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| Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling (SOCCOM) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling |
| Abbreviation | SOCCOM |
| Formation | 2014 |
| Type | Research program |
| Headquarters | Princeton |
| Region served | Southern Ocean |
| Parent organization | National Science Foundation |
Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling (SOCCOM) is a multinational research initiative focused on autonomous observations and numerical simulation of the Southern Ocean to improve understanding of carbon cycling and climate dynamics. The project integrates robotic platforms, observational networks, and coupled models to constrain biogeochemical fluxes and test hypotheses relevant to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, National Science Foundation, and regional research programs in the Southern Ocean. SOCCOM outputs inform international assessments such as the World Climate Research Programme and influence observational strategies used by institutions including Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Princeton University.
SOCCOM deploys biogeochemical profiling floats and collaborates with research vessels, satellite missions, and modeling centers to observe physical and chemical properties across the Southern Ocean, including the Weddell Sea, Ross Sea, and zones influenced by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. The program targets quantities relevant to the carbon cycle, such as dissolved inorganic carbon and pCO2, and links to numerical frameworks developed at facilities like NOAA, NCAR, and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. By combining in situ data with assimilation efforts, SOCCOM supports studies tied to Coupled Model Intercomparison Project experiments and informs stakeholders including the Global Ocean Observing System.
SOCCOM emerged from proposals submitted to the National Science Foundation and from meetings hosted by organizations such as the International CLIVAR Project Office and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research. Early pilot projects drew on legacy programs like the Argo Programme and on instrumentation advances pioneered at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory. Major milestones include initial deployments coordinated with the United States Antarctic Program and cross-institutional workshops involving researchers from University of Washington, University of Tasmania, and University of Oxford.
The observational backbone consists of autonomous biogeochemical profiling floats adapted from the Argo Programme design and fitted with sensors developed in collaboration with laboratories at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and National Oceanography Centre. Floats measure temperature, salinity, oxygen, nitrate, pH, and fluorescence, and are complemented by shipboard time series collected on cruises operated by RV Nathaniel B. Palmer and RV Polarstern. Satellite datasets from missions such as Sentinel-3, Jason-3, and ICESat-2 provide surface context, while deployment logistics often coordinate with platforms from the British Antarctic Survey and Australian Antarctic Division.
SOCCOM’s objectives align with priorities set by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments: quantify Southern Ocean uptake of heat and carbon, characterize seasonal to decadal variability, and identify processes controlling biogeochemical cycles. Key findings include revised estimates of wintertime outgassing in regions of the Antarctic Polar Front, improved constraints on carbon uptake that influence global carbon budgets reported to the Global Carbon Project, and evidence for biogeochemical hotspots linked to mesoscale features identified in studies involving NASA and European Space Agency. SOCCOM results challenge prior assumptions in analyses by groups such as IPCC Working Group I and underpin new parameterizations used by modeling centers like NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory.
SOCCOM integrates observational datasets with ocean and Earth system models maintained at institutions including Princeton University, NCAR, and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory. Data assimilation techniques draw on frameworks employed by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and the Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment, enabling retrospective analyses and near-real-time products. Model intercomparisons link SOCCOM outputs to the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project and to forecast systems used at NOAA, with applications that include improved representation of Southern Ocean ventilation in climate projections submitted to IPCC reports.
The program is a consortium of universities, national laboratories, and international agencies including the National Science Foundation, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Princeton University, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, British Antarctic Survey, and the Australian Antarctic Division. SOCCOM coordinates with global observing initiatives such as the Argo Programme, the Global Ocean Observing System, and the Global Carbon Project, and partners with satellite operators like NASA and the European Space Agency for synergistic products. Cross-disciplinary workshops have involved participants from University of Washington, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, and University of Tasmania.
SOCCOM’s observational and modeling advances have informed national and international assessments produced by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and influenced guidance used by agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Science Foundation. By reducing uncertainties in Southern Ocean carbon uptake, SOCCOM impacts global carbon budget syntheses by the Global Carbon Project and supports policymakers involved with frameworks like the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The program’s data products and methodological developments continue to feed into operational forecasting at centers including NOAA and into academic research across institutions such as Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Princeton University.