Key Recommendations for Improving Ocean Observation

A healthy ocean is fundamental to much of what makes up our lives. It provides us with oxygen and food, provides habitats for countless species, and acts as a buffer against climate change by absorbing large amounts of CO₂ and excess heat. But the ocean is facing serious threats. Pollution, acidification, overfishing, and increasing warming are undermining its ability to stabilise the climate. To preserve the ocean as a climate partner, it is therefore essential to monitor its condition as comprehensively and effectively as possible.

Gaps in Ocean Observation: Technological and Financial Shortfalls

Members of the EU project EuroSea have reviewed ocean observation in Europe. Their two recent reports, “Urgent Gaps and Recommendations to Implement During the UN Ocean Decade” and “Towards a Sustained and Fit-for-Purpose European Ocean Observing and Forecasting System”, identify the main gaps in monitoring marine biodiversity, invasive species, and ocean phenomena such as warming and sea level rise. Many of these gaps are due to technological shortcomings or insufficient funding.

“We urgently need a more sustainable and effective ocean observation system to track changes in the state of the ocean and to mitigate the effects of climate change,” says Dr Toste Tanhua, chemical oceanographer at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and leader of the recently completed EU project EuroSea, on which the reports are based.

He himself is attending the UN Climate Change Conference COP29 in Baku, which starts today, to lend his voice to the issue of ocean observation at the international level. At the Ocean Pavilion, in which GEOMAR is a partner this year, he will speak on a panel on the participation of non-scientific actors, such as sailors, in ocean observation.

In their position papers, the scientists stress the need to improve data collection, use innovative technologies such as environmental DNA (eDNA) and more autonomous devices, and strengthen international cooperation. A key recommendation is to secure long-term funding and establish central coordination bodies to ensure the long-term effectiveness of ocean observation.

“The recommendations we have developed together are aimed at the scientific community as well as policy makers and industry,” says Dr Tanhua. “The challenges are great, but the solutions we propose provide a clear course of action. We need to generate as much information as possible to better understand and protect marine ecosystems. This is a very important building block in efforts to mitigate the climate crisis. Observation alone will not reduce the effects of climate change, but it will enable us to understand and propose appropriate measures. After all, you can only manage what you can measure!”

Recommended Actions to Improve Ocean Observation

For example, the reports recommend the development of comprehensive programmes to monitor marine biodiversity. In particular, the use of innovative technologies such as eDNA could help detect invasive species at an early stage and improve data collection.

The use of autonomous devices (e.g. Argo floats and sensors) should be increased to validate data from satellites and improve observations of the deep ocean. This is particularly important for extremely cold regions that are difficult to access.

In addition, common measures for monitoring eutrophication indicators such as nutrient concentrations and oxygen levels should be developed to better monitor and reduce the negative impact of human activities on the marine environment.

In regions with high nutrient inputs, the use of autonomous sensors should be promoted. These systems will allow continuous monitoring of algal blooms and ocean acidification.

The reports also call for increased cooperation between countries and stakeholders to harmonise monitoring strategies and facilitate data sharing.

Recommendations for Ocean Observation Coordination and Management

Increased cooperation between different countries and stakeholders is recommended to harmonise monitoring strategies and facilitate data exchange. Coordination requires a single entity responsible for the management and strategic planning of ocean observing activities. This structure would promote efficiency and facilitate collaboration across countries and disciplines.

To ensure that ocean observation systems are sustainable and can be continuously updated, a funding strategy for long-term observation programmes should be developed. “Our research funding structures support knowledge generation, but not monitoring,” explains Dr Abed El Rahman Hassoun, lead author of the first position paper. “To close this gap, we need cross-sectoral collaboration and co-funding between different ministries. This is a problem we see not only in Germany, but also in other EU countries”.

About the EuroSea Project

The EU project EuroSea, led by Dr Toste Tanhua at GEOMAR, brought together over 150 experts from 53 partner institutions across 16 countries from 2019 to 2023 to better integrate existing ocean observation systems and improve the delivery of ocean information. The focus was on the entire value chain of ocean observation, from measurements to data users. The European Union funded the project with €12.6 million.

Original Publications:

Hassoun A.E.R., Tanhua T., Lips I., Heslop E., Petihakis G., and Karstensen J. (2024) The European Ocean Observing Community: urgent gaps and recommendations to implement during the UN Ocean Decade. Frontiers in Marine Sciences, 11:1394984.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2024.1394984

Tanhua T., Le Traon P-Y., Köstner N. et al. (2024) Towards a sustained and fit-for-purpose European ocean observing and forecasting system. Frontiers in Marine Science, 11:1394549.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2024.1394549