GOOS Report Card Released
The new GOOS Ocean Observing System Report Card has just been released! The high-level annual report provides a deep insight on the state, capacity and value of our Global Ocean Observing System. In 2022, it focuses on how an integrated observing network adds value to society across the three GOOS delivery areas of climate, operational services and ocean health. The Report highlights physical, biogeochemical and, for the first time, biological observations, providing a global view of the state o
Our 3rd Module on the OBPS Course is out!
Rebecca Zitoun & Ana Lara-Lopez previously described how the OBPS team is putting together an online course about ocean best practices. The first module ‘What is a best practice’ debuted in Issue 41, the second module ‘Creating a best practice’ was promoted in Issue 43. In the third module ‘How to Submit a Methodology’, Pauline Simpson (OBPS Project Manager) introduces you to the Ocean Best Practices System and the steps needed to submit a document into the OBPS Repository, which is a perma
GOOS BioEco Portal
Last month saw the launch of the BioEco Portal of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS BioEco Portal), an online platform that provides information on the sustained ocean observing programs which deliver information about the health of marine life. Read more about the platform here.
Call for new OBPS Steering Group Members
The Ocean Best Practices System (OBPS) is looking for three new and enthusiastic members to join its Steering Group. The steering group guides the OBPS strategy and implementation of its global IOC project. Nominations from all countries are welcome, either self-nomination or recommendation of others, for a three-year term. The Steering Group has one in-person meeting annually and virtual monthly meetings. There is also an annual workshop. The term will start on the 1st January 2023. Steering Gr
Our New Ambassadors are here!
In July 2022, the OBPS launched its Ambassador Programme under its Ocean Practices for the Decade Programme. The Ocean Practices early career Ambassador Programme is a multi-year programme to increase awareness and identify issues and priorities in adapting, implementing, and developing best practices in the ocean science observing community at large. Our five new OBPS Ambassadors, from Canada, India, Italy, Lebanon, and Namibia, play an important role in advocating and promoting the role and re
Open Call for applications for Ocean Practices ECOP Ambassador Programme:
The Ocean Practices programme is seeking Early Career Ocean Professional (ECOP) ambassadors who are passionate and enthusiastic about global interoperability, regional capabilities and ocean best practices, and are willing to play an important role in advocating for best practices, promoting the communication for the needs of best practices, their development and implementation. Specifically, Ocean Practices is looking for at least one ECOP representative for each global region (i.e., French Afr
Best Practices in Developing Regions (Part I)
At their March meeting, the OBPS Steering Group was treated to a trio of presentations by leaders in best practices in developing regions: Tommy Bornman (South African Environmental Observation Network) spoke about OBPS in Africa and how best practices are created by the community for the community. He used a series of maps showing the locations of various ocean observing infrastructure and coastal activities which at first glance seems to show relatively limited capabilities around Africa, but
OceanGliders Best Practices are online!
The OceanGliders community achieved significant accomplishments related to developing best practices as a joint effort of EuroSea, the EuroGOOS Glider Task Team and H2020 GROOM II. Since the first global OceanGliders best practice workshop in May 2021, the glider community drafted various documents, i.e. Standard Operating Procedures SOPs for Salinity, Oxygen, Nitrate and Depth Average Currents. Key challenges related to best practice documents are making them easily updatable and having a flex
Announcing the 6th OBPS Workshop
The Ocean Practices: OBPS Workshop VI will take place VIRTUALLY with Plenaries on 5, 6, and 19 October 2022 (each three hours long). Working Group sessions will meet in between, at times of their own choosing. The Workshop will cover a broad range of topics proposed/selected by proposed session leads and the workshop coordinators. For the Plenaries, there are two general themes: 1) Guiding technology evolution and use 2) Capacity development/sharing, with an emphasis on developing countries. W
New OBPS member: Rebecca Zitoun
The OBPS welcomes a new member of its Steering Group. Rebecca Zitoun is co-chair of the Capacity Development working group joining Ana Lara-Lopez in guiding our growing capacity development activities. Rebecca currently works as a Postdoctoral Researcher at GEOMAR in the field of Trace Metal Biogeochemistry, Toxicology, and Environmental Chemistry. She investigates the principles and processes underlying trace metal speciation in marine ecosystems in an effort to advance current understanding of
Coastal Observing in Under-Resourced Countries
By Sian Seymour, Jethan d’Hotman, Lucie Cocquempot A fundamental issue faced by many countries and institutes is the access to equipment and expertise to properly observe and monitor the coastal ocean. These issues are compounded by the lack of standard operating procedures or best practices in conjunction with a common misconception that high-end equipment and facilities are needed. In an attempt to tackle these issues, an OBPS task team has been set up (TT22-01). Over the next 18 months, thi
Stakeholder Community Forum – Join the conversation!
OBPS is a service organization, supporting ocean research and applications activities that are so important for understanding effective sustainability of our ocean ecosystems. Since our start, we have held workshops and engaged in outreach to listen to your needs. With the use of best practices expanding, our Steering Group looked for a way to maintain an active community engagement and recently approved a Stakeholder Community Forum (SCF). The SCF is open to anyone who is interested in contribu
First Module of Ocean Best Practices Course is Out!
The OBPS team is putting together an online course about ocean best practices and the Ocean Best Practices System (OBPS) Repository. The course will introduce the concept of best practices and the OBPS. You will learn why it is important to document your methods and what are the necessary steps to elevate methods to a best practice. You will have an overview about the importance and relevance of using and sharing ocean best practices and standards in an open and FAIR way. You will also understan
7th International Marine Debris Conference (7IMDC)
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea (MOF), in collaboration with the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation (KOEM), the Global Partnership on Marine Litter (GPML), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), are very pleased to announce that the 7th International Marine Debris Conference (7IMDC), the world’s largest and longest-running conference series dedicated to the issue of marine debr
The US Ocean Decade Program
By Jay Pearlman The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) has established the U.S. National Committee for the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (U.S. National Committee) to inspire U.S. contributions to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), and, to serve as the organizational center for coordination of U.S. scientific initiatives. The U.S. National Committee provides a communications and information focal point fo
The new EuroGOOS Biological Observations working group will work on best practices
By Ana Lara-Lopez EuroGOOS main focus has been operational oceanography, mostly in the physical domain. The newly formed Biological Observations Working Group (BIOWG) in EuroGOOS is the first of its kind for the organisation and constitutes a first step into implementing its 2030 Strategy. This new WG is chaired by Nicolas Pade from EMBRC and Markus Lindh from SMHI, holding its first meeting in September this year. The working group will be working on SOP and data standards for observations of l
OBPS at the 2nd EuroSea Anniversary Webinar
By Jay Pearlman EuroSea is a large European Union project helping stakeholders to co-design European ocean observing and forecasting services and products that deliver information and support decision-making in the areas of climate, coastal and maritime activities, and ocean health. On 25th November 2021, OBPS joined the 2nd EuroSea Anniversary Webinar. The event brought together the EuroSea stakeholders and users to take stock of the anticipated impacts of the EuroSea work and its contributions
Addressing underwater noise in Europe
By Rebecca Zitoun The new Future Science Brief (N°7) of the European Marine Board outlines the current state of our knowledge and future priorities of underwater noise. The report discusses the existing policy, research, and environmental impacts of continuous underwater noise in Europe.
The European Commission and UNESCO launched a flagship guide on Maritime Spatial Planning
By Rebecca Zitoun Building on decades of global leadership in setting up Maritime/Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) guidelines, UNESCO and the European Commission launched a new MSP flagship guide. The guide will help planners shape their maritime space in a way that contributes to the sustainable governance of our seas and ocean.
OceanSITES Data Format Reference Manual endorsed
By Juliet Hermes The OceanSites Data Format Reference manual has been endorsed by the GOOS Observation Coordination Group – OceanSITES panel of Experts as a globally accepted best practice for the format of the files that are used to distribute OceanSITES data, and to document the standards used therein.
OBPS for Macroalgae Carbon Sequestration by Rebecca Zitoun
Ocean Visions is pleased to release the first in a series of five “living” digital road maps designed to identify specific pathways forward to accelerate the development and testing of ocean-based carbon dioxide removal approaches. The Macroalgae Cultivation and Carbon Sequestration Road Map is now live and available to potential users here. The cultivation of macroalgae has the potential to play a critical role in sequestering carbon, but a supportive framework is lacking for pilot projects. Th
Ocean Practices for the Decade
We are pleased to announce that our programme Ocean Practices for the Decade is one of 60 new programmes and contributions endorsed under the UN Ocean Decade for transformative Decade Actions. The Ocean Practices for the Decade Programme (“OceanPractices’’) will support all ocean stakeholders in securing, equitably sharing, and collectively advancing this methodological heritage. By engaging diverse communities of practice and interlinking them through FAIR digital technologies, OceanPractices
Various Opportunities at the OBPS
The OBPS is seeking a volunteer for creating and contributing an article on Wikipedia for the Ocean Best Practice System. Please send an email to newsletter[at]oceanbestpractices.org to communicate your interest in volunteering for the OBPS. On the other hand, the OBPS Task Team for the Value Chain Analysis and KPI development is seeking someone with a background in economics to work with the team on developing both OBPS value chain analysis and system key performance indicators. Please contact
EMODnet Jamboree Special Session: Ocean Best Practices – Improving data access and interoperability
This special session was hosted by the EMODnet Secretariat on the 16th June 2021 in the framework of the EMODnet Jamboree and was co-organised by the EMODnet partnership, the IOC Ocean Best Practices System (OBPS) team, and other key external initiatives. The Chairs were Jan-Bart Calewaert (EMODnet) Secretariat and Frank Muller-Karger (OBPS). The session included short presentations by OBPS and EMODnet to provide a high level framework with key developments, status and opportunities to set the s
Ocean Innovation Prize Application Now Open
As part of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (‘the Ocean Decade’), the Blue Climate Initiative is thrilled to announce the launch of a global US$1 Million Ocean Innovation Prize to inspire, fund and support innovations that mitigate climate change through ocean-related strategies. Applications are encouraged as soon as possible. The competition deadline is September 15, 2021 at 23:59 PST. Visit here for more information and to apply.
5th OBPS Community Workshop: An Ocean of Values
We’re pleased to announce that the Fifth Annual OBPS Community Workshop, “An Ocean of Values” will be held from the 20th to the 24th of September! Early Information and pre-registration are available here. We invite all members of the ocean community – including educators, scientists, citizens, artists, conservationists, cultural ambassadors, policy makers, and ocean explorers – to co-develop this workshop by proposing sessions, tracks, or other contributions that we can facilitate. As an ov
World Ocean Assessment II Launched
The Second World Ocean Assessment (WOA II) was released on 21 April and is the newest outcome of the only integrated assessment of the world’s ocean at the global level covering environmental, economic and social aspects. WOA II is a collective effort of interdisciplinary writing teams made up of more than 300 experts from around the world. It provides scientific information on the state of the marine environment in a comprehensive and integrated manner to support decisions and actions for the
New Paper: Interoperability, Ocean Best Practices and the Ocean Decade
The UN Ocean Decade challenges marine science to better inform and stimulate social and economic development while conserving marine ecosystems. To achieve these objectives, we must make our diverse methodologies and best practices more comparable and interoperable, expanding global participation and foster capacity development in ocean science through a new and coherent approach to best practice development. In the Call for Actions Guidance Note, the IOC encourages Ocean Decade programs “to add
Proceedings of the OBP Workshop now Published
The Evolving and Sustaining Best Practices Workshop IV was held in September 2021 (read our special newsletter issue on this here). The proceedings have just been published, and we invite you to read them. Volume 1 is a summary of the workshop outcomes and Volume 2 offers more details of each Working Group’s discussions and recommendations.
IOC Manuals and Guide 84 (BP4BP) is now available!
The IOC Manuals and Guides 84 : Towards a Best Practice for Developing Best Practices in Ocean Observation (BP4BP): Supporting Methodological Evolution through Actionable Documentation, is now available online. This guide can help authors of ocean methods, guides, manuals, and other documents to support the evolution of their documents into community-wide best practices. This well-documented manual is more FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reproducible) in order to promote the interact
Best Practices for Best Practices (BP4BP)
Author: Cora Hӧrstmann We are excited to share our article “Perspectives on Documenting Methods to Create Ocean Best Practices” focusing on the challenges and opportunities of ocean observation method documentation that we just published in Frontiers in Marine Science under the research theme Best Practices in Ocean Observing. We contextualize our guide for documenting best practices (Towards BP4BP) and reflect on how the effective documentation of ocean methods, standards, and guides can help t
Ocean Best Practices: A Foundational Element for the Ocean Decade
Author: Jay Pearlman The OBPS-Steering Group and many partners in the ocean community submitted a proposal to the IOC called “Ocean Practices for the Decade”. A brief summary of the proposal outlines the urgency and approach to interoperability and partnering for the Ocean Decade. Humanity’s connection to the ocean is based on how we act and react to its multifaceted wonder. Our “ocean practices” are an essential bridge between humanity’s cultural and natural heritage. The Ocean Practices for th