Background
The "GOOS 1998" Prospectus originated from discussion at the Third Session
of the Joint Scientific and Technical Committee for the Global Ocean
Observing System in April 1996 (J-GOOS III, Decision, para. 8.1). J-GOOS
III concluded that, in view of the many documents and material that existed
in the name of GOOS, originating from both within and without, it was
timely to draft a document that consolidated this information, and pointed
the way ahead.
A Planning Committee was convened intersessionally to oversee the drafting
of the document, and a consultant engaged to undertake the gathering and
consolidation of information and draft the document. An initial outline
was reviewed at J-GOOS IV. J-GOOS IV formally endorsed the activity and
agreed on a timetable for completion of the report, targeting the Year of
the Ocean and the GOOS Agreements Meeting. In summary:
The GSC agreed the document is a valuable contribution to the GOOS
background literature. The document represents a consolidation of existing
material and has a content suited to the task of informing, and detailing
the prospects of GOOS for governments, agencies, commercial companies, etc.
To do this, it is important that the document takes a form which is
accessible and truly informative, rather than representing a reference for
scientific and technical detail. The document covers both existing systems
and planned and developing systems, and the links to other organisations,
for the purposes of providing information and aLerting potential
participants and users to the potential and relevance of GOOS.
The GSC stresses that the document is a summary document, rather than a
definitive prescription for GOOS. It is a document which, for GOOS itself,
consolidates the information contained in the many existing documents, and
for the external community, provides an accessible and reliable account of
the prospects for GOOS and the framework which is being developed to
implement GOOS. The document contributes to the task of convincing
governments and agencies to participate in the implementation of GOOS.
Published by Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission,
Unesco, Paris,
1 rue Miollis,
75732, Paris, Cedex 15,
France
Copyright IOC/Unesco 1998
The GOOS Project Office (GPO) acknowledges with gratitude the work of many people who
have contributed to the production of this report. The members of the Drafting Review
Group were Ichio Asanuma,
Michael Bewers, Otis Brown, Erlich Desa,
Kazu Kitazawa, Eric Lindstrom, Angus McEwan,
Worth Nowlin, Neville Smith and Colin Summerhayes.
The Drafting Review Group was chaired first by
John Woods, and subsequently by Nic Flemming. The Joint Scientific and Technical Committee
of GOOS (J-GOOS) authorised the employment of a consultant, Peter Ryder, to gather
information and documents, and write the main text of the report. The success of this
venture would have been impossible without his dedicated commitment.
The costs of the production of the GOOS 1998 Prospectus, including meetings of the Drafting Review Group, printing and distribution, were met by the generous grants provided by the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of Japan, The European Union, Commission Directorate General XII, and the National Science Foundation of the USA. We are extremely grateful to these organisations for their support.
Secretariat support was provided by Art Alexiou (IOC) and Sophie Boyer-King (ICSU).
Substantial time for drafting, editing, secretarial support and communications was provided by the Southampton Oceanography Centre, UK, and the staff of IOC and ICSU in Paris.
Prospectus designed and produced by Ann Aldred Associates (44) 01428 605866
Antecedents
The 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
The International Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea
The Framework Convention on Climate Change
The Convention on Biodiversity
Agenda 21, the Programme of Action for Sustainable Development
Conservation of Straddling Fish Stocks
The London Convention 1972
The Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities
Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area
The Oslo and Paris Conventions and OSPAR
Other Conventions
Conclusions and implications for the GOOS
The sponsors and related Global Observing Systems
An Integrated Global Observing Strategy
Conclusions and implications for the GOOS
Introduction
The scaling approach
Cost benefit analysis
Conclusions and implications for the GOOS
Introduction
The World Climate Research Programme
TOGA
WOCE
CLIVAR
The International Geophysical-Biosphere Programme
LOICZ
JGOFS
GLOBEC
Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Pollution
The International Council for the Exploration of the Seas
Introduction
Data capture
Data collection
Numerical modelling
Information management and presentation
Conclusions and implications for the GOOS
Satellite programmes
Conclusions and implications for the GOOS
IGOSS/IODE
VOS
GLOSS
IOC Tsunami warning system
The TAO array
PIRATA
DBCP Programmes
Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network
Global Investigations of Pollution in the Marine Environment
Marine Pollution Monitoring System
International Mussel Watch Program
HAB Programme
Continuous Plankton Recorder
The Regional Seas Programmes
Naval Operational Oceanographic Services
Conclusions and implications for the GOOS
Key questions
General considerations
Specific considerations
Climate monitoring, assessment and prediction
Health of the ocean
Living marine resources
The coastal environment
Marine meteorological and oceanographic services
Applicability
Precursor actions
Theme 1 coastal and shelf monitoring and modelling
Theme 2 global open-ocean monitoring and modelling
Provision of structural support and expertise
Concluding remarks
North-west European shelf programme
The key stakeholders of the GOOS
and a brief description of its history
Terms of Reference of panels/workshops
Objectives of relevant research programmes
Data category conventions
Acronyms