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The distributions of migratory species in the ocean span local, national and international jurisdictions. Across these ecologically interconnected regions, migratory marine species interact with anthropogenic stressors throughout their lives. Migratory connectivity, the geographical linking of individuals and populations throughout their migratory cycles, influences how spatial and temporal dynamics of stressors affect migratory animals and scale up to influence population abundance, distribution and species persistence. Population declines of many migratory marine species have led to calls for connectivity knowledge, especially insights from animal tracking studies, to be more systematically and synthetically incorporated into decision-making. Inclusion of migratory connectivity in the design of conservation and management measures is critical to ensure they are appropriate for the level of risk associated with various degrees of connectivity. Three mechanisms exist to incorporate migratory connectivity into international marine policy which guides conservation implementation: site-selection criteria, network design criteria and policy recommendations. Here, we review the concept of migratory connectivity and its use in international policy, and describe the Migratory Connectivity in the Ocean system, a migratory connectivity evidence-base for the ocean. We propose that without such collaboration focused on migratory connectivity, efforts to effectively conserve these critical species across jurisdictions will have limited effect.

The distributions of migratory species in the ocean span local, national and international jurisdictions. Across these ecologically interconnected regions, migratory marine species interact with anthropogenic stressors throughout their lives. Migratory connectivity, the geographical linking of individuals and populations throughout their migratory cycles, influences how spatial and temporal dynamics of stressors affect migratory animals and scale up to influence population abundance, distribution and species persistence. Population declines of many migratory marine species have led to calls for connectivity knowledge, especially insights from animal tracking studies, to be more systematically and synthetically incorporated into decision-making. Inclusion of migratory connectivity in the design of conservation and management measures is critical to ensure they are appropriate for the level of risk associated with various degrees of connectivity. Three mechanisms exist to incorporate migratory connectivity into international marine policy which guides conservation implementation: site-selection criteria, network design criteria and policy recommendations. Here, we review the concept of migratory connectivity and its use in international policy, and describe the Migratory Connectivity in the Ocean system, a migratory connectivity evidence-base for the ocean. We propose that without such collaboration focused on migratory connectivity, efforts to effectively conserve these critical species across jurisdictions will have limited effect.

The possible inundation of an island State by climate change-related sea level rise poses a completely new challenge for international law. The International Law Association Sea Level Rise Committee and the International Law Commission Study Group have concluded that the principles of certainty and stability support the continuity of statehood. This 2023 Declaration by the Pacific Islands Forum, affirms the ‘presumption of continuity’ of statehood in the face of climate change-related sea level rise. It represents a valuable milestone in the development of State practice on the continuity of statehood and the commitment of affected States to protect their populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 21 May 2024, the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) delivered a ground-breaking and authoritative advisory opinion on States’ obligations under Part XII of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOSC). After confirming its jurisdiction over the request, ITLOS ruled that greenhouse gas emissions cause ‘deleterious effects on the marine environment’ and therefore constitute pollution under the LOSC. ITLOS explained the relationship between obligations under the LOSC and climate law and clarified the due diligence nature of the LOSC obligations to prevent marine pollution and to protect the marine environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the future governance of areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) in the wake of the new 2023 United Nations Agreement using the work on the Sargasso Sea as a prototype. After discussing the legal framework and current challenges facing the ABNJ regime, some details are provided on open ocean data collection technologies, including big data and artificial intelligence (AI), used in support of ocean governance. Based on a technology-enabled ocean governance cycle, the role that data, information technology and data-science can play in incorporating empirical scientific knowledge into policy and decisionmaking is examined with a focus on the open ocean. The article concludes with a vision of future high seas governance based on the 2023 Agreement and how big data and AI can play a crucial role in meeting the exciting challenges that the new agreement poses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whereas CD4+ T cells conventionally mediate antitumor immunity by providing help to CD8+ T cells, recent clinical studies have implied an important role for cytotoxic CD4+ T cells in cancer immunity. Using an orthotopic melanoma model, we provide a detailed account of antitumoral CD4+ T cell responses and their regulation by major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II) in the skin. Intravital imaging revealed prominent interactions of CD4+ T cells with tumor debris-laden MHC II+ host antigen-presenting cells that accumulated around tumor cell nests, although direct recognition of MHC II+ melanoma cells alone could also promote CD4+ T cell control. CD4+ T cells stably suppressed or eradicated tumors even in the absence of other lymphocytes by using tumor necrosis factor–α and Fas ligand (FasL) but not perforin-mediated cytotoxicity. Interferon-γ was critical for protection, acting both directly on melanoma cells and via induction of nitric oxide synthase in myeloid cells. Our results illustrate multifaceted and context-specific aspects of MHC II–dependent CD4+ T cell immunity against cutaneous melanoma, emphasizing modulation of this axis as a potential avenue for immunotherapies. Editor's summary: CD4+ T cells have been primarily appreciated for their helper functions in antitumor immune responses, but the extent to which they directly contribute to tumor killing remains unclear. Using a mouse model of cutaneous melanoma, Bawden et al. characterized the effector functions of CD4+ T cells in generating protective antitumor immunity. Melanoma-specific CD4+ T cells infiltrated tumors, adopted diverse effector states, and could provide tumor protection independent of other lymphocytes. Whereas MHC II expression by melanoma cells was sufficient to activate protective CD4+ T cell–mediated immunity, host antigen-presenting cells could also drive protection. CD4+ T cells provided protection through multiple partially redundant cytotoxicity pathways, including TNF and Fas ligand, but also by activating IFN-γ–dependent nitric oxide production in myeloid cells. Together, these results demonstrate that tumor-infiltrating CD4+ T cells are equipped to contribute to tumor control through multiple helper and effector modes. —Claire Olingy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The IRM provides a simple and flexible framework for the study of the social-perceptual phenomena of self-enhancement, intergroup accentuation, ingroup-favoritism, and differential accuracy of group perception, as well as the interdependencies of these phenomena. The commentaries on the target article (Krueger and colleagues) point to opportunities to further develop the model and to situate it in the context of contemporary theory and research in social and cognitive psychology. We address several critical issues of concern in this rejoinder. We organize our arguments along four themes of discussion: the model's coherence, validity, sufficiency, and its timeliness. We close by suggesting that the IRM, beyond its proper domain of applicability represents a way of thinking about social perception characterized by parsimonious assumptions and precise predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce the Inductive Reasoning Model (IRM) as a comprehensive platform for the study of several phenomena central to self- and social perception. Going beyond the traditional phenomenon-focused research strategy, the model shows how to generate point-specific hypotheses about the size of individual effects and how to predict the interrelations among phenomena of interest. The model points to additional psychological processes at play when outputs cannot be accounted for within the confines of the IRM alone. The IRM is parsimonious in its assumptions and generative in its predictions. Using two empirically-based inputs, namely, the positivity of a person's self-image and the strength of social projection, the model predicts the direction and extent of four higher-order phenomena: intergroup accentuation, self-enhancement, ingroup favoritism, and differential accuracy. The model affords precise predictions pertaining to the relationships among these phenomena. Critically, alternative conceptions of social perceptions are not rendered irrelevant. Researchers can ask if the IRM over- or underpredicts social-perceptual phenomena in contexts of interest, and if alternative models can explain the differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution to the Reflections section of Ocean Yearbook devoted to the memory of the late Professor Meinhard Doelle concerns the options available to coastal States in their responses to global sea level rise driven by anthropogenic climate change. These reflections seek to explore the main policy options and practical approaches based on physical interventions in this context and to assess the possible risks as well as benefits of those approaches. They also explore some of the more radical and cutting-edge technologies which are already being deployed. While addressing the physical intervention options and some of their practical and legal implications, this paper also addresses the importance of environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and capacity-building, both of which were key themes in Meinhard Doelle's work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]