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 modelling 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.

A Pilot Project for the integration of marine and other appropriate oceanographic observations into the WMO Integrated Global Observing Systems (WIGOS) has been initiated in close cooperation with IOC and its IODE Ocean Data Portal (ODP). Details about the Pilot Project are available 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).
Implementation support:
The JCOMM in situ Observations Programme Support Centre ( JCOMMOPS)	Technical coordination, deployment opportunities, programme status and monitoring.
JCOMM Observations Programme Area contact points
Capacity Building :
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.

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