June, 2026
Event Details
World Ocean Day 2026 | Global Climate Crisis and the Mediterranean Marine System: Current status & Future challenges
When:
Monday, June 8, 2026 | 15:30-17:00
Where:
AC Auditorium, Deree – The American College of Greece
Organized by:
ACG Center of Excellence in Sustainability
About the event
Join us on Monday, June 8, 2026, 15:30, AC Auditorium, for a keynote speech on the Global Climate Crisis and the Mediterranean Marine System: Current status & Future challenges.
In this special event on the occasion of the World Ocean Day celebration, Dr. Velaoras, a physical oceanographer of the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), Institute of Oceanography, will explore how the global climate crisis is reshaping ocean systems, affecting marine biodiversity, coastal communities, weather patterns, and the delicate balance of the Mediterranean ecosystem.
Through scientific insight and real-world observations, the presentation will highlight the current state of the Mediterranean Sea, the impacts already being recorded, and the major environmental challenges expected in the coming decades. The discussion will also emphasize the importance of research, innovation, and collective action in protecting one of the world’s most unique and vulnerable marine regions for future generations.
About the speaker
Dr. Dimitris Velaoras obtained his B.Sc. in Physics at the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens and earned his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Physical Oceanography in the same University. He is presently a principal researcher at the Institute of Oceanography/Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR) and has worked in the past as an oceanographer/environmental scientist for the Hellenic Navy and the Greek Ombudsman.
His main research activities include the study of Eastern Mediterranean marine processes and the role of the Aegean Sea, the functioning and variability of the Mediterranean thermohaline circulation, the characterization of water masses, interannual hydrological variations and connections to climate change, as well as collection and processing of field oceanographic data.
He has more than 25 years of sea-going experience and has participated in both Greek and international field research activities in the Eastern & Western Mediterranean and the Red Sea. He has participated in over 40 sea-going cruises on Greek, German and French research vessels. He has authored or contributed to more than 40 articles in peer-reviewed journals.
For clarifications please contact: Dr. Stella Apostolaki, [email protected], ext. 1764 or Dr. Ioannis Christodoulakis, [email protected], ext. 1464