We examined editorial board composition for aquatic science (AS, n = 217) and communication (CM, n = 308) journals indexed in Scimago's database in 2017 to explore geographic diversity, relationship between location of editors and their board members, and geographical relationship between editors and scientific output. We found that most journals in both fields are published in Europe (AS 50%, CM 62.3%) yet editors in AS (n = 6,194) are based mostly in Europe (35.7%) whereas editors in CM (n = 13,687) are based mostly in Northern America (47.8%). Chief editors are inclined to choose board members from their own geographical region, and this is commonplace regardless of geographic region. Scientific output is greatest in Europe (28.6% AS, 30.4% CM) followed by Northern America. In general, the number of editors per region aligns with each region's scientific output, although we found editorial underrepresentation for East Asia (AS) and South Asia and Europe (CM). Per country, relationships are idiosyncratic for each field and nation with notable editorial surpluses (when paired to scientific output) in the United States and the United Kingdom (both fields) and editorial deficits in China and India (both fields).

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The emergence of ocean and human health (OHH) science as a distinct scholarly discipline has led to increased research outputs from experts in both the natural and social sciences. Formal research on communication strategies, messaging, and campaigns related to OHH science remains limited despite its importance as part of the social processes that can make knowledge actionable. When utilized to communicate visible, local issues for targeting audiences, OHH themes hold the potential to motivate action in pursuit of solutions to environmental challenges, supplementing efforts to address large-scale, abstract, or politicized issues such as ocean acidification or climate change. Probing peer-reviewed literature from relevant areas of study, this review article outlines and reveals associations between society and the quality of coastal and marine ecosystems, as well as key themes, concepts, and findings in OHH science and environmental communication. Recommendations for future work concerning effective ocean and human health science communication are provided, creating a platform for innovative scholarship, evidence-based practice, and novel collaboration across disciplines.

With increasing urgency of local and regional climate adaptation, there is a growing need for governments to identify and respond effectively to the concerns of communities they serve and to align investments. We designed and piloted a novel hyperlocal method for urban adaptation planning combining two social science tools that have been widely but separately used to foster community engagement and strategize solutions. Our not-for-profit community partners facilitated multi-session online workshops with participants from two communities in South Florida with whom they have well-established relationships and in which socio-economic conditions and climate risks represent notable vulnerabilities. The workshops first employed photovoice to elicit individual narratives about climate change impacts; participants then followed a design thinking protocol to critically evaluate the leading concerns they identified and propose adaptation solutions. Geospatial mapping and data tools were provided for participants to gain additional tools and further knowledge. Local planning and resilience officials attended some or all of the workshops as observers and interlocutors, dialoguing with participants. Comparative analysis revealed differences in risk awareness and primary concerns between communities, and further demonstrated that concerns and solutions proposed by members of at-risk neighborhoods do not always align with geospatial data that often drives infrastructure adaptation planning in the region, suggesting that more widespread use of community engaged methods could enhance government climate adaptation responses for local communities.

Digital media, particularly websites, have become a critical component of wildlife tourism experiences, especially during the pre-tour information-seeking stage. With a focus on whale watching, this study used a grounded theory approach to identify, categorize, and investigate the common themes, text, and images used on 178 whale watching operator websites across six geographic regions in the United States. The results of a content analysis suggest that operators, who are predominantly small business owners, focus their marketing strategies on elements of their tour offerings and operator characteristics to distinguish themselves from competitors rather than emphasizing the whales themselves, conservation actions, or educational opportunities, catering to a segment of entertainment-oriented rather than sustainability-oriented guests. Ecolabel certified operators in the sample mentioned conservation and educational topics more, though the information provided could still use improvement. We discuss implications and opportunities for the continued study of media related to whale watching and other marine wildlife tourism activities.