California Current Observing System

California Current Observing System
Name	California Current Observing System
Acronym	C-COOS
Established	1992
Type	Ocean observing network
Location	California, United States
Coordinates	36°46′N 122°24′W

California Current Observing System is a regional ocean observing network focused on the California Current ecosystem along the West Coast of the United States and adjacent oceanic regions. It integrates shipboard programs, autonomous platforms, coastal stations, and modeling centers to monitor physical, chemical, and biological properties of the ocean that affect fisheries, weather, and climate. C-COOS coordinates among federal, state, academic, and nongovernmental organizations to provide sustained observations supporting resource management, hazard response, and scientific research.

Overview

C-COOS operates within a web of institutions including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and the University of California, Santa Cruz to observe the eastern limb of the North Pacific Ocean. Key geographic foci include the California Current, the California coast, the Monterey Bay, and the Channel Islands. Observing assets include moorings, shipboard surveys conducted by vessels such as the NOAAS David Starr Jordan and university research vessels, surface drifters, gliders built by institutions like Teledyne Webb Research, and coastal radar arrays influenced by projects at Cooperative Institute for Marine Ecosystems and Climate and Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes. Data are shared with regional nodes of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System and national aggregators such as the Integrated Ocean Observing System program and Ocean Observatories Initiative.

History and Development

C-COOS emerged from ecosystem-based management needs articulated after events like the 1983-84 El Niño and institutional reviews led by the National Research Council. Early development drew on legacy programs including the CalCOFI surveys run by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the long-term plankton time series at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Federal initiatives such as the Global Ocean Observing System and the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System accelerated funding and coordination during the 1990s and 2000s. Partnerships expanded to include state agencies like the California Ocean Protection Council and regional organizations such as the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary to address harmful algal blooms, hypoxia events related to Pacific Decadal Oscillation variability, and fisheries impacts linked to sardine and anchovy population shifts.

Observing Components and Instrumentation

The observing suite combines legacy and modern platforms: ship-based hydrographic sections patterned after CalCOFI; autonomous underwater gliders equipped with sensors from manufacturers like Wetlabs and Seabird Electronics; moored profilers and buoys modeled on TAO/TRITON arrays; high-frequency (HF) radar networks similar to systems developed by CODAR Ocean Sensors; and remotely piloted aircraft programs influenced by research at NASA Ames Research Center. Instrumentation measures temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, chlorophyll fluorescence, and acoustic backscatter for fish and zooplankton studies, often using sensors traceable to standards at NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and calibrations consistent with protocols from the World Ocean Circulation Experiment. Novel additions include environmental DNA samplers inspired by methods developed at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and bio-acoustic systems honed in collaborations with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

Data Management and Dissemination

C-COOS follows interoperability frameworks set by the Open Geospatial Consortium and the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System to ensure data flow into regional and national portals such as the National Centers for Environmental Information and the Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center. Metadata and data products are served using standards from the Federal Geographic Data Committee and netCDF/CF conventions endorsed by the World Meteorological Organization and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. Real-time streams feed operational centers including the National Weather Service and research groups at Scripps Institution of Oceanography for assimilation into regional ocean models like the Regional Ocean Modeling System and coupled atmosphere–ocean models used by NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory. Long-term archives support climate assessments led by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and national climate synthesis at the U.S. Global Change Research Program.

Scientific Applications and Findings

C-COOS-enabled observations have contributed to advances in understanding upwelling dynamics linked to the California Current System, the role of mesoscale eddies documented in studies at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and University of Washington, and the drivers of hypoxia events noted by researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Time series from moorings and gliders clarified responses of Pacific salmon migration to temperature anomalies similar to those during the 1997–98 El Niño, and acoustic surveys informed stock assessments used by the Pacific Fishery Management Council. Data supported detection and forecasting of harmful algal blooms affecting Dungeness crab fisheries, and revealed biogeochemical trends associated with anthropogenic forcing considered in reports by the National Academy of Sciences. Coupled model-data systems improved seasonal prediction skill employed by stakeholders including the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and California Coastal Commission.

Operational and Collaborative Structure

C-COOS is governed by a consortium model emphasizing shared stewardship among federal entities like NOAA Fisheries and NOAA National Ocean Service, academic partners including University of California, Stanford University, and California State University Monterey Bay, and nonprofit organizations such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Decision-making involves advisory panels with representatives from the Pacific Fishery Management Council, the California Ocean Protection Council, and tribal governments such as the Yurok Tribe where coastal resource impacts are critical. Funding streams combine grants from the National Science Foundation, cooperative agreements with NOAA, state allocations through the California Ocean Protection Council, and contributions from philanthropic sources including the Packard Foundation. Regional coordination aligns with national strategies set by the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System and international frameworks advocated by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.

Category:Oceanography Category:California Current