The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has affirmed its support to establish a global operational surface ocean CO2 reference network. This one of the priority areas of the G7 FSOI and is a project being developed through the International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project (IOCCP / the GOOS biogeochemistry panel) with G7 FSOI support.
NOAAs commitment to develop this network is highlighted in an official fact sheet about NOAA’s climate science and services work, prepared for the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP26), which kicked off in Glasgow on 31 October 2021:
The network will integrate established and proposed national and regional surface ocean carbon dioxide (CO2) research and monitoring efforts into a global framework, enabling countries to track changes in global ocean uptake of CO2 over time. Through international engagement, NOAA will facilitate the development of the global network and produce high-value products, such as observation-based annual updates of ocean carbon uptake and changes in ocean acidification, that are critical for decision making about ocean-based mitigation options and marine ecosystem health.
The future of Climate Modelling: A Met Office COP26 science pavilion event:
This session set out the needs for climate modelling in the context of the negotiations at COP26, particularly to inform actions that will need to be taken over the next decade. Listen to remarks by the NOAA Administrator, Dr. Rick Spinrad’s about NOAA’s commitment to a surface water CO2 observing system (starts just after 1-hour mark in the video below)
Useful links
- NOAA experts and science on world stage at COP26 UN Climate Summit
- Fact sheet about NOAA’s climate science and services work
- International scientists signal missing ocean data in global climate policy
- G7 FSOI support to global Surface Ocean CO2 Monitoring
- International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project (IOCCP), which acts as the GOOS Biochemistry Panel
- 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26)