Designing Southern Ocean E(B)V workflows, from data collection to data products

• Main Authors: Plasman, Charlie, Hancock, Alyce, Raymond, Ben, Fierro Arcos, Denisse, Evans, Karen, Swadling, Kerrie, Henley, Sian, Halfter, Svenja, Brokensha, Luke, Meiners, Klaus, Jansen, Jan, ten Hoopen, Petra, Williams, Joel, Eriksen, Ruth, Corney, Inessa, Meijers, Andrew, MacDonald, Anna, Walters, Andrea, Henderson, Angus, Link, Heike, Schloss, Irene, Tattersall, Katherine, Hill, Nicole, Friscourt, Noémie, Corney, Stuart, Volzke, Sophia, Gan, Yi-Ming, Van de Putte, Anton
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Zenodo 2024
• Subjects: Essential Variables; Southern Ocean; Antarctica; Marine biology; Marine ecosystems; Ocean observing; Data collection; Data products; Data processing; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11040152

This workshop report reflects the urgent need for standardized data practices in the Southern Ocean due to its vulnerability to environmental changes and human activities. While significant strides have been made in understanding Southern Ocean biological processes, the data remains patchy and unstandardized, posing challenges for modeling and predicting ecosystem responses to climate change and anthropogenic pressures. Through the workshop, experts aimed to address these challenges by identifying Essential (Biodiversity) Variables (E(B)Vs) relevant to the Southern Ocean, assessing data requirements and gaps, prioritizing EVs based on their relevance, and developing frameworks from data collection to data products. The workshop provided a platform for experts to suggest new essential variables, laying the foundation for future additions within a solid framework for the Southern Ocean.