Evolving the Physical Global Ocean Observing System for Research and Application Services Through International Coordination

• Published in: Frontiers in Marine Science
• Main Authors: Sloyan, Bernadette, Wilkin, John, Hill, Katherine, Chidichimo, Maria, Cronin, Meghan, Johannessen, Johnny, Karstensen, Johannes, Krug, Marjolaine, Lee, Tong, Oka, Eitarou, Palmer, Matthew, Rabe, Benjamin, Speich, Sabrina, Von Schuckmann, Karina, Weller, Robert, Yu, Weidong
• Other Authors: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Canberra (CSIRO), Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey New Brunswick (RU), Rutgers University System (Rutgers), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Instituto Franco-Argentino sobre Estudios de Clima y sus Impactos Buenos Aires (IFAECI), Centro de Investigaciones del Mar y la Atmósfera (CIMA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas Buenos Aires (CONICET)-Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales Buenos Aires (FCEyN), Universidad de Buenos Aires Buenos Aires (UBA)-Universidad de Buenos Aires Buenos Aires (UBA)-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas Buenos Aires (CONICET)-Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales Buenos Aires (FCEyN), Universidad de Buenos Aires Buenos Aires (UBA)-Universidad de Buenos Aires Buenos Aires (UBA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center Bergen (NERSC), Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR), Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Cape Town (CSIR), Ministery of Science and Technology, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Tokyo University of Science Tokyo, United Kingdom Met Office Exeter, Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (AWI), Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (UMR 8539) (LMD), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-École polytechnique (X)-École des Ponts ParisTech (ENPC)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Département des Géosciences - ENS Paris, École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École normale supérieure - Paris (ENS Paris), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL), Mercator Océan, Société Civile CNRS Ifremer IRD Météo-France SHOM, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2019
• Subjects: observing networks; observation platforms; climate; sustained observations; observing system evaluation; observing system design; weather; operational services; [SDU.STU.OC]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Oceanography; [SDU.STU.CL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Climatology; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://hal.sorbonne-universite.fr/hal-02281997; https://hal.sorbonne-universite.fr/hal-02281997/document; https://hal.sorbonne-universite.fr/hal-02281997/file/fmars-06-00449.pdf; https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00449

International audience Climate change and variability are major societal challenges, and the ocean is an integral part of this complex and variable system. Key to the understanding of the ocean’s role in the Earth’s climate system is the study of ocean and sea-ice physical processes, including its interactions with the atmosphere, cryosphere, land, and biosphere. These processes include those linked to ocean circulation; the storage and redistribution of heat, carbon, salt and other water properties; and air-sea exchanges of heat, momentum, freshwater, carbon, and other gasses. Measurements of ocean physics variables are fundamental to reliable earth prediction systems for a range of applications and users. In addition, knowledge of the physical environment is fundamental to growing understanding of the ocean’s biogeochemistry and biological/ecosystem variability and function. Through the progress from OceanObs’99 to OceanObs’09, the ocean observing system has evolved from a platform centric perspective to an integrated observing system. The challenge now is for the observing system to evolve to respond to an increasingly diverse end user group. The Ocean Observations Physics and Climate panel (OOPC), formed in 1995, has undertaken many activities that led to observing system-related agreements. Here, OOPC will explore the opportunities and challenges for the development of a fit-for-purpose, sustained and prioritized ocean observing system, focusing on physical variables that maximize support for fundamental research, climate monitoring, forecasting on different timescales, and society. OOPC recommendations are guided by the Framework for Ocean Observing which emphasizes identifying user requirements by considering time and space scales of the Essential Ocean Variables. This approach provides a framework for reviewing the adequacy of the observing system, looking for synergies in delivering an integrated observing system for a range of applications and focusing innovation in areas where existing technologies ...