Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network

Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network
Name	Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network
Formation	2000s
Type	International scientific network
Region served	Global

Contents

Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network The Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network is an international scientific coordination effort for monitoring ocean chemistry changes associated with increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. It supports observations that inform work by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, World Meteorological Organization, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and regional bodies such as European Commission programs and the Pacific Islands Forum. The network links research institutions, marine laboratories, and observatories to standardize measurements used by policy bodies like the United Nations and conservation organizations including International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Overview and Mission

The network's mission is to improve understanding of ocean acidification processes and impacts on marine ecosystems to serve stakeholders such as Convention on Biological Diversity, Food and Agriculture Organization, Global Environment Facility, and national agencies like NOAA and National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It aims to coordinate observational strategies among entities including Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, and regional centers like Australian Antarctic Division. The initiative supports capacity building in regions represented by African Union, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and Caribbean Community to align with reporting frameworks of Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Origins trace to early synthesis efforts by groups associated with International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research, and the Global Climate Observing System in response to seminal studies by researchers at University of British Columbia, University of Gothenburg, Geological Survey of Canada, and teams led from University of Southampton. Milestones include coordination workshops hosted by World Ocean Circulation Experiment, joint statements from G7 science ministers, and integration into programs such as Global Ocean Observing System and Future Earth. Key participants have included laboratories affiliated with National Oceanography Centre, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, CNRS, and the Max Planck Society.

Observational methods combine shipboard surveys conducted from vessels like those operated by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), autonomous platforms developed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and MBARI, and fixed observatories maintained by institutions such as Mote Marine Laboratory and Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Measurements rely on techniques standardized by laboratories at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Institut Pierre Simon Laplace for parameters including total alkalinity, dissolved inorganic carbon, pH, and partial pressure of carbon dioxide using sensors produced by companies and consortia tied to SensorWeb, Argo program, and Ocean Observatories Initiative. Emerging tools include gliders linked to School of Oceanography, University of Washington projects, moored arrays from Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, and carbonate chemistry methods refined at National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research.

Data policies align with standards from World Data System, Group on Earth Observations, and the European Marine Observation and Data Network to ensure interoperability with repositories such as PANGAEA, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, and institutional archives at British Antarctic Survey. Quality control workflows reference protocols developed by Global Ocean Data Analysis Project and calibration chains involving national metrology institutes including National Physical Laboratory (UK) and Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt. Metadata practices follow guidelines endorsed by International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange and integration frameworks of GEOSS for use in assessments by bodies like IPCC.

The network interconnects regional and thematic programs including the Argo program, Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas, International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System, and initiatives led by Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research and Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association. Partnerships link universities such as University of Cape Town, University of Auckland, Universidad de Chile, and institutions like Smithsonian Institution and The Ocean Cleanup for cross-disciplinary work with Center for International Climate Research and foundations including Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

Observations coordinated through the network have contributed to findings on trends reported by IPCC, regional assessments by European Environment Agency, and ecosystem studies from NOAA Fisheries and PICES. Results highlight declines in surface pH, shifts in carbonate saturation states affecting organisms studied at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, and synergistic impacts with warming documented by Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Applied research informed management actions under Convention on Biological Diversity and fisheries policy dialogues involving North Pacific Fisheries Commission and North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission.

The network supports policy-relevant synthesis for UN Ocean Conference, reporting to UNFCCC and UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, and outreach with NGOs such as Greenpeace and World Wildlife Fund. Capacity-building programs target laboratories and managers in nations working with Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation and International Atomic Energy Agency technical cooperation, emphasizing training modeled after programs at Plymouth Marine Laboratory and Universidad de los Andes. Ongoing collaborations seek to expand monitoring coverage in high-priority regions including the Southern Ocean, Arctic Ocean, and Coral Triangle to inform international policy instruments like Paris Agreement implementation and conservation measures under Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.