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 do not meet these requirements.
1.CSIRO Oceans & Atmosphere, Hobart, Tas, Australia 2.Ctr Southern Hemisphere Oceans Res, Hobart, Tas, Australia 3.Rutgers State Univ, New Brunswick, NJ USA 4.World Meteorol Org, Global Ocean Observing Syst, Global Climate Observing Syst, Geneva, Switzerland 5.Consejo Nacl Invest Cient & Tecn, Serv Hidrog Naval, Buenos Aires, DF, Argentina 6.UMI IFAECI CNRS, Inst Franco Argentino Estudios Clima & Impactos, Buenos Aires, DF, Argentina 7.NOAA, Pacific Marine Environm Lab, 7600 Sand Point Way Ne, Seattle, WA 98115 USA 8.Nansen Environm & Remote Sensing Ctr, Bergen, Norway 9.Univ Bergen, Bergen, Norway 10.GEOMAR Helmholtz Ctr Ocean Res Kiel, Kiel, Germany 11.CSIR, Cape Town, South Africa 12.NASA, Jet Prop Lab, Pasadena, CA USA 13.Univ Tokyo, Atmosphere & Ocean Res Inst, Chiba, Japan 14.Met Off, Hadley Ctr, Exeter, Devon, England 15.Alfred Wegener Inst, Helmholtz Zentrum Polar & Meeresforsch, Bremerhaven, Germany 16.Ecola Normale Super, Inst Pierre Simon Laplace, Lab Meteorol Dynam, Paris, France 17.Mercator Ocean Int, Ramonville St Agne, France 18.Woods Hole Oceanog Inst, Woods Hole, MA 02543 USA 19.Natl Marine Environm Forecasting Ctr, Beijing, Peoples R China
Recommended Citation:
Sloyan, Bernadette M.,Wilkin, John,Hill, Katherine Louise,et al. Evolving the Physical Global Ocean Observing System for Research and Application Services Through International Coordination[J]. FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE,2019-01-01,6