1. Issues Asia- Oceania GEOSS Task 8 Oceans and Islands
Andy Steven (Australia)

2. Significant Environmental Assets and Challenges

3. Urbanizing Coastal Environments
Highly valuable:
Economically
Socially, and Culturally and
Ecologically
Vulnerable built infrastructure
Rapidly changing and often disturbed:
Population growth deteriorating water quality
Changing morphology
Loss of habitat and
Changing biotic composition
Climate variability
Apart from physical modification to these systems (e.g. addition of artificial structures and loss of important sediment habitat), important chemical stressors include toxic contaminants (e.g. metals and hydrophobic organic chemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)) enriching contaminants (e.g. fertilisers), emerging contaminants (e.g. microplastics), and changes to natural conditions such as salinity and turbidity that are outside the natural range of variation.  The communities living in these systems are exposed to multiple stressors and it is vital that the ecological consequences are investigated over large spatial scales.  It is also vital that manipulative studies in the field and lab investigate the interactions between these multiple stressors and add to our understanding of the impacts so they can be better managed.
From van Sebille et al. 2015

4. Small Island Developing States
Not represented at GEO
Face some of the most proximate and life changing climate challenges
Need to develop sustainable livelihoods
Presentation title | Presenter name | Page 4

5. Sensorisation of the Oceans
10–3000 m depth
30–6000 m depth
<500 m altitude
<6000 m altitude
<20 km altitude
>500 km altitude
<100 m depth
Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV)
Example: ASV Ltd C Cat
Quadcopter Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
Example: Insitu Pacific CT110
Low-Altitude Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
Example: Insitu Pacific ScanEagle
High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE)
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
Example: Boeing Phantom Eye
Remote Sensing Earth Observation Satellite
Example: Boeing Phoenix 502
Very Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV)
Example: Boeing Echo Seeker
Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV)
Example: Boeing Echo Ranger
Small Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV)
Example: UCSD Stingray
Anchored Communication & Sensing Buoy
Communication Satellites
Shore-Based Communication Infrastructure
Manned Research Vessel
AV Launch/Recovery
AV Communication Hub
Free-Drifting Profiling Floats
Example: IMOS ARGO
Ocean Glider
Example: IMOS Slocum Glider

6. EO for Oceans, Coasts and Islands
Habitat & Bathy
Mapping
Ocean & Coastal
Forecasting
Environmental
Assessment
Events &
Disasters
WfO Vision | Andy Steven |

7. Presentation title | Presenter name
T8 Oceans and Islands
Goal
To advance and exploit synergies among the many observational programmes devoted to island, coastal and ocean, to improve engagement with a variety of users for enhancing the timeliness, quality and range of services delivered;
to raise awareness of the societal benefits of ocean observations at the public and policy levels
Focus on coastal countries and small island states
Tasks
Identify and articulate user needs.
Produce new marine and coastal observation network by supporting and linking partners.
Improve the Coastal Applications of the Data Cube and Modelling the Hydrodynamics and Biogeochemistry of the ocean environment.
Evaluate the sea level rise risk for the developing states in the western and eastern Pacific.
Presentation title | Presenter name

8. O&I – Mission and Tasks
To advance and exploit synergies among the many observational programmes devoted to island, coastal and ocean,
to improve engagement with a variety of users for enhancing the timeliness, quality and range of services delivered;
to raise awareness of the societal benefits of ocean and coastal observations & to underpin SDGs
Focus on coastal countries and small island states

9. Oceans & Islands Tasks Identify and articulate user needs.
Enhance marine and coastal observation network by supporting and linking partners.
Improve the Coastal Applications of the Data Cube and Modelling the Hydrodynamics and Biogeochemistry of the ocean environment and for habitat monitoring.
Evaluate the sea level rise risk for the small island and coastal states in the Pacific and Indian Oceans

10. Collaborations and Linkages
Oceans and Society Blue Planet
MBON
WESTPAC IOC
GOOS-PAC-, SEA- and NEAR-GOOS
UNESCAP
APEC
SPREP
Who Else?