The Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (Kim Woong-seo, President) announced the hosting of the International Symposium on “Impact of Climatic Variability of the Southeast Pacific: 2017-2019” at the Peruvian Directorate of Hydrography and Navigation (DHN) in Lima, Peru for the two days of September 25-26, 2019 (local time).

Jointly hosted by the Korea-Peru Research Laboratory on Marine Science and Technology for Latin America at KIOST, the Marine Institute of Peru (IMARPE), and the Directorate of Hydrography and Navigation (DHN), the international event was attended by some 45 marine experts from Korea, Peru, and Ecuador, notably Congressman Marvin Palma of Peru, Executive Scientific Director Renato Guevara of IMARPE, and Director General of Supervision Jose Romero Glenny on behalf of Peru’s Vice Minister of Production.

 This workshop was held to share knowledge on the impact of climatic variabilities, such as El nino and La nina, that occurred between 2017 and 2019 on the marine environments and economies of the Southeast Pacific region, and experiences on how it recovered from the related damage.

Participants shared research findings over the course of five sessions, “Climatic Variability in the Southeast Pacific 2017-2019”, “Monitoring and Predictions of El nino”, “Impacts of El nino and La nina on Marine Ecosystems and Bio-resources”, “Socio-economic Impact of El nino on Peru”, and “Prevention and Recovery from Damage from El nino”. They emphasized the need for cooperation among experts not only in terms of the seas but a variety of other fields, such as socio-economics, to accurately predict climate change events, such as El nino, and minimize their damage.

KIOST President Kim Woong-seo remarked, “The Southeast Pacific region is impacted significantly by climatic variabilities, including El nino and La nina, and joint global research and cooperation are essential as we recognize the vulnerability of the region to increasing damage caused by climate change.”