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| Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Southern Ocean Observing System |
| Abbreviation | SOOS |
| Formation | 2011 |
| Purpose | Coordinate sustained observations of the Southern Ocean |
| Region served | Southern Ocean |
Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) The Southern Ocean Observing System coordinates and promotes sustained, strategic observations of the Southern Ocean to support research on climate, ecosystems, and oceanography. Founded with international endorsement, it integrates platforms, networks, and data systems to inform policy and scientific communities across Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions. SOOS links multidisciplinary programs, national initiatives, and global frameworks to improve monitoring of physical, chemical, and biological processes around Antarctica.
SOOS was established to provide a coordinated framework for long-term observation of the Southern Ocean, supporting communities associated with Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, World Meteorological Organization, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and regional programs such as Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources and Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (insofar as shared data are relevant). Its mission emphasizes sustained networks of observations tied to the needs of National Science Foundation (United States), European Commission, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Australian Antarctic Division, and national Antarctic programs like British Antarctic Survey, Instituto Antártico Chileno, Instituto Antártico Argentino, and Russian Antarctic Expedition. SOOS aims to facilitate operational and research uses for stakeholders including Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, Global Ocean Observing System, and ocean observing projects such as Argo (oceanography), Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling, and Pangeo (environment).
SOOS emerged from recommendations within reports from Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research and community workshops held after conferences including International Polar Year and meetings of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. Early developmental phases involved coordination with research programs like Southern Ocean Observing System Workshop 2009, collaboration with agencies such as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, European Space Agency, and research institutes including Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, and Institute of Polar Sciences. Formal endorsement followed engagement with the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research and integration into global observing frameworks championed by Global Ocean Observing System and World Climate Research Programme.
SOOS operates through an international governance model with a steering committee, scientific advisory panels, and regional working groups drawing expertise from institutions such as University of Tasmania, University of Otago, University of Cambridge, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, and national Antarctic programs. Its structure aligns with coordination mechanisms used by Global Ocean Observing System and engages advisory bodies linked to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change review processes. Working Groups focus on thematic areas—physical oceanography, biogeochemistry, ecosystems—and regional Task Teams target sectors like the Weddell Sea, Ross Sea, Amundsen Sea, and Antarctic Peninsula.
SOOS integrates a diversity of observing platforms and technologies including autonomous floats from Argo (oceanography), profiling gliders employed by Scripps Institution of Oceanography teams, moorings modeled on arrays used in PIRATA, and remote sensing from satellites operated by European Space Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. It supports targeted campaigns using icebreaker expeditions from RV Polarstern (Alfred Wegener Institute), RSV Nuyina (Australian Antarctic Division), and RRS Sir David Attenborough (Natural Environment Research Council) as well as instrument deployments on platforms of opportunity from Institute of Marine Research (Norway), Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and national navies where relevant. Observations include physical variables, carbon system measurements linked to Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling, and biological sampling interoperable with networks like Global Ocean Biodiversity Initiative.
SOOS emphasizes data sharing consistent with principles advocated by Data Observation Network for Earth, World Data System, and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission’s data policy. It promotes use of standards from Climate and Forecast (CF) metadata conventions, archiving in repositories such as PANGAEA (data publisher) and British Antarctic Survey data centre, and interoperability with portals like EMODnet and Copernicus Programme. SOOS fosters open data to support assessments by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and national reporting to treaties including the Antarctic Treaty System.
Key priorities include quantifying heat and carbon uptake relevant to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projections, understanding ice–ocean interactions affecting glaciers observed in studies of the Amundsen Sea Embayment and West Antarctic Ice Sheet, and resolving ecosystem responses tied to fisheries managed under Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. SOOS data underpin models developed at centers like Met Office Hadley Centre, NOAA Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, and NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, supporting oceanographic research cited in high-profile assessments and informing policy fora such as United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations.
SOOS collaborates with international programs and agencies including Global Ocean Observing System, World Meteorological Organization, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling, and national research organizations like National Science Foundation (United States), Australian Antarctic Division, and British Antarctic Survey. Partnerships extend to universities such as University of Tasmania, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and University of Cape Town and to initiatives like PANGAEA (data publisher), Argo (oceanography), and Integrated Marine Biosphere Research. These collaborations enable coordinated field campaigns, shared logistics, and joint capacity-building efforts.
SOOS faces logistical, technological, and funding challenges similar to those encountered by polar research programs like International Polar Year initiatives and large-scale observatories. Difficulties include harsh conditions in regions like the Weddell Sea, seasonal sea-ice impacts on platforms, and sustaining long-term funding from agencies such as National Science Foundation (United States) and European Commission. Future directions emphasize enhanced autonomous observing systems, integration with satellite missions from European Space Agency and National Aeronautics and Space Administration, expanded biogeochemical and ecosystem indicators, and strengthened links to climate assessments by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and policy mechanisms under the Antarctic Treaty System.