Towards three-dimensional management of biodiversity hotspots in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction: the Argo-Dome project

Located in the eastern Tropical Pacific, the Thermal Dome off-shore Central America is a highly productive region of ecological significance, spanning multiple Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) and Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ). It serves as a migratory corridor for large marine predators and provides ecosystem services, supporting fisheries, pelagic and benthic rich ecosystems, and trade routes. Recognized by UNESCO as one of the five high seas sites of exceptional heritage and universal value, the Dome is a prime candidate for area-based management tools (ABMTs) under the "Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction" (BBNJ Agreement or High Seas Treaty).

To inform decision-making processes with sound scientific information, we developed an advanced ocean observation framework to support dynamic, three-dimensional management of offshore ecosystems in ABNJ. Four research questions shape our approach: (1) identifying drivers of spatiotemporal variability in ecosystem structure, including seasonal and interannual influences like upwelling and El Niño; (2) translating multidisciplinary oceanographic data into indicators for ecosystem services, linking physical processes to metrics of productivity and biodiversity; (3) assessing ecological and socio-economic pressures from human activities, such as fisheries, maritime traffic, and extraction impacts, that affect ecosystem resilience and governance needs; and (4) developing a three-dimensional dynamic management framework to enhance ecosystem-based management (EBM).

Using profiling floats and remote sensing, this approach provides near-real-time indicators of ecosystem services and insights into key physical-biogeochemical processes, enabling adaptive governance for sustainable resource management. In this high-productivity offshore zone, a network of Argo floats will capture essential ocean variables (EOVs) to reveal interactions among critical physical and biogeochemical processes. Continuous, high-resolution data will offer a detailed, three-dimensional view of ecosystem structure and dynamics, improving our understanding of biodiversity and productivity patterns. Once implemented, this framework will generate actionable indicators for adaptive management, aligning ecosystem services with physical and biogeochemical processes to strengthen ABNJ governance.