US IOOS^®: Program update

Abstract

The United States Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS ^® ) is a user-driven, coordinated network of people, organizations, and technology that generates and disseminates continuous data about our coastal waters, Great Lakes, and oceans. IOOS ^® is our Eyes on our Oceans, Coasts and Great Lakes. IOOS is a tool that will enable the nation to track, predict, manage, and adapt to changes in our marine environment and deliver critical information to decision-makers to improve safety, enhance our economy, and protect our environment. IOOS provides a major shift in the approach to ocean observing by drawing together the vast network of disparate federal and non-federal observing systems to produce a cohesive suite of data, information, and products on a sufficient geographic and temporal scale to support decision-making. As the system matures, IOOS is expected to advance beyond its current science and management applications toward an instrument of policy and governance. Current efforts only scratch the surface of what we need to know about our oceans and coasts in order to fully assess their impact on commerce and transportation, weather and climate, and ecosystems. Two interdependent components constitute the U.S. IOOS: (1) the global ocean component, and (2) the coastal component. The strength of IOOS is in its partnerships. Starting with the federal agencies, the partnerships extend internationally for the global component and to the local level for the coastal component. The coastal component includes the national set of observations for the U.S. Ocean, Coasts and Great Lakes, a network of Regional Associations that are establishing Regional Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (RCOOS) and the Alliance for Coastal Technologies (ACT). ACT is comprised of multiple institutions that provide sensor validation and verification. The U.S. IOOS is our nation's contribution to the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) - the ocean component of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).