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| SOOS | |
|---|---|
| Name | SOOS |
| Formation | 2011 |
| Type | Interdisciplinary research program |
| Headquarters | International |
| Region served | Southern Ocean |
| Parent organization | Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research |
SOOS
SOOS is an international scientific program focused on expanding observations and understanding of the Southern Ocean. Founded to coordinate measurements, synthesize data, and support policy-relevant science, it engages with a wide array of researchers and agencies across Antarctica, Australasia, Europe, South America, and Africa. SOOS integrates long-term observational networks, modelling centers, and national programs to address climate, biogeochemical, and ecological change in the Southern Ocean.
SOOS operates at the interface of polar field campaigns, oceanography, and Earth system assessment, linking initiatives such as International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, World Meteorological Organization, Group on Earth Observations, and Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. It emphasizes targeted observation priorities, data stewardship with repositories like Global Ocean Observing System, coordination with operational services such as Copernicus Programme, and synthesis projects akin to efforts by National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and European Space Agency. SOOS interfaces with regional actors including Australian Antarctic Division, British Antarctic Survey, Instituto Antártico Chileno, Instituto Antártico Argentino, and South African National Antarctic Programme.
SOOS emerged during a period of expanding polar research that included milestones such as the establishment of Antarctic Treaty System mechanisms, the growth of Southern Ocean Observing System concepts in the 2000s, and synthesis efforts by institutions like International Polar Year participants and Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research workshops. Early contributors included researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, British Antarctic Survey, University of Cape Town, and University of Tasmania. Key meetings and planning documents were shaped in forums such as the Committee on Antarctic Research assemblies, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change science panels, and science-policy dialogues involving Convention on Biological Diversity and the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.
SOOS is organized through thematic panels, task teams, and an international steering committee that draws representatives from universities, national programs, and intergovernmental bodies. Membership includes scientists affiliated with institutions such as Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, Alfred Wegener Institute, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Geoscience Australia, and Instituto Antarctico Chileno. Collaborative links extend to modelling groups at UK Met Office, NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and academic departments like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Cambridge, University of Washington, University of California, San Diego, and University of Oxford. Funding and logistical support often involve agencies such as Australian Research Council, National Science Foundation (United States), European Research Council, CONICYT (Chile), and Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (Belgium).
SOOS coordinates projects spanning physical oceanography, biogeochemistry, and marine ecosystems. Active initiatives connect observational platforms—autonomous floats linked to Argo (oceanography), gliders used by Scripps Institution of Oceanography, shipboard surveys organized with RRS James Clark Ross and RV Polarstern, and moorings deployed through partnerships with German Research Centre for Geosciences. SOOS-supported syntheses collaborate with programmes such as Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modelling (SOCCOM), Biogeographic Atlas of the Southern Ocean efforts, and regional ecosystem assessments by Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. Cross-disciplinary projects involve paleoclimate groups at British Antarctic Survey and tracer studies linked to NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory.
Data stewardship under SOOS promotes standards and interoperability consistent with repositories like Global Ocean Data Analysis Project, PANGAEA (data publisher), and the International Council for Science World Data System. Methodological workstreams address autonomous sensor calibration following guidance from groups such as Ocean Observatories Initiative and statistical frameworks developed in collaboration with International Centre for Theoretical Physics. SOOS implements quality control protocols compatible with Integrated Marine Observing System, creates metadata standards influenced by Open Geospatial Consortium conventions, and promotes reproducible analyses using tools adopted by European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and academic consortia at Princeton University and ETH Zurich.
SOOS engages stakeholders through workshops, training schools, and policy briefings involving institutions such as United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, International Maritime Organization, and regional bodies like Pacific Islands Forum. Educational outreach leverages museum and public science partners including Natural History Museum, London, Smithsonian Institution, and Australian National Maritime Museum. Collaborative data sharing and capacity building involve partnerships with Group on Earth Observations and national agencies such as Pôle Mer Bretagne Atlantique and Instituto Oceanográfico (Brazil). SOOS maintains ties with journal publishers and learned societies including Nature Publishing Group, American Geophysical Union, and European Geosciences Union.
SOOS contributions inform climate assessments by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change authors, marine policy deliberations in the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, and risk analyses used by World Bank and national ministries. Outputs have been cited in reports by Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, informed management measures under the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, and supported designation of marine protected areas advised to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Research enabled by SOOS has influenced ocean carbon budget syntheses at International Oceanographic Commission meetings and supported adaptation planning for coastal communities engaged through United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change mechanisms.
Category:Oceanography organizations