16th International Workshop on Modeling the Ocean
Workshop
The IWMO workshop provides a unique forum for researchers and observational scientists interested in ocean processes and their interaction with the surrounding environment to share recent advances and exchange ideas in an intellectually stimulating yet relaxed setting. The workshop covers all aspects of ocean and coupled atmosphere–wave–sea, ice, and current–sediment modeling, including processes, analysis, and prediction. Recognizing that the Earth system is interconnected across a wide range of temporal and spatial scales, IWMO welcomes coastal, regional, and basin-scale studies, as well as interdisciplinary contributions. As in previous editions, the workshop strongly encourages the participation of early-career scientists, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers, and will once again host the Outstanding Young Scientist Awards (OYSA) competition. Participants will also be invited to submit their work to a special issue of Ocean Dynamics dedicated to the workshop.
Palma, Balearic Islands
Latest news
Jen-Ping Peng, researcher at IMEDEA, wins first prize for young scientists at the International Symposium on Ocean Modelling
The gathering, which has brought together the world’s leading specialists in this field in Spain for the first time, concluded today
The 16th edition of the International Workshop on Modeling the Ocean (IWMO 2026) closed with the presentation of the Outstanding Young Scientist Awards (OYSA). First place went to Jen-Ping Peng, postdoctoral researcher at the Institut Mediterrani d’Estudis Avançats (IMEDEA, UIB-CSIC), for his work “Integration of SWOT and in situ observations into a high-resolution ocean data assimilation model for the 3D representation of a small-scale intrathermocline eddy”. Second place was awarded to Ignacio Martínez-Caballero, and third place to Florian Le Guillou.
This honorary award represents a highly significant recognition for its recipients, as it is granted following the decision of a jury composed of the foremost specialists in the field. Alejandro Orfila, director of IMEDEA and one of the congress organisers, highlighted this recognition and noted that the congress being held in Spain for the first time — and specifically in Mallorca — “is no coincidence. We must bear in mind that for four days the world’s leading specialists in ocean modelling gathered to discuss advances and new trends in their field. The Balearic Islands carry considerable weight in certain scientific areas and we have researchers of an extremely high calibre; this meeting and the award are a clear example of that.”
Among the main topics at IWMO, the presence of artificial intelligence and advances in computing systems — which are transforming the paradigm of ocean modelling research — stood out prominently. In Orfila’s words: “Right now these two aspects are revolutionising our studies, as we are achieving simulations that would have been unthinkable decades ago. This will undoubtedly contribute to developing better models and to forecasting future scenarios with far greater precision.”
An internationally reaching congress
The city of Palma hosted, for the first time in Spain, the most important gathering for the scientific community dedicated to ocean modelling: the 16th edition of the International Workshop on Modeling the Ocean (IWMO 2026). The symposium, organised with the support of the Institut Mediterrani d’Estudis Avançats, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), took place from 2 to 5 June at the Port Center of the Port Authority, and brought together 61 researchers and observational scientists from 14 countries. The previous edition was held in Stanford, California.
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