IOOS Summit

 Meeting Materials

“The very few existing time-series stations paint a compelling picture of important oceanic changes in physics, chemistry, and biology. Yet these stations capture the time domain at only a single point. New strategies for observing the appropriate spatial correlation are required.”

– Ocean Sciences at the New Millennium, Ocean Sciences Decadal Committee 2001

Ocean observing has come a long way since the Ocean Sciences Decadal Committee met over a decade ago. And since then, our use of the ocean and coast and their vast resources has increased substantially – with increased shipping, fishing, offshore energy development and recreational boating.  That increased use has also spearheaded advances in observing systems. Cutting-edge autonomous and remotely operated vehicles scour the surface and travel to depths collecting essential biogeochemical data for better managing our marine resources. Satellites  enable the global mapping of practically every physical ocean variable imaginable.  A nationally-integrated coastal network of high-frequency radars line the borders of the U.S. feeding critical navigation, response, and environmental information continuously. Federal, academic, and industry communities have joined in unique partnerships at regional, national, and global levels to address common challenges to monitoring our ocean. Given this tremendous collective effort, it is time to take stock and identify ways to strengthen the enterprise as we move forward into a new era. 

A New Decade

The 2002 Workshop, Building Consensus: Toward an Integrated and Sustained Ocean Observing System laid the framework for the current Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). Ten years later, IOOS has moved from concept to reality, though much work remains to meet the nation’s ocean observing needs.  Today, changes in congressional and executive leadership, new research and technologies, a challenging economic and funding environment, and diverse institutional mandates all influence the future growth and implementation of IOOS.  In light of this new environment, the Interagency Ocean Observation Committee is coordinating an effort to bring together ocean observing stakeholders at the regional, national, and global levels to address these challenges going forward:

• Enhancing information delivery and integration to save lives, enhance the economy and protect the environment
• Disseminating seamless information across regional and national boundaries
• Harnessing technological innovations for new frontiers and opportunities

All ocean observers, researchers, scientists, policy experts, and other stakeholders are being called upon to identify practical solutions to these new challenges to refocus and enhance IOOS capabilities over the next decade. Over the coming year, individuals will have a variety of ways to engage through submitting white papers, participating on thematic writing teams, participating at the IOOS Summit, and implementing strategic outcomes. The IOOS Summit is the exclamation point on the work preceding the event and will serve as an assembly of 200 representatives cross-sectioning the diverse and expansive ocean observing community regionally, nationally, and globally. However, the work is not expected to end there. Most important will be the execution of priorities identified before and during the Summit, carrying them forward into a new decade of an enhanced Integrated and Sustained Ocean Observing System.

Receive Updates

Any parties interested in receiving updates regarding the outcomes or any follow-up should fill out this form or email the IOOC at iooc@oceanleadership.org.

Goals and Objectives

This event provides an opportunity to evaluate critical elements of IOOS by:

• Seeking expert guidance on future implementation for sustained observations
• Re-establishing the priority observations needed to monitor the ocean
• Prioritizing key applications for future ocean observing development
• Exploring underused ocean observing products and services
• Celebrating and expanding on recent achievements of the IOOS community
• Determining how IOOS can better serve the scientific community
• Leveraging resources and materials with regional, national, and international partners
• Analyzing new and existing policy and management strategies and
• Ensuring that IOOS is meeting the critical needs of the wide variety of stakeholders who have come to depend on it

Community White Papers

All 100+ white paper submissions, along with the seminal community references, are posted on the CWP page. We encourage you to share these resources within your community and share your insight on these documents through the comments section directly in Google Docs or in the at the bottom of the page white paper submission page. The ongoing opportunity to comment on the community white papers and interact with the Proceedings Chapter authors is one of the primary mechanisms to shape the IOOS Summit Proceedings. Following the Summit, the draft IOOS Summit Proceedings (ISP), including all 103 CWP submissions will be publicly available for final review.

Deliverables

The proceedings of the community white papers, writing teams, and Summit outcomes will be organized into a final report with the following chapters:

1. Report Highlighting the Past Decade of Progress
2. Updated User Requirements: Revisiting and Updating
3. Gap Assessment of Existing Observing System Capabilities
4. Identified Integration Challenges and Opportunities
5. Vision for the Next 10 Years