Abstract
The ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) Working Group on Oceanic Hydrography (WGOH) was established in the late 1970’s with the aim of gathering experts in physical oceanography to provide regular science-based assessments of the North Atlantic hydrographical condition (basically termohaline fields). From the beginning, the WGOH has relied on repeated long-term in-situ sampling at key sites around the North Atlantic, the Nordic Seas and adjacent shelf seas. An annual Report on Ocean Climate (IROC), produced by the WGOH since the late 1990’s, summarizes trends in regional hydrography and identifies patterns linking these changes across the North Atlantic. Regional analyses are prepared by local experts who are directly involved in the monitoring programs responsible for collecting data presented in the report. An interactive webpage created in 2013 allows users to browse and download data that inform the IROC. Within the last two decades the physical oceanography community has evolved quickly incor- porating technological advances such as autonomous devices into classical in-situ sampling programs. The WGOH has embraced such technological developments without diverting focus from ongoing in-situ long-term monitoring programs. Having longstanding experience synthe- sizing data and expertise from a large number of operational programs spanning an extensive international footprint, the WGOH has a unique perspective to offer the global ocean observing community. Here we discuss how we might foster connections with ICES to benefit the GOOS (Global Ocean Observing System) community.
Highlights
ICES internal coordination relies on a complex structure that builds on the work carried out by up to 150 Expert Groups (EGs)
A central component of Working Group on Oceanic Hydrography (WGOH) annual meetings since its formation has been a session devoted to regional reviews of ocean climate
(i) ICES Report on Ocean Climate (IROC) observations sample the deep ocean in a variety of locations across the North Atlantic, filling a major gap in present day Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) where deep observations (> 2000 m) are limited to GO-SHIP sections (Deep Argo floats and deep gliders still have a long way to fully cover the gap) and (ii) IROC observations bridge a gap between the blue ocean and regional seas, shelves and oceanic boundaries, where most classical monitoring programs take place but the Argo network cannot access
Summary
Since its founding in 1902, the International Council for the exploration of the Sea (ICES) has aimed to increase the scientific knowledge of the marine environment and its living resources and to use this knowledge to provide unbiased, nonpolitical advice to competent authorities. A central component of WGOH annual meetings since its formation has been a session devoted to regional reviews of ocean climate These reviews are based on data from existing monitoring programs run by individual countries or as international collaborations, sometimes in the framework of fisheries management programs. The idea behind the IROC is that regional experts perform analyses applying their specialized knowledge of a region to identify the most relevant available observational timeseries that support their assessment of hydrographic change In this sense it is important to highlight that the IROC web is not a data repository but a heterogeneous collection of specialized timeseries. Some of the timeseries reported in the IROC are the longest in the world and become more valuable to climate science with each passing year of continued measurement These timeseries are not just long and carefully analyzed by regional experts, of high quality to study and detect climate variability.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
