Publication of this special issue of Oceanography is one of the several ways that the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission is being recognized for 50 years of outstanding service to the community through facilitating international cooperation and coordination of ocean research. The articles in this issue help to illuminate five decades of IOC partnership with myriad nations, including the United States, in support of ocean research, discovery, and the pursuit of knowledge about our ocean and its importance to the well-being and prosperity of nations around of the world.

Bronk, D., P. Taylor, and K. Tedesco. 2010. IOC helping to lead and support the evolution of international ocean science. Oceanography 23(3):16–17, https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2010.20.

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