The ISMS (International Symposium on Marine Science) is the most important event for marine sciences in our country. Promoted by the Conference of Deans of Marine Sciences of Spain and the universities to which they belong, it has been held biennially since 2007, and also serves as a meeting point and an umbrella event for several symposia and conferences of diverse nature.
Palacio de Congresos de Cádiz
July 8, 9 and 10, 2026
Check all the information and register in our REGISTRATION section
When blue is green: The role of the marine foods in the green transition
Socio-oceanography in practice: how ocean physics shapes human wellbeing and policy pathways
Chemical Processes in Antarctica: From Biogeochemistry to Human Pressure
The oceanography of plastic pollution
The Award for Best Oral Communication and Poster in Biodiversity, granted by EMBRC, is hereby announced. The winners will be selected by an EMBRC jury during the congress. The winners will be announced at the closing ceremony on Friday.
The Chair of Sustainable Blue Economy at the Universitat de Barcelona is pleased to offer two awards for the best poster and the best oral communication on Sustainable Blue Economy presented at ISMS 2026, each endowed with €300. The winners will be announced at the closing ceremony on Friday.
The scientific and academic community deeply mourns the loss of Abelardo Gómez Parra, researcher at the CSIC and professor at the University of Cádiz, whose career has left an indelible mark on the development of marine chemistry and Marine Sciences in Spain. His passing leaves a void that is difficult to express, but also an intellectual legacy that will continue shaping new generations of researchers.
For more than four decades, Lalo (as we all knew him) devoted his life to the training of doctoral candidates and students, guiding them with a unique combination of scientific rigor, intellectual honesty, and a generosity that transcended the academic sphere. For those who had the privilege of learning by his side, he was far more than a professor: he was an ethical reference, a patient mentor, and a colleague always willing to share his time, his knowledge, and his enthusiasm for science.
A pioneer in the field of marine biogeochemistry, Lalo was one of the forerunners of marine chemistry in Spain, contributing decisively to the consolidation of this discipline within the national scientific landscape. His vision, always ahead of its time, propelled research lines that are now fundamental for understanding the functioning of coastal and oceanic ecosystems.
Together with Prof. López Ruiz, he founded the Iberian Seminar on Marine Chemistry (SIQUIMAR) in 1983, a space he conceived as a meeting point for chemical oceanographers across the peninsula. Thanks to his drive, SIQUIMAR became an essential platform for scientific exchange and the place where many young researchers took their first steps. His collaborative spirit, his ability to bring people together, and his conviction that science advances best when shared remain the essence of this seminar.
Lalo was, above all, a good person, supportive, approachable, and profoundly humane. A loyal friend to his colleagues and a constant source of support for those beginning their careers. His way of understanding science, as an exercise in responsibility, honesty, and service to society, is a lesson that will endure in all who knew him.
Today we do not wish to say goodbye. We prefer a “see you always,” because his memory will remain alive in his students, in his colleagues, in the projects he inspired, and in every advance built upon the foundations he helped establish.
With gratitude and deep affection, his scientific family.