Marine Observations

Marine observations

The Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) is sponsored by WMO, IOC of UNESCO, UNEP, and ICSU. It is designed to provide sustained observations from the global ocean, and related analysis and modeling of ocean fields in support of operational oceanography and climate change applications. WMO Members directly participate in the GOOS by the provision of in situ and satellite observations. It is not solely operational, but includes work to convert research understanding into operational tools. It is designed to produce products useful to a wide range of users.

The Observations Programme Area of JCOMM is primarily responsible for the development, coordination and maintenance of moored buoy, drifting buoy, ship-based and space-based observational networks and related telecommunications facilities. It also monitors the efficiency of the overall observing system and, as necessary, recommends and coordinates changes designed to improve it. It has inherited lead responsibility for a number of important and well-established observational programs, which are managed by bodies that now report through JCOMM.

JCOMM is now contributing to the implementation of the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS) and following the legacy recommendations of the JCOMM Pilot Project for the integration of marine and other appropriate oceanographic observations into WIGOS. Those are published in the report of the Pilot Project, which was completed at the end of 2010 (see here).

Programmes under JCOMM:
The Ship Observations Team (SOT)	Ship based observations (surface meteorological observations, aerological profiles, sub-surface oceanographic observations).
The Data Buoy Cooperation Panel (DBCP)	Drifting buoys (Lagrangian drifters), moored buoys (meteorological moorings, tropical moorings, ocean reference stations), ice buoys.
The Global Sea Level Network (GLOSS)	Tide gauges.
Associated programmes:
The Argo profiling float Pilot Project	Sub-surface profiling floats (temperature/salinity profiles).
The International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project (IOCCP)	Ship based ocean carbon observations.
The OCEAN Sustained Interdisciplinary Timeseries Environment observation System (OceanSITES)	Deep ocean multi-disciplinary reference stations (mainly moored buoys).
GO-SHIP	The Global Ocean Ship-Based Hydrographic Investigations Program
ESA and GMES NASA and NOAA Projects: e.g. GHRSST	Satellite Remote Sensing programs
Implementation support:
The JCOMM in situ Observations Programme Support Centre ( JCOMMOPS)	Technical coordination, deployment opportunities, programme status and monitoring.
Observing System Monitoring Center (OSMC)	The purpose of the Observing System Monitoring Center is to show the types, location and timing of in-situ observations throughout the global oceans.
Partnership for ocean observing systems :
The Partnership for new GEOSS Applications (PANGEA)	PANGEA is a concept developed by JCOMM with the goal to develop partnership between developed and developing countries to realize the socio-economical benefits of ocean observing systems at global and regional scales.

JCOMM Observations Programme Area contact points