GEO SB-01Oceans and Society: Blue PlanetAn Integrating Oceans Task of GEO

GEPW-715-16 April 2013Barcelona, Spain

Albert FischerTrevor Platton behalf of theBlue Planet community

There is no Ocean SBA or ‘theme’ in GEO...

but strategic marine targets for GEOSS Implementation (monitoring, analysis and prediction) occurred in various Societal Benefit Areas and cross-cutting Tasks, for example (from Former Work Plan (2009-2011):

• Architecture: Virtual Constellations• Architecture: Global Ocean Observation System GOOS• Capacity Building: Building Capacity for Operational

Oceanography• Water: Global Water Quality Monitoring• Ecosystems: Regional Networks for Ecosystems• Agriculture: Data Utilization in Fisheries and Aquaculture

Calls for integration of marine monitoring

“What is needed now, that GEOSS will help achieve, is to integrate the outputs from these various marine monitoring and observation efforts into a cohesive ‘system of systems’ which will enable researchers, resource managers and policy makers to rapidly assess what is known about a particular marine region…”

- GEO and Science (2010)Report prepared by the European Space Agency in the framework of the GEO Science and Technology Committee in support of the GEO Task ST-09-01 “Catalyzing Research and Development (R&D) Resources for GEOSS”

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Early harvest to prevent high loss –Loss is reduced to PhP50-100M

Feed 90M people

1] Policy encouraging establishment of mariculture but no implementing rules

2] Massive Fish Kill and millions of loss3] Science research, education and capacity building

4] Citizen Monitoring and Disaster Risk Reduction

5] Sustained Response and long-term adaptation

6] NEW Policy

Republic Act 8550 (The Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998) is a legal instrument that encourages and supports the establishment of mariculture facilities in waters of all coastal municipalities .

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2

Php 500M loss

3Community education

On Ocean Remote Sensing

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Frequent community water quality monitoring during heating eventsHouseBill 5202 (Environmental Assessment for Aquaculture Act of 2011) is a legal instrument that requires an Environmental Impact Assessment for the establishment and construction of fish cages and fish pens

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Example: ocean data for food security

• C1: Global ocean information coordination and access

• C2: Monitoring marine and coastal ecosystems

• C3: Global operational ocean forecast network

• C4: Applications to sustainable fishery and aquaculture management

SB-01 Blue Planet task components

• In-situ and satellite physical, chemical, biological observations

• Analysis and modelling networks

• Links to end-users and stakeholders

• Developing individual and institutional capacity

A wide and diverse community

Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission IOC/UNESCO

• Strengthening scientific knowledge of the ocean and human impact on it: research and observations

• Applying that knowledge for societal benefit: developing early warning, services, assessment, and outreach

• Improving capacity and governance: building institutional capacities for sustainable ocean management and governance

IOC/UNESCO Blue Planet contributionsCoordination of ocean observations, services

• GOOS Global Ocean Observing System• JCOMM Joint IOC-WMO Technical Commission for

Oceanography and Marine Meteorology

IOC/UNESCO Blue Planet contributionsCoordination of data management

• IODE IOC Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange: focus on national ocean data centers

• OBIS Ocean Biogeographic Information System

IOC/UNESCO Blue Planet contributionsOcean assessment• Developing indicators to inform sustainable ocean management• EU FP7 project: GEOWOW GEOSS interoperability for Weather,

Ocean and Water• GEF project: TWAP Transboundary Waters Assessment Programme

– assessment of ocean climate, ecosystems, fisheries, pollution, socioeconomic impact, governance

Halpern et al., 2008

Blue Planet leaders

• POGO Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceanconsortium of 50+ major oceanographic laboratories committed to sustained and globally-complete observing system– advocacy for ocean observing system– strong programmes in capacity development, Nippon Foundation

• GOOS – IOC/UNESCO• CEOS Committee on Earth Observation Satellites

– Virtual Constellations for Essential Ocean Variables• GODAE OceanView coordinating development of global

and regional ocean forecast systems– partnership with JCOMM on interoperability, standards and best

practices

Blue Planet community

• Blue Planet Symposium (Ilhabela, Brazil, 19-21 November 2012) resolved to continue developing the Task and establish further synergies between the various Task components; and develop a White Paper to elaborate contributions of various programs and elements of Blue Planet

• ‘Light’ governance of collaboration between work task component leaders

The added value of Blue Planet…

• A platform to demonstrate importance of sustained in situ and satellite observations of marine and freshwater environments, and the value of integrating these with models

• Brings together a wide and diverse community of governmental and academic ocean observers and links them to users

• Includes a dynamic, focused programme in capacity building complemented by a vigorous, global network of former scholars from developing countries

• Raises awareness of sustained ocean observations at national policy level, platform for advocacy with a different audience

• Provides flexible tool for spiral development of systems and infrastructure – voluntary nature of GEO

• Potential for integration of earth observations through common approaches, infrastructure, toolkits – not just data

• Need all types of data and information to generate societal benefit

GEO’s added value for Blue Planet community

What next?• Use and develop network of Blue Planet contributing

organizations and projects – vibrant base that needs additional support

• Development of portfolio of project proposals– Advocating for and investing in these organizations /

communities: developing requirements, observations, data and information management, services

– developing synergies between communities and to other GEO initiatives

– creating information for societal benefit– developing capacity – Can GEO be a champion for one/some of these projects?

• Continue advocacy for sustained ocean observing system, data sharing