy marine environment and the sustainable
development of marine resources are major tasks of the IAEA. As the
unique marine laboratories in the UN system, MEL is designed to respond
to regular requests for technical assistance not only from other UN
agencies, but also its Member States, providing a better understanding of
the monitoring and protection of the oceans through training courses
and technical cooperation projects.
MEL is also a networking international centre for analytical quality control
services for radioactive and non-radioactive marine pollutants in the
marine environment.
Four priorities will influence our activities in the coming years.
Marine Environment and Prosperity
Chemical pollution, intensive agriculture, sewage discharge and aquaculture, over-fishing, irreversible damage to coral reefs and challenges to marine biodiversity are recognized as key threats to which the international community needs to respond. IAEA-MEL is becoming a network centre for Member States focusing on normative activities.Marine Environment and Solidarity
IAEA-MEL is committed to equipping new generations of marine scientists with the knowledge and training necessary to understand the threats to the marine environment through the unique diagnostic power of isotopes. Our experience shows that almost all major pollution problems facing the marine environment can only be investigated using nuclear and isotopic techniques, which offer the diagnostic and dynamic information needed to identify the source of contamination, its history of accumulation, the environmental pathways and its impact. Such information is needed to make cost effective mitigation decisions.Marine Environment and Security
IAEA-MEL will build on the service provided to Member States by providing independent marine radioactivity environmental assessments. The global marine levels of artificial radionuclides continue to decline, and they are now well below both radiological thresholds and the levels of natural radionuclides found in the marine environment. IAEA-MEL will, however, maintain and update its capability to provide timely assessments for any future marine radiological incident.Marine Environment and the Global Perspective
The potential of isotopic techniques to study the earth’s climate and climate change has been extensively exploited in recent years by marine scientists investigating ocean currents, water masses, and the ocean as a sink for carbon. Past ice ages, present-day warming trends and other phenomena have been tracked through their isotopic signatures in the coral bands and in microfossils of deep-sea sediments. The study of IAEA-MEL will continue to collaborate with other international organizations active in these and other fields, who are dedicated to understanding and helping to preserve the marine environment.MEL will continue to serve Member States by doing its utmost to carry out its mission: promoting of nuclear and isotopic techniques to improve the understanding of the marine environment and preserve its health for future generations.
