Southern Ocean Observing
System Meeting - A Way Forward
A proposal to integrate existing and
future observations in the Southern Ocean has taken a step forward following
a meeting of more than 50 ocean scientists in Hobart, Australia on July 15.
The meeting was hosted by
the Census of Marine Life and POGO, and held in association with the Scientific
Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Conference in Hobart.
Co-Convenor, Dr Tony Haymet,
said there was broad agreement a Southern Ocean component of the Global Ocean
Observing System was needed, and requires coordination.
"With SCAR delegates
already meeting in Hobart we seized an opportunistic moment to just start a
conversation on the "special" challenges of the southern ocean. People
from across a number of disciplines presented their existing work, and flagged
where they felt coordination of activity will benefit their own research and
that of colleagues working in the field.
"The room was humming
with very exciting research and new technologies under development. With integration
of activity, it will be possible to lessen the dominant factor so far deterring
integration - that of the Southern Ocean as an inhospitable and isolated by
significant research domain," Dr Haymet said.
Prof Michael Stoddart, Chief
Scientist at the Australian Antarctic Division and who co-convened with Dr Haymet,
commented that it was heartening to see the level of interest in coordinating
Southern Ocean observations.
"From the viewpoint
of the Census of Marine Life, we strongly support this initiative to integrate
observations. This will encourage a long-term legacy from the multi-disciplinary
studies of Antarctica during the forthcoming International Polar Year,"
he said.
A committee of seven has
volunteered to collate a series of 'white papers' providing an overview of integration
opportunities as input for a proposed follow-up three day workshop.
Dr Haymet said interest
demonstrated both by the level of participation in the July 15 meeting and the
enthusiasm to work together was encouraging for the people who helped put the
workshop together - Michael Stoddart from the Australian Antarctic Division,
Vicki Wadley from the Australian Antarctic Division and Census of Antarctic
Marine Life, Steve Rintoul at CSIRO, Hobart and Mark Hindell at the University
of Tasmania.
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Southern
Ocean Observing System workshop participants break after a long and productive
day of presentations and discussion
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Organisers
of the Southern Ocean Observation System (SOOS) Workshop associated with
the SCAR meeting in Hobart 15 July 2006. From the left: Tony Haymet (Co-Chair
of SOOS and Chair of POGO), Steve Rintoul (SCAR/SCOR Expert Group on Oceanography),
Colin Summerhayes (Executive Director SCAR), Victoria Wadley (Census of
Antarctic Marine Life, representing Co-Chair of SOOS Professor Michael
Stoddart) and Mark Hindell (University of Tasmania) |
At
the edge of the Southern Ocean ... CSIRO's waterfront location in Hobart
was a perfect venue to break for lunch and discuss development of an integrated
observing system
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