Marine Coastal Science & Survey (MCSS) is the largest sector in the Oceans and Islands Programme. MCSS provides expertise to member countries in oceanography, hydrography, coastal processes and geomorphology, geophysics, hydrodynamic modelling, habitat mapping and geodetic survey.

The Technical Workshop facility is also associated with the MCSS Sector, providing additional personnel and expertise during equipment mobilisation and instrument deployment in the field.

The small size and traditional settlement patterns of member countries commonly results in an almost total concentration of infrastructure, development, dwellings, recreational facilities and food production within coastal, indeed shoreline margins of islands.

These principally coastal communities are then reliant upon healthy coastal zone environments for coastal protection and food security. Resilient coastal zones and shorelines are, in turn, dependent upon living reef systems for continued mediation and wave energy and many are also dependent on reefs for ongoing supply of sediment for beach and land building processes.

There is an increasing trend of requests for OIP, particularly the MCSS Sector, to address issues of climate change adaptation and vulnerability assessments using the sector’s scientific capacity and tools.

OIP will continue to deliver integrated geoscience and technical services to provide sound coastal environmental and resource use analysis and management and development solutions. OIP will strive to improve understanding of natural systems, identifying existing sources of stresses and vulnerability, and developing options for improvement and mitigation.