SDG 14 Hub: Life Below Water

Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14) is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations in 2015. The official wording of SDG 14 is: “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.” SDG 14 is essential for sustainable development. The oceans cover more than 70% of the Earth's surface, and they play a vital role in regulating the climate, providing food and jobs, and supporting biodiversity. Achieving SDG 14 means protecting the oceans for future generations, and making sure that they continue to provide the benefits the world needs.

SpringeSN SDG logo © Springer Nature 2019r Nature's SDG 14 Hub provides a curated selection of research on life below water from its extensive collection of marine science journals. Explore special issues, collections, books, and book chapters on topics such as marine conservation, sustainable fisheries, ocean acidification, and more.

Tara Pacific Expedition: Coral reefs host unfathomable diversity

T_005JT_SDG14-OD23_Tara-Pacific_Plongee_600x340px © Pete West - Fondation Tara OceanThe largest-ever survey of Pacific Ocean corals has found that there’s likely to be more genetic diversity in the world’s coral reefs than researchers previously thought.

The Tara Pacific expedition and program is not only the largest genotyping study conducted on a marine system, but it also represents a significant effort towards structuring and managing ecosystem-scale data to make them open access and available to a broader community.

Epic voyage finds astonishing microbial diversity among coral reefs (Nature)
Tara Pacific - this Collection highlights research published across the Springer Nature portfolio from this ambitious project.

Reviews: - 'We’ve been drastically underestimating Earth’s microbial diversity' (New Scientist)  |  'Life on coral reefs ‘as diverse as the entire known world’ (The Times)  |  'Coral reefs are home to the greatest microbial diversity on Earth' (Science)

Springer Nature's SDG OA Book Collection

Why publish SDG research as an open access (OA) book? 

Because OA’s enhanced and equitable visibility means that research can reach the broader audience, and findings can be translated into actionable strategy. Explore OA books that support sustainable development and learn more about publishing your book OA - including funding options.

Committed to the SDGs and open access

News, insights, and stories on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, open access (OA), accessibility and knowledge transfer.

How Helper Sharks Discovered the World's Largest Seagrass Ecosystem

DH SDG14 shark teaser image © Springer NatureAn unlikely team of researchers and—get this—tiger sharks has discovered the world’s largest seagrass ecosystem. It’s been hiding in plain sight, just off the coast of the Bahamas. Their results appear in Nature Communications.

Listen to SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN 'Oceans: Science, Quickly' to learn more. Joseph Polidoro talks to Austin Gallagher.

Austin J. Gallagher et alTiger sharks support the characterization of the world’s largest seagrass ecosystem (Nature Communications)


Information for Authors

Contact a publishing editor © Mitarart, iStockphotoGetting started publishing your SDG 14 work at Springer Nature is easy. Springer Nature aspires to lead in publishing SDG research, and especially in open access (OA) SDG research.

You can add impact and power to your SDG-related research when you publish it at Springer Nature, and alongside leading research (like the examples above). Research published OA at Springer Nature gets more exposure. For example, research published in fully OA Springer Nature journals are downloaded over 7,000 times on average (up to 5x more than competitors) and cited 7.39 times on average.

Publishing with Springer Nature gives you:

  • A range of journals, from Nature, Springer, and BMC, both hybrid and OA. The journals with SDG content curated above are a small selection of journals you can publish in. Clicking through on them will give you the information — including journal metrics, submission guidelines and more — that you need to plan your next submission.
  • The world’s leading scholarly book program, including the option to publish your book OA. OA Books
  • Support in finding funding for OA. Many funders and institutions now cover open access (OA) journal article publishing costs for affiliated researchers, as part of an OA agreement with Springer Nature. Find out more about OA agreements and whether you may be entitled to publish OA journal articles with your fees covered. The OA funding support service can help you find and access other OA publishing funds — for journal articles and books — to which you may be entitled.  ᐅOA Agreements  Funding Support Service  The impact of OA
  • Support in writing and publishing your work — both free, including tutorials and paid research solutions services, including editing, translation, and more.  ᐅAuthor Services  ᐅResearch Solutions
  • An easy way to get started on a book. Even if it is only a germ of an idea, by filling in this form, you will be put in touch with an editor who can help you grow it into a fully formed book.  ᐅSubmit your book idea

SDG 14 & Ocean Sciences at Springer

The oceans provide much of our food and regulate our climate by absorbing heat and carbon dioxide. However, oceans are under serious threat.

Springer is very proud to support academics, professionals and practitioners around the world, offering cutting-edge research in a vibrant ocean sciences research collection. We support knowledge expansion and sustainable solutions.

Would you like to publish your research with Springer and contribute to our SDG 14 research collection? 

Contact a publishing editor


SN Applied Sciences Webinars

The SN Applied Sciences webinar series offers our authors and editors the opportunity to present their research to a global audience.

The Hawaiian Koʻa Card: coral health and bleaching assessment color reference card for Hawaiian corals

HVDC Transmission Technologies for Offshore Wind Power Plants

Installation of offshore wind turbines: challenges and opportunities

SDG14 and societal impact

Discover SDG14 researchers' attitudes towards societal impact in this downloadable infographic, part of a larger project in partnership with the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU), exploring the role of open research in accelerating progress on global societal challenges. Learn more.