New York, Sept. 25 -- Canada and the European Union officially launched the OceanEye International Alliance on Tuesday, securing more than $339 million in pledges to support the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) at a high-level event held during the UN General Assembly's High-Level Week.

Altogether, participating countries contributed the equivalent of about €211 million through a mix of funding, in-kind support and assets such as research vessels, sensors, drones and data-processing facilities.

The event, organized with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization, GOOS's two co-sponsoring bodies, drew heads of state and government along with ministers and other stakeholder...