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Meeting of the SCAR/SCOR Expert Group on Oceanography and the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) |
This meeting was held on 5-7th July 2008. The meeting talks (see links below) and a timeline for publication of the report are available. A meeting report and actions arrising from the meeting are also available. See also a general presentation on SOOS prepared for the Open Science Conference
Agenda and talks from the meeting
Additional background Documents
The aim of this meeting was to build upon the last Bremen meeting (see previous report) in developing a plan for a (post IPY) Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS).
Session 1: July 5 (afternoon):
14.00-14.30: Eileen Hofmann and Steve Rintoul: Introduction to Expert Group and SOOS meeting. Aims etc.
14.30-15.00: Steve Rintoul and Sabrina Speich: ocean circulation observing system
15.00-15.30 Discussion
Coffee/Tea
16.00-16.30: Julie Hall: phytoplankton/primary production observing system
16.30-17.00 Eileen Hofmann: from GLOBEC to SOOS: ecosystem obs in SOOS
17.00-17.30 Discussion
Session 2: July 6 (Sunday afternoon)
14.00-14.30: Karen Heywood: ocean circulation observing system near the Antarctic margin
14.30-15.00: Tony Worby + Steve Ackley: sea ice observing system
15.00-15.30 Eric Rignot: ice shelf melting and ice-ocean interactions
Coffee/Tea
16.00-16.30 (Additional talk - Steve Ackley: Ross Sea Collision: Fishery Science meets ecosystem science)
16.30-17.00: Graham Hosie: zooplankton/secondary production observing system
17.00-17.30 Mathieu Belbeoch: JCOMMS links to SOOS
17.30-18.00 Discussion
Session 3: July 7 (Monday morning): Recommendations and way forward
09.00-09.30: Richard Bellerby: Sustained observations at the air-sea interface
Summary of previous two days discussions.
Review/modify/approve draft recommendations
Review and discuss list of key gaps
Where to from here?
The idea was to present some specific "strawman" plans for different aspects of the SOOS, with an aim to have the real core of the SOOS plan *Key Recommendations* agreed by the end of the meeting.
Presenters were asked to answer the question "What will SOOS look like?" with regard to each topic (ie to present a strawman plan for each component of the observing system).
Strawman plans should:
- include 3 time horizons: possible now; target in 5-10 years; vision for 2020 and beyond
- be specific (lines on maps; how many floats/seals/ship transects needed)
- include an indication of why the observations are needed, without going into detail on the background
- indicate what other aspects of the observing system their plan depends on (eg changes in ocean stratification are needed to understand response of phytoplankton)
- identify key gaps
- conclude with some draft recommendations.
Presenters are encouraged to seek input from others (including those not attending the meeting). Participants are encouraged to provide suggestions to the presenters (don't wait to be asked).
The following timeline was agreed at the SOOS meeting in St Petersburg:
- July 5-7: St Petersburg meeting. Writing assignments agreed
- August 14: Writing assignments received
- August 22: Complete first draft circulated to co-authors and Expert Group
- September 4: Comments received
- September 14: Complete draft circulated to community for comment?
- November 14: Publish report.
Draft SOOS plan documents (as of May 2008):
Note the below documents are all work in progress. Please send any comments to Mike Sparrow
Other background documents and links:
The report from the previous meeting (SOOS interim report)
The Sustained Arctic Observing Network (SAON)
Strategy for Ocean Carbon in the Southern Ocean Observing System -Hood
et al. (
)
Southern Ocean frontal structure and sea ice formation rates
revealed by elephant seals & Upper ocean variability in west Antarctic Peninsula continental shelf waters as measured using instrumented seals
For further information please contact Mike Sparrow