What is OceanObs?
OceanObs is a milestone conference series that brings together the international ocean research, technology, policy, and user communities every ten years. Rather than focusing solely on isolated scientific discoveries, OceanObs is fundamentally programmatic. It serves as the primary global platform to coordinate, design, and improve the sustained global ocean observing systems required by society.
"The core mission of OceanObs is to align ocean observing networks with societal needs, transforming raw data into actionable information for climate resilience, policy decisions, and a sustainable blue economy."
Why It Happens Only Once a Decade
Observing the global ocean requires immense international infrastructure—including satellites, deep-sea mooring networks, autonomous gliders, and research vessels. Because these systems take years to fund, build, and deploy, a decadal cycle allows the scientific and policy communities to evaluate the progress of the past ten years and collectively map out a unified strategy for the next.
The Strategic Pillars
OceanObs structures its decadal strategies around several core themes to ensure data moves seamlessly from observation to real-world application:
Sustaining the Networks
Securing long-term funding, standardization, and collaborative infrastructure for global observing platforms.
Information to Decisions
Translating complex ocean data into clear metrics for coastal protections, weather forecasting, and climate policy.
Data Democratization
Ensuring open-access, cloud-based data systems that empower all nations—including developing and coastal communities—to utilize ocean insights.
The Human Element
Integrating indigenous knowledge frameworks and mentoring early-career scientists to build a resilient, multi-generational workforce.
A History of Impact
Each dynamic iteration of OceanObs has driven major systemic shifts in how humanity monitors the planet:
- OceanObs99 (Saint-Raphaël, France): Successfully established the initial international consensus for a sustained physical ocean observing system, directly accelerating the rollout of global networks like the Argo float program.
- OceanObs09 (Venice, Italy): Expanded the scope beyond physical oceanography to build the framework for tracking biogeochemical changes (like ocean acidification) and biological health.
- OceanObs19 (Honolulu, USA): Shifted the paradigm toward user-focused applications, establishing clear links between ocean data and stakeholders in coastal management, blue finance, and indigenous groups.
- OceanObs29 (In Progress): Currently under active planning to fully bridge ocean science with international climate action and the goals of the UN Decade of Ocean Science.