Dr Somkiat Khokiattiwong, ChairpersonIOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC)Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, UNESCO

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22-24 September 2015Aquila Atlantis Hotel, Heraklion, Crete,

Greece

Lefttoright:GlennNolan,MikaOdido,ZdenkaWillis,Atanas Palazov,PabloTabarez,Pimwhalan Chueapudee,Maciej Telszewski,GeorgePetihakis,LauraGriesbauer,SomkiatKhokiattiwong,JohnGunn,DouglasWilson,TommyMoore,TomGross,Andreas Schiller,TimMoltmann,AndreaMcCurdy,PatrickGorringe,AlbertFischer,LindaGlover,ErikBuch,JuanMorenoRincon.

ParticipantofGOOSRegionalAlliancesForum:v BlackSeaGOOSv EuroGOOSv GOOSforAfricav GRASPv IMOS(AustralianIntegratedMarine

ObservingSystem)v IndianOceanGOOSv IOCARIBE-GOOSv MediterraneanOceanNetworkGOOSv OCEATLANv PI-GOOSv SoutheastAsianGOOS(SEA-GOOS)v USAIOOS

The Goals of the Forum:

Ø To build partnerships and collaboration between regional representative of GOOS, IOC, and WMO

Ø To assess GRA and GRC modelling inventory, to provide tools to understand one another and help build partnerships to execute GOOS goal

Ø To explore cooperative activities between GRAs and the ways to involve with the global goals of GOOS improves regional observation system of the GRA

Preliminary Results from Review of the GRA Survey:(Led by John Gunn (Co-chair))

TheDraftReport’sactionswerereviewedbytheGOOSSCandGRCpriortotheForumwhichdiscussedtheseproposedactionsatlength:

Action 1: Foster a more robust sense of community among the GRAs and improve communications (internal linkages to national and institutional partners are difficult to maintain and higher priority than external links; GOOS project office is developing a new website which may useful as a group tool; etc.)

Action 2: Improve external understanding of GRA programs and progress(RecognizingthattheGOOSandGRAlabelsarenotknownorvaluedatthelocallevel,theGRAsrequestedhelpinexplainingtheGOOSmechanismtonationalprogrammesponsors.Shareding resourcesforpresentationstobeusedbymembersofGRAswhensellingtheirprogrammes)

Action 3: Establish a mechanism to establish, maintain and operate virtual and/or mobile GRA Assist Teams(recognize the successful GRA projects are best targeted to products requested by countries. The communicationofsuccessfulproductsandservicesbetweenGRAswerediscussed)

Preliminary Results from Review of the GRA Survey:(Led by John Gunn (Co-chair))

TheDraftReport’sactionswerereviewedbytheGOOSSCandGRCpriortotheForumwhichdiscussedtheseproposedactionsatlength:

Action 4: Foster ongoing links between GRAs and the GOOS Panels(the GRAs need to be represented on all GOOS Panels)

Action 5: Include related ocean observing programs in the GOOS Regional Alliance (GRA) family(explore the possibility of additional GRAs: Sustained Arctic Observing Network (SAON), Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) and; Sargasso Sea Alliance (SSA); encouraged the continuation of the process to develop an Arctic GOOS)

Progress since last GRA forum- Modeling Inventoryü TheModeling Inventorywasperformthroughthequestionnairesandwere

completedbymostGRAü Theinventorypurposefullyrestrictedattentiontotheoperationalandpre-

operationaloceanmodelssustainedbynationalagencies,attemptingtoexcluderesearchmodel

ü Variety,butalsothesimilarofmodellingprogrammesindicatesthatastandardizedvocabularyisnecessary

ü GOOSisveryconcernwithObservation,itwillbecrucialthatfutureinventoriestolist inputobservations.Itwillletthedataprovidertoknowhowtheirdataisbeingusedandtheaddedvalueofopendatatomodellingservicesneedtobedistributedtoencouragefurtheropendataexchange

ü Forumagreetomaintainingandimprovingthemodelinputinformationwillbeapriority

ü SomeGRAstill lackofcapabilityontheoceanmodelling,thesharingofmodellingcapacities(Capacitydevelopment)betweenGRAswasconsiderduringtheforumwhichthiswillbeoneoftheopportunitytoincreasethecommunicationandcooperationbetweenGRA

ü TheInventoryshouldbecontinuedwithimprovementsforadditionalinformation

GOOS and JCOMM Update:(Led by John Gunn (Co-chair) and Albert Fisher (Director GOOS Project Office)

GOOS:ü The GOOS was recognized to support the societal benefits through the

Framework of Ocean Observation (FOO, 2012)

ü The GOOS Panels, OOPC (Ocean Observation Panel for Climate), IOCCP (International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project) and the new Bio/ecology panel are broadening the scope of GOOS, and are most successful where existing networks can be utilized by GRAs. But its application to regional GRAs has not advanced and GRAs are not directly linked into the platform networks

ü GOOS project office’s work plan has taken clearer definition under FOO and moving forward based on a strong outreach and advocacy communications strategy. It could be made available to the GRAs. But need to find more ways to make them more relevant to GRAs

ü The data management needs within GOOS is not clearly delineate. The GRAs could play a greater role in GOOS by demonstrating products and services.

GOOS and JCOMM Update:(Led by John Gunn (Co-chair) and Albert Fisher (Director GOOS Project Office)

JCOMM:ü The observation systems of the WMO, including the GTS, WIS and

GFCS, which are supported by the JCOMM.

ü The JCOMM has recently launched the Task Team for Integrated Marine Meteorological and Oceanographic Services within WIS (TT-MOWIS), which is bringing forward the issues of data integration and interoperability within the context of WMO Information System (WIS).

ü The delegation from JCOMM recommended that GRAs cloud become more integrated with JCOMM, through the TT-MOWIS, JCOMM-MAN and coordinate with WMO structures such as the WMO Regional Associations. However some members of the Forum were hesitant to embrace the perceived excess bureaucratic structure of the WMO.

How can the GOOS GRAs coordinate with GOOS Panels – working session

ü There are introduce two panels to the forum namely GOOS Biogeochemistry Panel (IOCCP) and Biology/Ecology panel, which are building their lists of Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs). TheIOCCPhaswelldevelopedprogrammeswithinGOOSnetworks(GOSHIPandOceanSITES)andawell-developeddatasystem,GlobalOceanAcidificationObservingNetwork(GOA-ON)whichweremobilizedtodefinethegloballyrelevantissueswhichBGCEOVswouldaddress.ButmuchmoreworkisstillneededbeforetheEOVscanbeusedinobservationnetworkplanning.

How can the GOOS GRAs coordinate with GOOS Panels – working session

ü There are introduce two panels to the forum namely GOOS Biogeochemistry Panel (IOCCP) and Biology/Ecology panel, which are building their lists of Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs). The IOCCP has well developed programmes within GOOS networks (GOSHIP and OceanSITES) and a well-developed data system, Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network (GOA-ON) which were mobilized to define the globally relevant issues which BGC EOVs would address. But much more work is still needed before the EOVs can be used in observation network planning.

ü The GRAs enthusiastically embraced the concept of the EOVs and noted that relevant GOOS publications are needed for GRA programme planning.

ü The GRA emphasis on societal useful products on the regional scale must be considered by the GOOS Panels in crafting useful EOV lists. A two way communication is needed, so GRAs should be represented on the GOOS Panels.

GOOS GRA success stories:

ü The Seventh GRA Forum shared a session with the Fourth Meeting of The Global High Frequency Radar Network

ü Dr. Hugh Roarty, Rutgers Univ and MARAGOOS, provided an overview of the HFR technology and its growth into a global observation network under the Group on Earth Observations (GEO)

ü The success stories of aiding search and rescue, and oil spill response have been used effectively to garner support for further development of the system, which now includes 349 systems worldwide in 38 countries

ü Engagement with the HF Radar group (intersessional working group): § Evaluate submitting HF Radar as a GOOS Element. Develop a

template for submission, if necessary.§ Engage HFR group and Physics Panel to develop the EOV for

Surface Currents.

Special Topic Presentation: Global HF Radar:

SEAGOOS introducethreeongoingprojects:OceanForecastingSystem(OFS);MonsoonOnsetMonitoringandItsSocialandEcosystemImpacts(MOMSEI),OceanAcidificationanditsImpactontheCoralEacosystem.

Introduction to GOOS project/partnering/pairingof GRAs - Discussion

ü There are some difficulty of GRAs to follow the project development under GOOSStrategicPlanwhichGOOSprinciplesbroadlyspecifywhataprojectshouldhave

ü TherearerecommendationtheneedthatitshouldhavebetterguidelineswhichleadtoapprovalbytheGOOSSC

ü TherearenewelementsbeingaddedtotheGRAobservingsystems,whichdonotseemtoberecognizedbyGOOS.ThesealsorequireguidelinesforGOOSrecognition

ü Overview,thedifferentgovernanceandfundingmodelsoftheGRAs,inanattempttoidentifystructuraladvantagesorimpedimentstobuildingcooperativeprogrammes.

(Lead by Tim Moltmann, Director IMOS)

Introduction to GOOS project/partnering/pairingof GRAs - Discussion

ü Model Inventory: The project should be continued with improvements foradditional information. The GOOS Regional Council and Forumwill pursue this

ü Cooperation between MONGOOS, EuroGOOS and GOOS for Africa on theNorthAfrican coast:

ü Guidelines for GOOS projects: The GRAs request a way to gainintergovernmental approval of programmes

ü Tests for Satellite Products: To supporting satellite products by in-situobservations could easily be a shared GRA project

ü Ocean Forecasting andOil Spill Forecasting:§ GOOS and the GRAs are more about observing systems than end-to-

end products, such as oil spill responsemodelling§ It should be more important for GOOS and the GRAs to identify gaps

in the observing networkswhich serve these modeling systems

(Lead by Erik Buch, Chair of Euro-GOOS)

GRC Leadership Transition and Meeting:

Dr Tim Moltmann, Chair of IMOS, will begin the first of two possible terms(two years each) as of Jan. 1, 2016. Dr Eric Buch, Chair of Euro-GOOS,agreed to act as vice-chair.