We recently celebrated the inaugural launch of the “Eastern Mediterranean Sea Centre – An Early-Warning Model-System for our Future Ocean” project, a collaborative effort with the Germany-based GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. This initiative focuses on investigating climate change and pollution in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, utilizing it as a “living lab” to develop prediction models and enhance our understanding of climate change impacts on oceans. Led by Prof. Ilana Berman-Frank (Department of Marine Biology) and Prof. Yizhaq Makovsky (Head, Dr. Moses Strauss Department of Marine Geosciences), the Israeli research team, consisting of scientists from the Charney School of Marine Sciences and experts from additional institutes, continues to drive the project forward.