The International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project (IOCCP) acts as the GOOS Biogeochemistry Panel.

It coordinates a diverse set of activities intended to establish the qualitative and quantitative role of the marine carbon and biogeochemistry system and its numerous connections to carbon’s atmospheric and terrestrial pathways. This underpins projections of future climate, and how habitats for ocean ecosystems will change.

The panel also facilitates the development of globally acceptable strategies, methodologies, practices and standards that harmonize research community and scientific advisory group efforts.

This helps integrate ocean biochemistry observation with the multidisciplinary global ocean observing system.

The Biogeochemistry Panel’s activities produce global and coherent data synthesis products of known quality.

Activities include:

• Establishing societal and scientific requirements for biogeochemistry observations and monitoring.
• Coordinating existing observing networks and technologies to leverage elements for multi-parameter observing across dimensions and disciplines.
• Promoting and, where possible, developing globally acceptable measurement procedures, data-flow standards, data quality control protocols and data and information products.
• Continuous monitoring of observing system design, promoting new technologies and cross-platform and cross-discipline collaboration.

Data synthesis products such as SOCAT and GLODAPv2 have dramatically increased our understanding of phenomena like ocean acidification and enabled us to act.

I’m happy to be part of the development of a sustained ocean observing system diagnosing climate change and ocean health to inform the decisions that impact human wellbeing.”

Masao Ishii, Meteorological Research Institute of the Japan Meteorological Agency, (former) co-chair of Biogeochemistry Panel