This week, people across the world celebrated International Literacy Day. Since 1967, the annual celebrations of International Literacy Day (ILD) have taken place on 8 September around the world to remind policy-makers, practitioners, and the public of the critical importance of literacy for creating more literate, just, peaceful, and sustainable society. This year, International Literacy Day (ILD) marks its 60th anniversary! Celebrated under the theme “Literacy for people, the planet and prosperity", ILD 2026 provides an opportunity to take stock of progress, deepen understanding of persistent and emerging challenges, and shape future literacy agendas in a rapidly changing world.
Literacy as the ability to read, write, and use numbers, as well as to do so using digital materials to solve problems in an increasingly technological and information-rich environment, is central for individuals’ engagement in work, learning and life. It is essential for acquiring broader sets of knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, and competencies in different areas - be it media and information literacy, financial literacy, technical and vocational skills, health, political and social sciences, environmental science, citizenship education, and cultures. [2] This also includes digital literacy and ocean literacy.
On the occasion of International Literacy Day, we focus on the map layer Education for Climate: Water surface temperature measured by students. Do you know the story behind this map layer? As part of the challenge 'Be a scientist! Mapping climate change at seas & waterways' launched by the Education for Climate Coalition and the European Atlas of the Seas in 2022, schools across Europe were invited to become data providers for a new map layer in the Atlas!
As a user of the European Atlas of the Seas, you can consult over 270 map layers. But, do you know how these map layers are developed and where the data on the map comes from? More than half of the map layers are based on data provided by the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet), the European Union’s operational in situ [1] marine data service, funded by the European Commission Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE). EMODnet is powered by a network of experts from 130 partner organisations across 33 nations, including 21 European Union Member States. Other data providers include, for example, the Copernicus Marine Service, the European Environmental Agency (EEA), Eurostat and the Joint Research Center (JRC). The Atlas team also works with projects and programmes that provide data. You can see who the data provider is for each map layer in the map layer’s description by clicking on the information icon.
The challenge 'Be a scientist! Mapping climate change at seas & waterways' gave teachers and students the opportunity to share data they had collected and thereby contribute to a new map layer in the Atlas. The challenge included 7 phases, including phases that enabled participants to discover how the Atlas works, to vote for the topic of the map to be developed (water temperature) and to share the data they had collected. Schools provided the results of their measurements and all necessary related information (e.g.; geographical coordinates of the location where the measurement was made, date and time of the measurement, method used to measure the temperature…) by completing an online form. Students learned about data collection, data harmonisation, data visualisation and data sharing. Several schools used a thermometer (click on the graduations hats on the map) but – thanks to the collaboration of the Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean (POGO) and Educational Passages – the Atlas Team also received data from schools who have built miniboats deployed at sea which are equipped with temperature sensors (click on the boats on the map)! With this map layer, everyone now has access to the data collected by the schools!
Wish to know more?
- Have a look at the publications and resources available on the UNESCO webpages dedicated to International Literacy Day;
- Find out about the activities of the Education for Climate Coalition and the upcoming Education for Climate Day 2026 ;
- Find out how you can join the Partners4Ocean Thematic Networking Group on Ocean through Books;
- Discover an online children’s book related to the ocean: OUR BLUE TREASURE – BlueMissionMed.
Stay tuned to the European Atlas of the Seas’ Map of the Week series published on the Atlas Community of the Maritime Forum. Every Thursday, you’ll learn something new about the ocean!
The data in the map is provided by the Education for Climate Coalition.
The European Atlas of the Seas is powered by the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet). Don’t miss the latest news, register for the monthly EMODnet News Digest.
[1] In situ ocean observations are collected by sensors and samplers placed in seawater, on/in the seafloor, the coastal zone and surrounding air. (https://emodnet.ec.europa.eu/sites/emodnet.ec.europa.eu/files/public/PDF/EUInSituMarine_EMODnet_CMEMS_FINAL.pdf)
[2] https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000399013