A clear message flowed through the halls of the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice last week: the ocean is in crisis. The ocean covers over 70 percent of our planet and is essential to all life on Earth. It is a vital source of biodiversity, and marine ecosystems that support the livelihoods and cultures of billions of people around the world. It cools and regulates our climate. And yet this vast resource, much of which is still unseen or unknown, is transforming at an alarming pace. “Ecosystems are threatened, coral reefs are bleaching faster than ever before, cyclones are more intense than ever,” said the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, in his opening remarks. “The globe is burning, our oceans are boiling.” > The ocean covers over 70 percent of our planet and is essential to all life on > Earth. It is a vital source of biodiversity, and marine ecosystems that > support the livelihoods and cultures of billions of people around the world. Ten years on from the Paris Agreement, UNOC3 — co-hosted by France and Costa Rica — sought to catalyze further action and policy commitments toward protecting our ocean. This major global event brought together ocean stakeholders from intergovernmental organizations, civil society, academic institutions, and Indigenous and local communities, among others, to share ideas, insights and ongoing projects in support of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14: Life Below Water. In Nice’s Palexpo, rebranded for the conference as “The Whale”, the European Commission hosted the European Digital Ocean Pavilion, implemented by Mercator Ocean International. The Pavilion formed a central hub for the European ocean community, while showcasing cutting-edge EU assets and technologies for ocean observation. “Through state-of-the-art simulations, multimedia screens and interactive installations, visitors could visualize ocean processes, explore ‘what-if’ scenarios, and better understand the ocean’s vital signs,” said Elisabeth Hamdouch-Fuehrer, deputy head of earth observation at the European Commission. Mercator Ocean, Philippe Fitte The Pavilion was split into three sections, each highlighting the EU’s progress toward a sustainable blue future. INSPIRE hosted daily forums on a broad range of ocean topics, connecting scientists, policymakers and the public in discussions on major ocean challenges and the inspiring solutions working to solve them. ENGAGE took visitors on an immersive journey through the ocean that combined ocean knowledge, art pieces and ocean monitoring technology. DECIDE offered a hands-on experience of Europe’s digital ocean revolution, in a command center filled with screens visualizing the past, present and future conditions of the ocean. These simulations were powered by a revolutionary technology: the European Digital Twin of the Ocean (EU DTO). This cutting-edge digital replica provides real-time simulations of ocean dynamics and potential future changes — whether from harmful impacts like plastic pollution or the effects of mitigation policies. The EU DTO draws on the EU’s extensive ocean data resources, a comprehensive marine observation network that includes Copernicus satellite data, EMODnet data produced by underwater autonomous drones, and in-situ sensors across the world’s seas and and numerical models. Using powerful, state-of-the-art AI-driven modelling, the EU DTO takes this data and creates — in seconds— intricate ocean simulations. > This cutting-edge digital replica, , provides real-time simulations of ocean > dynamics and potential future changes — whether from harmful impacts like > plastic pollution or the effects of mitigation policies. On the opening day of the conference, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, visited the European Digital Ocean Pavilion to experience first-hand the technology she announced three years ago in Brest. “Today we proudly present the first demonstration version,” said von der Leyen. “It’s an amazing tool that helps us better understand the ocean, from pollution to navigation but also from risk to our coasts to biodiversity — you name it.”  The EU DTO’s arrival brings significant advances to European and global ocean management. It is a fundamental pillar supporting the European Ocean Pact, the EU’s strategic framework for ocean sustainability leading up to 2029, which seeks to promote the health, productivity and resilience of the ocean and support European coastal communities into the future. The EU DTO’s real-time monitoring, predictions and scenario testing can transform insights on ocean health into concrete action, supporting evidence-based policies that lead to meaningful change. “We have in Europe a lot of data and a lot of excellent science, and the Digital Twin Ocean is going to be the machinery through which we will bring this knowledge in an actionable state here and now,” said the policy officer for the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), Zoe Konstantinou.   Mercator Ocean, Philippe Fitte Mercator Ocean International has a scientific legacy in the field of operational oceanography, working at the forefront of digital ocean model development for over three decades. In a major announcement of the week, Mercator Ocean International was took a step closer to transitioning into an intergovernmental organization. This transition will establish Mercator International Centre for the Ocean as a global platform that provides scientific ocean intelligence and digital ocean services to its member states, and supports of international commitments. “Addressing these challenges requires international collaboration and governance to deliver, access to ocean information that is really trustworthy,” said Pierre Bahurel, director general of Mercator Ocean International. “We are ready to support you in the decisions you have to make and offer you digital knowledge and services that you can trust.” > Mercator Ocean International has a scientific legacy in the field of > operational oceanography, working at the forefront of digital ocean model > development for over three decades. During the week, the Digital Ocean Pavilion showcased several key international ocean monitoring projects hosted by Mercator Ocean International. These included the OceanPrediction Decade Collaborative Centre (DCC), a global platform aiming to advance coordinated ocean forecasting and build a “Predicted Ocean” — designed to be a transformative outcome of the UN Decade of Ocean Science. A part ofthis initiative is the OPERA project, a program dedicated to advancing ocean science and innovation in sub-Saharan Africa, while the Ocean Prediction for Costa Rica project, launched in March 2025, will boost forecasting in Costa Rica particularly around Cocos Island National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Together, these events illustrated the instrumental role of coordinated ocean prediction in supporting climate resilience and sustainable development.  Though the challenges faced by the ocean are severe, the Digital Ocean Pavilion highlighted the formidable capacity of European society in tackling them together through collaboration. Charlina Vitcheva, director general of DG MARE, urged everyone in the ocean community to continue their important work to better understand the ocean. “Only then can we take the right policy actions, put the right investments in the blue economy, and unleash the potential of marine technologies.”