Observing Needs in the Deep Ocean

Summary and Expectations

The deep ocean (below 200 m) covers over half of the planet and is increasingly recognized as critical in global heat, carbon sequestration and climate dynamics, a receptacle for contaminants and debris, as well as replete with living and non-living resources for society. Due to high pressure and its remoteness, as well as jurisdictional and governance challenges, observing in the deep ocean entails its own unique requirements. As such the deep ocean transcends the many Ocean Obs 19 themes: climate change, ecosystem health, food and energy, pollution, blue economy, observing technology innovation, data innovation, modeling challenges, and a need for community building and system integration.

Expected Outcomes/Recommendations

• Extend deep-ocean observing capacities to the global scale as part of the UN Decade – addressing all deep-ocean-relevant EOVs and building on existing assets and networks.
• Improve standardization of and access to deep ocean observing data, samples, and derived products.
• Facilitate partnerships, collaboration, integration and capacity building across deep-ocean observing communities, including deep-ocean exploration, seafloor mapping and private sectors, through the Deep Ocean Observing Strategy.