| 英文摘要: | A sustainable global ocean observation system requires timely implementation of the framework for ocean observing. The recent Qingdao Global Ocean Summit highlighted the need for a more coherent institutional response to maintain an integrated ocean-observing system. Approximately 93% of the additional heat associated with global warming is stored in the ocean1, and recent discoveries show that an enhanced heat storage in the subsurface ocean over the past decades contributed to the global surface warming hiatus2, 3, 4, 5. This is just one example that highlights the importance of ocean observations in understanding, monitoring and detecting global climate change, and providing the basis to assess the impacts of climate and environmental change on the ocean. Ocean observations, the 'bread and butter' of ocean and climate change science, are predominantly conducted by a limited number of large ocean research institutions. At the international level, the World Climate Research Program (WCRP) provides the framework to coordinate climate and ocean science, the Partnership for Observing the Global Ocean (POGO) and the intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO) offers a venue for discussion and collaboration on ocean observing, and the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) with its Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) produces a framework to identify and globally coordinate observations that are critically needed. However, the level of global commitment to sustained ocean observing is falling short of the requirements. This challenge was highlighted at the recently held Global Ocean Summit, on 25–26 October in Qingdao, initiated by newly elected member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lixin Wu of the Ocean University of China. We call for such a summit to continue. At the summit, leaders from 61 universities and research institutions, from both developing (22 institutions) and developed (39 institutions) nations, presented their needs and capabilities in ocean science and the required underpinning ocean observations. Their work in the development of new technologies and their ocean observation activities in the open ocean (surface and deep) and below sea ice, both on-going and planned, was highlighted at this summit. Importantly, leading world ocean researchers discussed collaboration methods for inter-institutional scientific and logistic coordination. Such coordination is particularly challenging because of the differences in funding cycles between nations. However, a globally coordinated effort will reap enormous benefits — improved international coordination will help to deliver both a great return on investment and strong science outcomes, and facilitate the emergence of technologies and capabilities for observing deep and unknown parts of the ocean. The international Argo program6 provides an example of the success of such coordination. A collaborative partnership of more than 30 nations, the Argo program has built a global array of more than 3,500 free-drifting profiling floats that measure the upper 2,000 metres of the ocean every 10 days. This program, for the first time, allows continuous monitoring of ocean temperature and salinity on a global scale, with all data relayed and made publicly available within hours after collection. The 10 years of data with over 1,000,000 profiles have been used widely, including studies that examine the distribution and changes in heat and water cycles7, 8, 9. Such international collaboration is rare though and there is much a regular global ocean summit could do. Firstly, it can be a forum to promote implementation and coordination of the existing framework of ocean observations10. This framework (Fig. 1) was established as a result of the OceanObs'09 conference (http://www.oceanobs09.net), which took place 21–25 September 2009 in Venice, Italy, and brought together more than 600 participants from 36 countries to focus on defining a collective vision of ocean observations for societal benefits. The framework aims to establish an enhanced global ocean-observing system, and to ultimately integrate new physical, biogeochemical and biological observations while sustaining present observations. Informed by scientific and societal issues, the framework builds on our existing observing units, networks and systems, such as satellites, Argo network, ships of opportunity, and a global array of moorings (OceanSites). It also identifies essential ocean variables, such as ocean temperature, salinity and velocity, as the ocean contribution to the climate-observing requirements. These requirements are expressed in GCOS plans (http://www.ioc-goos.org), the implementation of which has been adopted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (http://unfccc.int/2860.php). Through this United Nations process, buy-ins from nations occur. Data streams, products and new knowledge from independent observing units or networks measuring different essential ocean variables are used to inform climate research and climate-related societal issues — which originally set the requirements — in an important feedback loop that ideally keeps the observing system 'fit for purpose'. However, there is inadequate integration of these observing assets and no timely mechanism for implementing the framework in a manner that addresses fast-emerging scientific and societal drivers requiring a coherent global response, such as understanding the global warming hiatus, sea-level variability, upper ocean heat-content change, or deep ocean warming. The Global Ocean Summit would support global coordination and integration mechanisms.
| http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v5/n1/full/nclimate2482.html
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