Ocean Observing System Report Card 2021 - GOOS Observations Coordination Group - OceanOPS
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Ocean Observing
System
Report Card 2021
GOOS Observations Coordination Group
United Nations Intergovernmental
Educational, Scientific and Oceanographic
Cultural Organization Commission
IN SITU
During the last year, Covid-19
has impacted several ocean
observing networks with about a
10% decrease in data distribution,
OBSERVING
and a 15% to 20% decrease in
maintenance operations. 14 tropical
Pacific moored buoys are currently
lost or inoperative as restrictions on
SYSTEM STATUS
research vessel operations hinder
the deployment and replacement
of measuring equipment. Only
1 repeat hydrographic transect
was sampled in 2020 as planned,
while all others were cancelled or
Over the last few years, the in situ postponed to later years. Ship-of-
observing system, made up of many Opportunity based measurements
thousands of ocean observing platforms, of ocean temperature profiles were
has developed significantly with resumed on 50% of all reference
emerging networks, advances in new lines thanks to the cooperation
technologies, and improved capabilities. with commercial vessels who
This system supplies scientists and helped to maintain the array.
marine and weather forecasters with One year from the initial impacts,
essential global, multidisciplinary, high- research vessel operations are
quality data, crucial to support safety still unstable due to Covid-19
of life and property at sea, maritime restrictions. Although the global
commerce, and the well-being of system showed resilience to these
coastal communities. It also provides initial impacts due to the diversity
observations to monitor the impacts of platforms and the increased
of long-term climate change and use of autonomous instruments,
information on the increasing stress as well as strengthened
on the ocean from human activities. cooperation between operators
To continue to evolve this system in maintaining network function
towards an integrated, fit-for-purpose under restrictions, the overall
and sustained global network, the impact on the observing system
Ocean Observing System Report Card will take a few years to be
2021 provides insight into the status absorbed. The 2021 deployment
of the global ocean observing system, planning for most of the global
assessing networks’ progress, focusing networks is very ambitious and
on the challenges needed to keep requires strong international
improving this system, and encouraging collaboration, coordination, and
collaborations and new partners to join increased support to implement
the ocean observing community. such commitments.
See in situ networks table for map legend. OceanOPS data source as of June 2021: operational platforms
latest location (Argo, DBCP, AniBOS, VOS, ASAP); fixed platforms location (GLOSS, HF radars, OceanSITES);
reference lines (GO-SHIP, SOOP); sampled sites (OceanGliders). Dashed lines for GO-SHIP and SOOP have
not been sampled after Covid-19 impact; dots for VOS and ASAP show May 2021 observations. Symbols
size is not to scale, in the map they are exaggerated to an order of hundreds kilometers for readability.
GOOS Implementation Data & metadata Best GOOS delivery areas 7 GOOS Implementation Data & metadata Best GOOS delivery areas 7
in situ networks 1 Archived practices Opera-
6
in situ networks 1 Archived practices Opera-
6
Real Meta- Ocean Real Meta- Ocean
Status 2 delayed tional Climate Status 2 delayed tional Climate
time 3 data 5 health time 3 data 5 health
mode 4 services mode 4 services
Ship based meteorological
Repeated transects - GO-SHIP 02 02
measurements - SOT/VOS
Ship based aerological
OceanGliders 02 02
measurements - SOT/ASAP Emerging
Ship based oceanographic
measurements - SOT/SOOP-XBT " HF radars
Emerging
Biogeochemistry & Deep floats -
" Sea level gauges - GLOSS
Argo Emerging
02 02
Animal borne ocean sensors -
Drifting and polar buoys - DBCP
AniBOS Emerging
" Moored buoys - DBCP 02
Long-term time series sites - Not (1) More information at goosocean.org (2) Status: status vs target, external target when exists, e.g. GCOS; network self-assessed status when target does not
" OceanSITES applicable
02 02
exist (3) Real time: data available on Global Telecommunication System of WMO or another global Internet based data node (GDAC) with a proper quality control
mechanism; OceanSITES metocean real-time data is managed by DBCP (4) Archived high quality: self-assessed status on the availability of delayed mode
Profiling floats - Argo data, on the web, including all historical data (5) Metadata: information required by OceanOPS (6) Best Practices: community reviewed and easily accessible
documentation encompassing the observations lifecycle (7) See Network Specification Sheets: goosocean.org > Observations > Network Specification Sheets
OCEAN OXYGEN
“If you cannot breathe,
nothing else matters”
Oxygen, a vital gas for all life on the planet, enters
TROPICAL PACIFIC OBSERVING
the ocean at its surface and spreads throughout.
The oxygen content in any volume of ocean water
is determined by multiple biological and chemical
processes and controlled by ocean dynamics. Ongoing deployment of in situ observing
instruments, such as gliders, biogeochemical
SYSTEM 2020
Breathing water is hard work as water holds floats, ships, moorings, and others are bringing
far less oxygen than the equivalent volume new opportunities to investigate the drivers of
of air. The physiological performance of marine global (de)oxygenation and the biogeochemical
organisms is highly dependent on their ability processes that affect oxygen cycling in both
to extract oxygen from ambient sea water. coastal and open ocean areas. In 2021, more than
Oxygen availability is thus key for marine life. 70 oxygen sensors were deployed on moorings
in the subpolar North Atlantic - the region where A Regional Pilot
Photosynthesis in the upper, sunlit ocean is a the deep ocean is taking a deep breath every Sustained observations of the Tropical Pacific Ocean
Major gaps in data over the ocean
source of oxygen and its production is closely winter. Every year, about 100 biogeochemical have been a priority for nations around the basin for hinder our ability to observe our
linked to plankton growth, ultimately feeding
the fish we eat. Understanding oxygen cycling
Argo floats (representing 10% of the global Argo more than 25 years, driven principally by the global changing climate and accurately
Program) equipped with oxygen sensors are
and detecting oxygen variability and trends deployed, mostly in the Southern Ocean, North
climate effects of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation forecast weather at sub-seasonal
are key aspects of tracking ocean health. Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and Mediterranean Sea.
(ENSO), and by the demonstrated prediction skill
to seasonal timescales. We need
based on ocean and air-sea interface observations.
The ocean is losing oxygen (around 2% since The Tropical Pacific Observing System (TPOS) 2020 to close those gaps and ensure the
In 2021, despite the pandemic, the oceanographic
the 1950s) at an increasing rate. This decline, community in Chile and Peru has remained goals were to redesign and enhance the TPOS, to delivery of timely and accessible
termed deoxygenation, affects marine life mobilized for maintaining and developing the meet today and future needs of both research and information available to all users.
and the largest ecosystems on Earth. Both operational centers. It aimed at building a more
ocean observing system in the South East Professor Petteri Taalas
climate warming (warmer water holds less Pacific, a key region for the energy budget of integrated, modern and robust observing system, WMO Secretary-General
oxygen) and natural variability play roles that the planet. The SEPICAF project (South Eastern taking advantage of new science and technology.
we need to better understand. Pacific Circulation from Argo Floats) launched in
2019, and supported by French oceanographic
The TPOS 2020 project identified gaps in the WMO supports TPOS 2020
There is presently no model able to reproduce current system, the variables and scales to be
the latitudinal distribution of deoxygenation.
institutions, has undertaken regional coordination sampled, and areas of needed research. It proposed to meet growing demand
with universities and research labs in Chile and
Projections for future scenarios indicate a 3%
Peru to maintain a sufficient Argo float density
a redesign, taking full advantage of the diverse for forecasts and services
to 4% decrease of the global oxygen content remote and in situ techniques available today,
in this region. This allows us to monitor the considering their complementarity, and fitting We need accurate and reliable observations and
by 2100. With that in mind, we have to improve
thermocline circulation and oxygen conditions, them together in an integrated system. It also prediction models from land and sea to meet the
our numerical models and drastically increase
and better understand processes driving the specified the model and assimilation improvements ever-increasing demand for more sophisticated
the number of oxygen observations in the world
variability in the oxygen minimum zone. As the needed to fully utilize the observations. TPOS 2020 weather, water, climate and ocean services, and
ocean.
project lead, Dr. Boris Dewitte explains: “The accelerated advancements in technology, and forecast products, and multi-hazard early warning
16 Argo floats we are in charge of deploying motivated sponsors to make significant investments systems.
are fundamental for reliable oceanic forecasts. to many observational and modelling initiatives.
Regional collaborations with universities and Implementation of the sustained backbone TPOS
Solutions and Benefits fishery companies, as well as international The new TPOS will provide enhanced capabilities is essential if we are to improve our prediction of
scientific collaborations, have been instrumental for observing upper ocean and air-sea interactions ENSO cycles and associated extreme events that
• Reduce emissions of greenhouse gases have profound societal impacts around the globe.
to reduce global warming for designing the deployment strategy.” across a diversity of climate regimes, based
on enhanced moorings configuration, and a It will also underpin efforts to understand and
• For the coastal ocean: reduce nutrient project changes in the ocean and atmosphere,
doubling of Argo floats. It will enable a major gain
inputs from land which cause particularly on decadal and longer timescales.
in biogeochemical sampling, and recommends
eutrophication Rising deoxygenation is one of specific observations for the low-latitude western
• Globally: 1) foster ocean observations the most significant threats to the boundary currents and the eastern Pacific where
More than 90% of the excess heat trapped by
greenhouse gases is stored in the ocean. It is
to continuously monitor and report on
ocean. Access to continuous, quality extreme El Niño events develop.
therefore critical to have high-quality, long-
the state of the ocean for co-designing
solutions of mitigation and/or adaptation data is critical to understanding The new TPOS will also deliver many gains to term records of sea surface temperature and the
with stakeholders 2) enhance ocean and finding ways to address this accelerate advances in the understanding and deep ocean – especially in areas like the eastern
literacy and engagement 3) educate challenge. It’s time to expand prediction of tropical Pacific variability and its equatorial Pacific where the instrumental record
is sparse. We welcome the TPOS 2020 aims to
people (e.g. the Global Ocean Oxygen international collaboration to profound impacts at regional scales. Improving
Decade (GOOD) Programme for the UN double Argo observations in the tropical Pacific.
Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable
achieve global coverage of in situ our forecasting capabilities will positively
impact agriculture, water management, marine
Development). oxygen observing networks. ecosystems management, human health, and
The TPOS 2020 project will provide substantial
input to the World Meteorological Organization
Dr Vladimir Ryabinin disaster preparedness.
IOC Executive Secretary Integrated Global Observing System and help
close gaps in ocean observations.
SATELLITE-BASED COMMUNITY COLLABORATION
OBSERVATIONS Covid-19 impacts
on observing activities
The impacts of Covid-19 on ocean observing
situ sea level and near-real time ocean and climate
observations in a region where sea level rise and
climate change impacts are of primary concern.
“It’s important to have your own data at the
The satellite network enables us to accurately Seas from the Sentinel 3-A, 1211 UTC, 27 October 2020, with infrared networks range from increased time spent national level and this is our only tide gauge in
measure fundamental variables such as ice image from GOES-16 underlaid (wide view). Zoomed view with on ship expeditions due to quarantine and Tuvalu,” says Pepetua Latasi, Director of Climate
maximum seas circled. Courtesy, the European Space Agency and
coverage, ocean color, sea level, ocean surface NOAA. GOES: “Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite” port restrictions, to cancellations of ship Change and Disaster Coordination in the low-
temperature and salinity. Together with in situ expeditions, resulting in fewer deployments, lying atoll nation of Tuvalu. “People are noticing
observations, satellites provide foundational and limited servicing of equipment. In many
knowledge about the ocean environment and
Satellite Altimetry cases, particularly in remote areas, regular data
changes, especially during high tide. They ask, ‘Is
the sea level really rising?’ and to give an answer
enable a wide range of forecasts and services. Satellite-based sensors are also capable of retrieving collections and ocean observations ceased or we rely on the data from this station.”
ocean surface wind speed and direction, wave height, were drastically reduced in 2020.
Satellite Years and sea-surface height anomalies. Typically taken The Tonga station was damaged when Category
A number of observing communities have risen 4 Tropical Cyclone Harold struck in April 2020, but
Essential by polar-orbiting satellites, information is gathered to the challenge, however. Overturning in the
Climate in “strips” as the satellites pass over the earth. The with remote assistance from the Australian Bureau
Variables 1990 1996 2002 2008 2014 2020 2026 Subpolar North Atlantic Programme (OSNAP) is of Meteorology and the Pacific Community (SPC),
data are very important for forecasts and warnings, one example of coordinated efforts to ensure
Sea ice as well as to understand more about climate change, an in-country team of technicians were able to
the continuity of ocean observing. OSNAP
providing information from some of the gaps in identify the issue and bring the station back online.
Ocean color provides estimation of the overturning volume
the ocean where no ship or buoy data is available. transport across nominal 60°N and successfully
Sea level
redeployed equipment on 7 cruises between June
Engaging Alaskan students
Temperature On October 27, 2020, a low pressure system
with hurricane-force winds was located over the and November 2020. Another example is the and local communities
Salinity
north Atlantic west of the United Kingdom. The SURVOSTRAL XBT observations program carried
The integration of local communities is a vital piece
Sea state out by Australia, France, and the US, which has
European Space Agency’s Sentinel-3A observed in sustaining ocean observing, considering local
Wind seas of 18 meters (59 ft in the satellite image been collecting critical upper ocean temperature
knowledge, and raising awareness of the state
above), which can pose a risk to vessels at sea. data in the Southern Ocean for nearly 30 years.
INADEQUATE MARGINAL ADEQUATE of the ocean. The US Interagency/International
Satellite altimetry complements data from vessels Covid-19 restrictions required a 14-day quarantine
Arctic Buoy Program (USIABP) is a fundamental
More information on satellite status at ocean-ops.org/reportcard2021 and other observing networks, helping forecasters prior to departure, and upon return, significantly
component of the Arctic Observing Network,
better understand the scope of such hazards, and increasing time spent on this ship expedition.
with a diverse outreach program engaging
validate forecasts and warnings. “At times, the quarantine was hard, but the moment local students and communities in Arctic ocean
we saw the ice, I instantly forgot about the 14-days observations. Many buoys deployed by USIABP
cold meals and the old towels and felt very fortunate
EMERGING NETWORKS GROWTH
were designed and built by high school students
to have the opportunity to see the white continent. as part of the Sea Cadets Arctic Buoy Program
I personally feel extremely proud to contribute to a and USIABP works directly with school districts
much larger cause”, said Pat McMahon, CSIRO. to decorate “Ice Tracker” buoys for deployment.
Under these conditions, maintaining an In March 2021, USIABP returned to Utqiaġvik to
uninterrupted data collection is an extraordinary deploy 10 “Ice Cadets” and other decorated buoys to
During the last few years, emerging networks have Animal bourne ocean sensors (AniBOS) have achievement. maintain fundamental Arctic observations. Since its
developed considerably to meet new observing been contributing essential ocean observations inauguration in 2020, 31 buoys were created and 44
requirements. For some, the pandemic impacted since 2004 and the number of deployments and Strengthening maintenance students involved. This year 21 Ice Cadets are joining
deployment operations between 2019-2020. observations has almost tripled in this time. While field projects including tagging of icebergs in Baffin
Since the launch of the OceanGliders program in much of the AniBOS effort has been focused in
capacity in the Pacific Islands Bay. Lauren Bird says that she and her younger sister
2017, the number of yearly glider deployments the polar regions, the program is now expanding “The border closure has actually helped us improve both thought “that it would be a fun experience to
has nearly doubled. This great improvement goes and includes observations from the tropical our sea-level station maintenance capability,” notes have our art showcased on something that would
along with an increasing number of countries ocean. These observations, freely available to the Ofa Fa’anunu, the Director of Tonga Meteorological be used for interesting research projects in the
involved in the program and harmonization of the community, enhance an integrated observing Service, referring to one of the 13 permanent sea- future. This is a cool project, and one that even
data exchange format that strongly contributes system by providing complementary data from level observation stations across the Pacific Islands. relates to our living in Alaska since our buoy will be
to achieving the FAIR (findability, accessibility, regions poorly sampled by other means. Established in partnership with Australia in 1991, out on the ice! Having a small piece of ourselves in
interoperability, and reusability) data principles these stations provide an indispensable record of in the wider world than our town is exciting.”
promoted by the Global Ocean Observing System.
While the deployment of Biogeochemical and Deep Emerging
Argo floats was stable during the last few years, the networks 2021
& extended 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Planned
level of commitments from supporting countries capabilities deployments
for the next year will enable the expansion of a
OceanGliders 129 139 166 233 194 225
multidisciplinary Argo program. This expansion, and
Argo-BGC mission 119 149 133 94 118 264
in particular the Deep mission, requires coordination
Argo-Deep mission 31 30 54 53 58 86
and long-term funding to optimize efforts and
resources towards developing a sustained, globally AniBOS 41 26 51 95 99 75
distributed and integrated observing network. Number of deployments per year (as registered at OceanOPS)
TECHNOLOGY CALL FOR
DEVELOPMENT ACTION
This year we note the continued progress of
developing our global ocean observing system
despite the significant challenges of responding
to a global pandemic.
Thanks to all the implementers
and funders for this remarkable
development!
Looking ahead, we must continue to increase
DWSDTM and Pilot array ©LDL/SIO cooperation and coordination across the
The Data Buoy Cooperation Panel (DBCP) has been international community, and engage more
tracking progress of a new generation of wave fully with the private sector.
measuring surface drifters. These Directional Wave Testing and entraining new lower-cost
Spectra Drifters (DWSDTM) measure 3-D spectra technologies and multidisciplinary observations
wave and are increasingly supporting the DBCP- globally will enable new discoveries, monitor
Global Drifter Array via the NOAA-funded Global
changes in remote parts of the ocean,
Drifter Program. Dr. Luca Centurioni, Director of the
and increase system resiliency.
Lagrangian Drifter Laboratory (LDL) at the Scripps
Institution of Oceanography, and developer Increasing capacity within indigenous
of the DWSD drifters, says: “Directional wave and underserved populations and local
observations are crucial to understand the role of communities to contribute towards, and
wave dynamics in ocean-atmosphere coupling. As benefit from, increased ocean knowledge
part of extreme weather events studies, we have is vital to future sustainable communities.
air-deployed several DWSDs under hurricanes
and atmospheric rivers, and with ships in areas Finally, we must fully embrace the range
of intense ocean cooling. We encourage the of ocean-observing opportunities under the
analysis of these data which are accessible without UN Decade of Ocean Science to strengthen
restriction through the Global Telecommunication the system in support of sustainable ocean
System and LDL servers. The buoy is made either development.
with recycled or biodegradable plastics and it Dr David Legler
represents a very cost-effective solution for global Chair GOOS Observations Coordination Group
wave measurements.”
PMEL/NOAA; A. Lal/SPC; M. Gomila/SOCIB; M. Naumann/IOW; J. Dierking/
GEOMAR; M. Schneider/RV METEOR; WHOI/NOOA; S. Hewlett; W. Leavitt/
hippocampe.com • 4406016 • 06/2021 • © A. Barrier/4MyPlanet;
Saildrone; @Imar/GEOMAR; SIO; NASA; A. Lauranceau-Moineau/SPC
NSF Logistics; P. Castagno/Parthenope University (PNRA); Courtesy
ocean-ops.org/reportcard2021
More information at:
CONTACTS
Argo General information: goosocean.org
Networks status: ocean-ops.org
Report Card information: reportcard@ocean-ops.org
If you wish to contribute to the global ocean observing
system, please contact: support@ocean-ops.org
Authors: OceanOPS and GOOS Observations
Coordination Group (OCG)
GOOS Report No.269
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