1. Welcome to OceanSITES 11th Steering Committee and 8th Data Management Team Meeting
April 2016

2. Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO
IOC is the one UN body responsible for ocean science. All G7 countries are members of the IOC (148 States.
Its strategy portrays this “wheel” showing relationships between the 6 elements shown
Early warning systems (C0 and Assessments (D) provide a crucial pull for information (of different types and timescales) the help set the research and observation agenda – so we should listen to their needs to understand how to develoop research agendas and the ocean observing system
It also showsresearch and observations suppotting sound ocean governances as an apex aim
The focus of g7 workshop on research and observing systems which generate the data – infact observations at the heart of this and could equally be positioned in a central role (supportimng research, assessments, and warning systems)
Capacity building includes, I consider technological capacity (which is developed as an integral part part of ocean research processes (and this is a distinctivbe feature of the large oceanographic institutes of the world

3. The ocean is variable at many scales
Basin-decadal
- climate variability - biogeochemical cycles - acidification, deoxygenation - ecosystem regime shifts -tipping points -human impact time-scales -natural variability
Regional-Basin, daily-weekly
In fact, the ocean is variable at many scales
The scales for shoert term events such as tsumami and floods (operational forecasting) is sdhown
- However a critical scale is the basin-decadal scale, for the reasons dscribed on slide. It is also where natural varoiability and human impascts operate requiring the attribution between what is natural and what is human caused
This is also a very hard pasrt of the space-time spectrum to measure (shorter scales can be stuidies by one-off experiments) For longer scales (centuries to millenia) we rely on the Eart’s own record-keeping libraries such as ice cores and lake and ocean sediment cores
However we live right in the middle of the basin-decadal scale – the only approach is to measure it as change unfolds and use ocean simulation models to assimilate and interpret results. Moreover, the change going on is very significant and rapid by evidence from Eartth’s natural records. Consequently, if we don’t measure it now, we will miss one of the biggest changes occurig in the Earth’s history – and it will be much more difficult later to figure out what happened.
Periods of change asre alson a massive opportiunity – we can learn about how the Earth’;s processes woprk much more readiliy during a time of rapid cjange than at any other time – so this is an important window on the Earth’s sectrets we should nit miss
Flooding
Tsunamis
Extreme weather
Algal blooms

4. GOOS/GCOS 2010 implementation goals
Total in situ networks
63%
Dec 2014
continuous satellite measurements of sea surface temperature, height, winds, ocean color, and sea ice
100%
Surface measurements from volunteer ships (VOS)
250 ships in VOSclim pilot project
100%
Global drifting surface buoy array
ice buoys
5° resolution array: 1250 floats
Tide gauge network (GLOSS committed)
40%
300 real-time reporting gauges
Fast data
Slow/no data
GPS
XBT sub-surface temperature section network
39%
37000 XBTs deployed
Argo profiling float network
100%
3° resolution array: 3200 floats
Global time series network
Global tropical moored buoy network
62%
Repeat hydrography and carbon inventory
66%
76%
(Planned)
Full ocean survey in 10 years
87 combined sites
125 moorings planned
Representative Milestones
100%
Original goal for full implementation by 2010
System % sustained, of initial goals 30 34 40 45 48 55 56 59 60 62 62 62 62
62%
63%
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014

5. R actively complemebted by other
In the basin-decadal scale:
Research Ships serve the need for high accuracy measurement of many parameters obtained at infrequent intervals and for depths below 2km
Fixed observatories in isolation cannot cover space dimension without multiple observatories or must be complemented by other platforms
Mobile platforms are excellent for spatial coverage but need development to increase depth coverage and range of parameters that can be measured
R actively complemebted by other

6. Evaluating effectiveness of actions System states and rates
Science delivers impact if it can be integrated into adaptive management cycles
Evaluating effectiveness
of actions
System
states and rates
Observing / Mapping
Data
Adaptive management
Loop (informed by other evidence)
Adaptive management
Loop (informed by scientific evidence)
Science loop
Governing /Acting
Decision-making
Understanding
Assessing /Informing
Predicting / Modelling
Other evidence, assessments and
considerations