building on oceanobs’09

Building on OceanObs’09

post-OO’09 Working Group

Albert Fischer (too many roles here!) IOC/UNESCO, GOOS, JCOMM, and OOPC secretariat,

OO’09 secretariat, secretariat for the post-OO’09 Working Group

Luis ValdésHead of Ocean Sciences, IOC/UNESCO

WCRP JSC 31, Antalya 15-19 February 2010

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OceanObs’09: Vision

Provision of routine and sustained global information on the marine environment sufficient to meet society’s needs for describing, understanding and forecasting marine variability (including physical, biogeochemical, ecosystems and living marine resources), weather, seasonal to decadal climate variability, climate change, sustainable management of living marine resources, and assessment of longer term trends

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The conference in numbers

• 600+ attendees from 36 countries, majority developed countries• 47 Plenary Presentations - submitted Plenary Papers will be

finalized by end of February • 99 Community White Papers submitted and reviewed before the

conference• 250+ Additional Contribution posters at the conference• 156 comments from the community on open web page (blog

system)• 14 ‘international coordination’ sponsors, 14 additional

national/regional agency sponsors• budget of 450k€ cash + lots of in kind support from ESA, IOC,

WCRP, CLIVAR, NASA

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The conference in impressions

• Interdisciplinary: bringing physics, carbon / biogeochemistry, biology research communities to the same meeting

• Forward-looking / ambitious• Guess at population sizes at conference, in decreasing

order:– research community taking and using observations– in situ– satellite– ocean product/analysis developers– data management

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OceanObs’09: calls for action

(1) Calls on all nations and governments to fully implement by 2015 the initial physical and carbon global ocean observing system originally envisioned at OceanObs’99, and refined at OceanObs'09.

(2) Calls on all nations and governments to commit to the implementation and international coordination of systematic global biogeochemical and biological observations, guided by the outcomes of OceanObs’09, and taking into account regional variations in ecosystems.

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OceanObs’09: calls for action

(3) Invites governments and organizations to embrace a framework for planning and moving forward with an enhanced global sustained ocean observing system over the next decade, integrating new physical, biogeochemical, biological observations while sustaining present observations. Recommendations on this Framework, considering how to best take advantage of existing structures, will be developed by an post-Conference working group of limited duration.

(4) Urges the ocean observing community to increase our efforts to achieve the needed level of timely data access, sensor readiness and standards, best practices, data management, uncertainty estimates, and integrated data set availability.

(5) Asks governments, organizations, and the ocean observing community to increase their efforts in capacity-building and education.

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Goals of the Integrated Framework for Sustained Ocean Observations task team

The team will consider the outcomes and recommendations from the OceanObs’09 Conference and, in consultation with the international organizations and expert advice, shall:– Recommend a framework for moving global sustained ocean

observations forward in the next decade; integrating feasible new biogeochemical, ecosystem, and physical observations while sustaining present observations; considering how best to take advantage of existing structures,

– Foster continuing interaction between organizations that contribute towards and are in need of sustained ocean observations, and

– Report back to its sponsors and disband by 1 October 2010.

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Converging on a single vision - with many advocates

• IOC Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO• GEO Group on Earth Observations• CEOS Committee on Earth Observation Satellites• POGO Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans• SCOR Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research• SCAR Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research• GCOS Global Climate Observing System• GOOS Global Ocean Observing System• JCOMM Joint WMO-IOC Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine

Meteorology• PICES North Pacific Marine Science Organization• ICES International Council for the Exploration of the Sea• CoML Census of Marine Life• IGBP International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme• WCRP World Climate Research Programme

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Current membership

Name Expertise Country

Primary sponsor link Other sponsor links

Keith Alverson Paleoclimate/physical/observing systems Int IOC GOOS

Barbara Berx Fisheries UK ICES

Peter Burkill Biology/plankton UK SCOR

Francisco Chavez biogeochemistry/ecosystems USA IGBP

Dave Checkley Fisheries USA PICES

Vicki Fabry acidification/plankton/biogeochemistry USA POGO

John Gunn (proposed co-chair) Biology Australia CoML POGO, SCOR

Julie Hall biology New Zealand IGBP

Eric Lindstrom (proposed co-chair) Satellites USA GCOS GOOS

David Meldrum Meterology/Physical/observing systems UK JCOMM

Mike Meredith Polar regions UK SCAR

Pedro Monteiro carbon fluxes South Africa GOOS

Josˇ M ulbert Biology/coastal Brazil GEO GOOS

Carolin Richter climate observations Int GCOS

Martin Visbeck Physical oceanography/climate research Germany WCRP CLIVAR

Stan Wilson Satellites USA CEOS

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Progress

• First teleconference 4 February 2010– discussion of membership, goals, basic principles of the integrated sustained ocean observing system

• Information-gathering phase• First meeting April 2010

• Hope to incite open dialogue on the Task Team web site:

www.oceanobs09.net/wg/

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Challenges moving forward

• Maintaining the dialogue between all the international and national actors/stakeholders on sustained ocean observations

• OOPC (Ocean Observations Panel for Climate) intends to focus on climate, keeping strong link with WCRP and CLIVAR, focusing on UNFCCC via GCOS

– coastal observations key

– biogeochemistry and ecosystems where climate impact is clear

• Research is still the major user of sustained ocean observations

– goal of building the user community

• Underpinning the development of climate services

• Developing effective government advocacy for research and observations

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WCRP Joint Scientific Committee (JSC)

IOC and WCRP: moving forward

Luis ValdésHead of Ocean Sciences, IOC-UNESCO

Antalya (Turkey) 15-19 February 2009

Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission

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The mission of the IOC is to promote international co-operation and to co-ordinate programmes in research, services and capacity building, in order to learn more about the nature and resources of the ocean and coastal areas and to apply that knowledge for the improvement of management, sustainable development, the protection of the marine environment, and the decision making processes of its Member States.

Thus, IOC has a key role to play as a global knowledge broker involving gathering, transfer, dissemination and sharing of information, data, knowledge and best practices related to Oceanography.


IOC Mission

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(MEDIUM TERM STRATEGY 2008-2013)

(HLO 1): Prevention and reduction of the impacts of natural hazards

(HLO 2): Mitigation of the impacts of and adaptation to climate change and variability WCRP

(HLO 3): Safeguarding the health of ocean ecosystems

(HLO 4): Management procedures and policies leading to the sustainability of coastal and ocean environment and resources

IOC High Level Objectives

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IOC Ocean Sciences at a glance

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Questions to be addressed: • WCRP-IOC joint activities

• WCRP evolution within the UNESCO/IOC priorities

• IOC expectations for WCRP in the future

IOC and WCRP: moving forward

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WCRP-IOC joint activities: Large Oceanographic Programmes

(1985-1994) Tropical Ocean and Global Atmosphere (TOGA) project successfully linked the interaction of the atmosphere with the circulation of tropical oceans

(1990-1997) World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) of expanded the role of the deep ocean structure and the circulation of the oceans and their role in the climate system

CLImate VARiability and Predictability (CLIVAR) is centered on the changing atmosphere and slowly varying land-surface, ocean and ice masses as they respond to natural processes, human influences and changes in the Earth's chemistry and biota

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CLIVAR is our co-sponsor for GO-SHIP. They provided co-funding for the first meeting of the GO-SHIP panel, and have tentatively committed to providing support when/if we have a workshop in 2010. This is an important link for us, since we can interact directly with the physical oceanography / hydrography community through CLIVAR

Understanding Sea-level Rise and Variability. WCRP and the IOC, along with many partner organizations, jointly organized a sea level workshop in 2006, which outlined the major research and observing activities necessary to reduce uncertainty in sea level predictions. Follow-up activities will include a workshop on the coastal and islands impacts of sea-level rise

WCRP-IOC joint activities: other collaborations

WCRP is our co-sponsor for the Ocean Observations Panel for Climate (OOPC), together with GOOS and GCOS.

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OceanObs09 Conference (IOC-ESA) (Venice, October, 2009). OceanObs09 will strength and enhance the international framework under GCOS/GOOS/WCRP for sustained world ocean observing and information systems supporting the needs of society about ocean weather, climate, ecosystems, carbon and chemistry. WCRP is a co-sponsor with IOC.

Outreach: WCRP has a good programme of outreach and dissemination of activities, but it is unclear where the IOC was proactive or not.

Capacity building: WCRP has promoted several activities in capacity building (e.g. African Climate Atlas, Workshops), but again, it is unclear where IOC was proactive.

WCRP-IOC joint activities: other collaborations

ICES-PICES-IOC International Symposium on the Effects of Climate Change on the World’s Oceans. 19–23 May 2008 (Gijón, Spain) focussed on ocean climate variability and change, interactions with biogeochemical cycles, the coastal environment, and on marine ecosystems. WCRP was represented on the scientific committee.

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• There is a need to increase efforts in regional modelling that aim to downscale the impacts of global climate models to regional scales and provide regional detail in finer resolution. This is specially important for developing countries.

• It is essential to do accurate regional estimations on the changing sea levels with the consequent impact on coastal regions; as well as potential changes in the frequency or intensity of extreme events such as tropical cyclones and their coastal impacts.

• There is a need to be established or strengthened more direct links between WCRP and IOC Regional Programmes and as well as National Oceanographic Committees.

• It will be desirable to widening the ocean climate research with inclusion of more activities aimed at adaptation and mitigation of climate change on the oceans.

WCRP evolution within the UNESCO-IOC priorities (Medium Term Strategy 2008-2013)

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• IOC invite WCRP to support the 2nd International Symposium on the Effects of Climate Change on the World’s Oceans (ICES-PICES-IOC) (Yeosu, Korea, 2012). WCRP was an active player in the 1st. edition.

• IOC would like to contribute in an active manner to the outreach of activities of WCRP.

• IOC may help WCRP to develop programmes on capacity building in developing countries.

• There is still an uncertainty about the source of Regular Budget support for WCRP

WCRP evolution within the UNESCO-IOC priorities (Medium Term Strategy 2008-2013)

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IOC expectations for WCRP in the future (going beyond 2013)

• IOC will continue to ensure that WCRP has both, a solid scientific basis as well as a firm governmental framework that encourage and facilitate collaborations with other appropriate components of the sponsors’ programmes.

• IOC must have a better connection with the WCRP research community, revitalise the collaboration between IOC and WCRP and accommodate this collaboration to the interest of both.

• UNESCO/IOC wants to be proactive in the implementation of outcomes from OceanObs’09.

• IOC may help in the implementation of the new strategic plan by connecting scientific and social priorities with end users, linking WCRP with other IOC programmes, promoting networks of ocean observatories and platforms, and collaborating in outreach and capacity building programmes.

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• IOC recognise that fruitful collaboration can be established in many ways, and not only by funding large oceanographic programmes. Pilot projects, working groups and outreach activities will serve as well to a fruitful cooperation. IOC may suggest some scientific topics, but we would like to listen also which are the priorities of WCRP and discuss these together.

• Some topics of mutual interest for future collaboration:

• Strength of Stratification in temperate seas and oceanic gyres

• Upwelling systems and changes in wind regimes

• Thermohaline circulation

• Sea Level Rise (IOC-WCRP WG established in 2009)

• Outreach of scientific knowledge (policy papers, brochures, sci. journals)


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TOGA

WOCE

CLIVAR

NEXT?

(1980’s)

(1990’s)

(2000’s)


... IOC would like to debate it with WCRP

And of course, if this stream-line will have a continuation...

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Luis ValdésIOC-UNESCO

¡Thanks for your attention!


building on oceanobs’09

Documents

oceanobs09 conference

carbon global ocean

outcomes of oceanobs09

biological observations

research community

oo09 secretariat

international organizations

global information