A marine hazard is a potentially damaging event, phenomenon or activity in the marine environment that may cause loss of human life, social and economic disruption or environmental degradation. In the last 30 years, natural and human-induced hazards have caused over 1.6 million victims and the economic losses average 300 thousand million dollars per year. Marine hazards are amongst the most devastating ones. Here we present the research challenges we face as a society to achieve a safer ocean whereby human communities and the environment are better protected from the most outstanding biological, climatic and geological threats. We advocate for the implementation of a multi-hazard research strategy with emphasis on trans-disciplinary collaboration, development of improved observational infrastructures and data-sharing platforms, multi-hazard warning and management, and effective transfer of information to stakeholders and authorities to enhance impact mitigation

20 pages, 3 figures

Peer reviewed