Today, at the 9th EuroGOOS International Conference, we have launched the EuroGOOS Strategy 2030. The new Strategy and its five objectives will guide our community of members, Regional Operational Oceanographic Systems (ROOS), networks of observing platforms, and working groups.
EuroGOOS is a Regional Alliance of the Global Ocean Observing System, which brings together oceanographic systems around the globe. The EuroGOOS 2030 Strategy underpins the implementation of the Global Ocean Observing System 2030 Strategy and expands the EuroGOOS strategic foci to include the operational monitoring, data provision, and services for ocean health and climate. This Strategy will strengthen the contribution of the EuroGOOS large network of organisations to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030.
Chair George Petihakis said, “Since its foundation in 1994, EuroGOOS has been pivotal in advancing pan-European cooperation in oceanographic research, technology development, capacity building, and data sharing. In our new Strategy we have identified five objectives which will help our community of over 130 organizations to jointly deliver a fit-for-purpose and integrated operational oceanographic system and services to society”.
As the ocean is undergoing dramatic changes, it is imperative to have the relevant information across all scales to better understand and protect the ocean and its ecosystems. Adaptive, integrated, and sustained ocean observing systems are needed to underpin data and information for a range of users and respond to the policy needs. The European Ocean Observing System (EOOS) framework development, together with the implementation of the EuroGOOS 2030 Strategy, will form a powerful effort of the European ocean observing community to step-up the delivery of the ocean knowledge and information.
