| Summary: | Observing changes in the oceans helps governments make informed decisions about issues such as fishing and the impact of climate change on ecosystems, coastal defence and weather. Some changes to the oceans occur over many decades and can only be detected if there have been many observations in the same area over a long time period. Such sustained observations require long term commitment from both the scientists that do the work and the funders that pay for the work. This theme issue reflects on the contribution that UK sustained observations of the ocean have made to science and society and presents a vision for their future. Contributions include observations of sea level, ocean circulation, biodiversity, ocean carbon and nutrient cycles, the sea and ice conditions in the Arctic and Antarctic and the importance of observations for climate predictions. The papers in this issue arose from a meeting hosted by the Challenger Society for Marine Science and the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research at the Royal Society, London, in September 2013. The meeting and theme issue are part of a wider initiative of the Challenger Society to discuss marine science initiatives and future strategy in open forum.
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