Oceanography | Vol.32, No.4
EVERY 10 YEARS, the ocean observing community gets
together to take stock of what we have accomplished, where the
new opportunities might be, and what innovation and improved
collaboration could bring. The third such community-driven
conference—OceanObs’19—convened in Honolulu, Hawaii, on
September 16–20. Once again, it brought together people from
all over the world to communicate the decadal advances made
in ocean observing technologies and the remarkable science that
observing networks have enabled—and to chart innovative solu-
tions to society’s growing needs for ocean information and ways
in which collaborations can accelerate progress.
But how did we get there?
Looking back at the first conference, OceanObs’99, held
October 17–22 in Saint Raphaël, France, it was a galvaniz-
ing force for the 300 attendees who all had interests in ocean
observations and climate. That conference benefited from the
just completed World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE),
which highlighted the acute need to collect data from the ocean
more regularly and systematically in order to document its role
in the climate system, to provide the data needed for emerging
seasonal to interannual forecasting, and to improve understand-
ing of ocean dynamics. Very quickly, this first OceanObs confer-
ence provided significant input into the rapidly growing Global
Ocean Observing System (GOOS). The Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission (IOC) created GOOS in 1991 in
response to calls from the Second World Climate Conference
(Geneva, 1990). The creation of GOOS was also spurred by the
desire of many nations to gather the information required to
improve forecasts of climate change, the management of marine
resources, the mitigation of the risks of natural disasters, and the
use and protection of the coastal zone and coastal ocean.
Ten years later, OceanObs’09, held September 21–25 in
Venice, Italy, brought together more than 600 scientists to build
a common vision for the acquisition of routine and sustained
global information on the marine environment sufficient to
meet society’s needs for describing, understanding, and fore-
casting marine and climate variability and weather; sustainably
managing living marine resources; and assessing longer-term
trends. The community attending the conference expanded
from largely physical oceanographers and carbon chemists in
1999 to include biogeochemists and biologists in 2009. One of
the conference’s most significant outcomes was the development
of the Framework for Ocean Observing. The Framework pro-
vides guidance in the implementation of an integrated and sus-
tained ocean observing system. It uses a systems approach that
is designed to be flexible and to adapt to evolving scientific, tech-
nological, and societal needs toward delivering an ocean observ-
ing system with a maximized user base. The Framework shows
how to respond to societal issues with science-driven plans,
tools, and deployment strategies that will successfully address
those issues. It further recognizes that to maintain a fit- for-
purpose ocean observing system, the outputs (publications,
products, ocean services) must properly address the issues that
drove the original requirements. This system evaluation creates
a constant feedback loop that ensures requirements are always
science- driven and informed by societal needs.
Just a few month ago, OceanObs’19 assembled more that
1,500 ocean scientists, engineers, and users of ocean observ-
ing technologies from 74 countries and across many disciplines.
Leading up to the conference, the community produced more
than 120 community white papers. The overarching conference
goal was to improve the governance of a global ocean observing
system by including advocacy, funding, and alignment with best
practices, and to designate responsibility for product definition
that encompasses production and timely delivery at the appro-
priate scales (global, basin, regional, national) to serve user
needs. The conference articulated a vision for ocean observing:
In recognition of the central role the ocean plays in supporting
all life on Earth, we see a resilient world whose societies prosper
through sustainable interactions with our ocean, guided by timely,
reliable, and accessible information.
The conference also produced a declaration:
We, the participants of the decadal OceanObs’19 Conference, hear
the call from maritime stakeholders, operational resource man-
agement agencies, and researchers from private and public orga-
nizations about the importance of more complete and sustained
observations in the ocean globally. Information about the ocean
is needed to advance the understanding of the ocean system,
strengthen security and safety at sea, mitigate the risk of disasters
including those related to a changing climate, reduce pollution and
harmful debris, and inform efforts to conserve life in the sea for the
benefit of future generations. It is required to design and support
policy options that sustain ocean-related human benefits.
OBSERVING THE OCEAN
From Niche to Norm
FROM THE PRESIDENT