3 The global ocean observing system for Africa (GOOS-Africa): Monitoring and predicting in large marine ecosystems

Abstract

Publisher Summary The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) 1992 called for the creation of a global system of ocean observations to enable effective and sustainable management and development of seas and oceans, and prediction of future change. It is worth noting from a historical perspective that the Second World Climate Conference in 1990 also called for the establishment of such a system to provide the oceanographic data needed for the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), which was proposed shortly afterward. Consequently, in response to these needs, the Twenty Fifth Session of the Executive Council of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO formally initiated the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) in 1992, to which later the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) committed themselves. GOOS is: (i) a sustained, coordinated international system for gathering data about the oceans and seas of the Earth, (ii) a system for processing such data, with other relevant data from other domains, to enable the generation of beneficial analytical and prognostic environmental information services, and (iii) the research and development on which such services depend for their improvement. Ultimately GOOS provides scientific monitoring and predicting for the implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate and the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity. Marine data and information are crucial for monitoring, predicting and managing the LMEs and forecasting environmental change. The Global Ocean Observing System is conceived to provide these requirements on behalf of LMEs and other user communities.