Sustaining Regional arctic and Southern Ocean Observing Systems as Legacies of the International Polar Year and Contributions to the Global Ocean Observing System

Author(s): Keith Alverson, Director, GOOS Project Office, and Head, Ocean Observations and Services, IOC/UNESCO

The Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) has been in existence for over a decade. During this first decade, GOOS has been primarily engaged in planning observational strategies and developing the international governance structures required to facilitate multi-national ownership and development of the system. The most important challenge now facing GOOS is to complete and sustain an integrated, global system with clear user benefits. Substantial progress has been made, with more than half of the in-situ open ocean observing system for climate already in the water, including buoys, moorings, floats, tide gauges and repeat hydrographic lines. Operational warnings for coastal hazards based on this GOOS observational backbone are widely available providing clear societal benefits. However substantial challenges remain, especially in the polar regions. The polar research community is neither ensuring their observations fully contribute to, nor that their research fully benefits from, the system. New mechanisms for increasing polar research community participation and governmental commitments to sustaining the system will be presented. The talk will begin with a brief overview of the status of the global ocean observing system highlighting in particular the Arctic and Southern Ocean components, then milestones achieved and conclude with key future challenges for ensuring that Southern Ocean and Arctic regional systems are sustained as a legacy of the International Polar Year.

Doc Type	Presentation
Status	Published
Notes	Talk to IASC/SCOR, St Petersburg, Russia, 3-10 July 2008.
Created	at 15:12, 11 Jul 2008 by Irene Gazagne
Last updated	at 15:19, 11 Jul 2008 by Irene Gazagne