Description: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development includes a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) with 169 specific targets. As such, it could be a step forward in achieving efficient governance and policies for global sustainable development. However, the current indicator framework with its broad set of individual indicators prevents straightforward assessment of synergies and trade-offs between the various indicators, targets, and goals thus heightening the significance of policy guidance in achieving sustainable development. With our detailed analysis of SDG 14 (Ocean) for European Union coastal states, we demonstrate how the (complementary) inclusion of composite indicators that aggregate the individual indicators by applying a generalized mean can provide important additional information and facilitate the assessment of sustainable development in general and in the SDG context in particular. Embedded in the context of social choice theory, the generalized mean varies the specification of substitution elasticity and thus allows a) for a straightforward distinction between a concept of weak and strong sustainability and b) for straightforward sensitivity analysis. We show that while in general the EU coastal states have a fairly balanced record at the SDG 14 level, certain countries like Slovenia and Portugal with a fairly balanced and a fairly unbalanced showing, respectively, rank very differently in terms of the two concepts of strong sustainability.

Description: Sustainable Ocean Development — A Perspective from Former, Current and Future Kiel Marine Scientists; New York, 28–30 September 2015

Description: Over the past 17 years, the western boundary current system of the Labrador Sea has been closely observed by maintaining the 53°N observatory (moorings and shipboard station data) measuring the top-to-bottom flow field offshore from the Labrador shelf break. Volume transports for the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) components were calculated using different methods, including gap filling procedures for deployment periods with suboptimal instrument coverage. On average the Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) carries 30.2 ± 6.6 Sv of NADW southward, which are almost equally partitioned between Labrador Sea Water (LSW, 14.9 ± 3.9 Sv) and Lower North Atlantic Deep Water (LNADW, 15.3 ± 3.8 Sv). The transport variability ranges from days to decades, with the most prominent multiyear fluctuations at interannual to near decadal time scales (±5 Sv) in the LNADW overflow water mass. These long-term fluctuations appear to be in phase with the NAO-modulated wind fluctuations. The boundary current system off Labrador occurs as a conglomerate of nearly independent components, namely, the shallow Labrador Current, the weakly sheared LSW range, and the deep baroclinic, bottom-intensified current core of the LNADW, all of which are part of the cyclonic Labrador Sea circulation. This structure is relatively stable over time, and the 120 km wide boundary current is constrained seaward by a weak counterflow which reduces the deep water export by 10–15%.

Description: Diese Broschüre gibt einen verständlichen Überblick über den wissenschaftlichen Kenntnisstand zur Golfstromzirkulation. Forscherinnen und Forscher ordnen verwirrende und oft widersprüchliche Informationen ein, die in der Öffentlichkeit diskutiert werden. Die Broschüre bietet Orientierung über plausible Zukunftsszenarien und relevante Forschungsfragen.

Description: Auf 32 Seiten geben die beiden Wissenschaftsverbände einen verständlichen Überblick zum Meeresspiegelanstieg. 14 Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler unterschiedlicher Forschungseinrichtungen ordnen gemeinsam die Informationen ein, die immer wieder in der Öffentlichkeit diskutiert werden, und erklären die wichtigsten Zusammenhänge und zugrundeliegenden Prozesse in klaren Worten. Damit bietet die Broschüre Orientierung in Bezug auf plausible Zukunftsszenarien, und hilft, die Risiken besser einzuschätzen. Zusätzlich erläutern die Forschenden die Situation an den deutschen Küsten, denn Klimawandel und Meeresspiegelanstieg betreffen auch die Nord- und Ostsee.

Description: Die Meeresströmungen im Atlantik spielen für unser Klima eine wichtige Rolle. Klimamodelle zeigen, dass bei weiter steigenden Treibhausgas-Emissionen die Stärke der Strömungen abnimmt und sich ihr Verlauf ändert. Dies hat weitreichende Folgen für die regionale Erwärmung, Niederschläge, Meeresspiegel, Landwirtschaft und Fischerei auch in Deutschland. Deshalb haben die führenden deutschen Meeresforschungsinstitute Langzeitbeobachtungen der Meeresströmungen an Schlüsselstellen im Atlantik installiert. Durch sie kennen wir nun die Strömungsstärken und ihre Schwankungen über Zeiträume von Stunden bis Jahrzehnte und können Klimatrends frühzeitig erkennen. Die Messungen haben auch gezeigt, dass selbst in den aktuellsten Klimamodellen noch immer große Unterschiede zwischen den simulierten und den beobachteten Strömungen bestehen und auch die vorhersagte Abschwächung der Strömungen bis ins Jahr 2100 in den Modellen unterschiedlich ausfällt. Um die Ergebnisse der Klimamodelle auch in Zukunft durch Beobachtungen bewerten zu können, müssen die Langzeitbeobachtungen der Atlantikzirkulation aufrechterhalten werden. Diese Broschüre knüpft an die bereits erschienenen Bände „Zukunft der Golfstromzirkulation“ (2016) und „Zukunft der Meeresspiegel“ (2019) an, in die ebenfalls Resultate aus den Langzeit-Beobachtungssystemen eingeflossen sind.

Description: The ocean plays a vital role in the global climate system and biosphere, providing crucial resources for humanity including water, food, energy and raw materials. There is a compelling need to develop an integrated basin-scale ocean observing system to support of ocean management. We articulate a vision for basin-scale ocean observing - A comprehensive All-Atlantic Ocean Observing Systems that benefits all of us living, working and relying on the ocean. Until now, basin-scale ocean observation has been conducted through loosely-aligned arrangements of national and international efforts. The All-Atlantic Ocean Observing System (AtlantOS) is an ntegrated concept for a forward-looking framework and basin-scale partnership to establish a comprehensive ocean observing system for the Atlantic Ocean as a whole. The system will be sustainable, multi-disciplinary, multi-thematic, efficient, and fit-for-purpose. Platforms, networks, and systems do already exist that operate at various maturity levels. AtlantOS will go beyond the status quo by bringing together the observing communities and countries of the Atlantic basin, providing the opportunity to join and support the system. AtlantOS will build upon the coordinated work of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) and the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), two international bodies that support and coordinate global ocean observing. AtlantOS will complement those efforts and offers a new approach to organizing ocean observing at the basin-scale. The new SystemAtlantOS will focus not only on the physics but also the biology, ecology and biogeochemistry of the ocean and seafloor and will enhance new partnerships among between governments, science, civil society and the private sector.

Description: Detailed knowledge of the shape of the seafloor is crucial to humankind. Bathymetry data is critical for safety of navigation and is used for many other applications. In an era of ongoing environmental degradation worldwide, bathymetry data (and the knowledge derived from it) play a pivotal role in using and managing the world’s oceans in a way that is in accordance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 - conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. However, the vast majority of our oceans is still virtually unmapped, unobserved, and unexplored. Only a small fraction of the seafloor has been systematically mapped by direct measurement. The remaining bathymetry is predicted from satellite altimeter data, providing only an approximate estimation of the shape of the seafloor. Several global and regional initiatives are underway to change this situation. This paper presents a selection of these initiatives as best practice examples for bathymetry data collection, compilation and open data sharing as well as the Nippon Foundation-GEBCO (The General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans) Seabed 2030 Project that complements and leverages these initiatives and promotes international collaboration and partnership. Several non-traditional data collection opportunities are looked at that are currently gaining momentum as well as new and innovative technologies that can increase the efficiency of collecting bathymetric data. Finally, recommendations are given towards a possible way forward into the future of seafloor mapping and towards achieving the goal of a truly global ocean bathymetry.

Description: The Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) and its partners have worked together over the past decade to break down barriers between open-ocean and coastal observing, between scientific disciplines, and between operational and research institutions. Here we discuss some GOOS successes and challenges from the past decade, and present ideas for moving forward, including highlights of the GOOS 2030 Strategy, published in 2019. The OceanObs' 09 meeting in Venice in 2009 resulted in a remarkable consensus on the need for a common set of guidelines for the global ocean observing community. Work following the meeting led to development of the Framework for Ocean Observing (FOO) published in 2012 and adopted by GOOS as a foundational document that same year. The FOO provides guidelines for the setting of requirements, assessing technology readiness, and assessing the usefulness of data and products for users. Here we evaluate successes and challenges in FOO implementation and consider ways to ensure broader use of the FOO principles. The proliferation of ocean observing activities around the world is extremely diverse and not managed, or even overseen by, any one entity. The lack of coherent governance has resulted in duplication and varying degrees of clarity, responsibility, coordination and data sharing. GOOS has had considerable success over the past decade in encouraging voluntary collaboration across much of this broad community, including increased use of the FOO guidelines and partly effective governance, but much remains to be done. Here we outline and discuss several approaches for GOOS to deliver more effective governance to achieve our collective vision of fully meeting society's needs. What would a more effective and well-structured governance arrangement look like? Can the existing system be modified? Do we need to rebuild it from scratch? We consider the case for evolution versus revolution. Community-wide consideration of these governance issues will be timely and important before, during and following the OceanObs' 19 meeting in September 2019.

Description: Our civilization needs a clean, resilient, productive, safe, well-observed, documented and predicted ocean. “The ocean we need for the future we want” was the motto of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission proposal to the United Nations to consider the merit of an Ocean Science Decade. By proclaiming the Decade, the UN General Assembly offered the oceanographic community a unique, once in a life-time, opportunity to change the way we do things, make oceanography fit for purpose of effectively supporting sustainable development, and energize the ocean sciences for future generations. The Decade is the chance to put in place a more complete and sustainable observing system and feed the resulting data into a science-based informed decision-making system allowing increased reliance of our civilization on the ocean, its ecosystem services and, at the same time, preserving ocean health. Strong and proactive engagement of the oceanographic community in the design of the Decade and its observing component and subsequent energetic implementation of the ideas are sought. Participants in OceanObs’19 are invited to consider the additional possibilities and requirements associated with the Decade in their contributions to and brainstorming at the Conference. It is essential to use collective wisdom of OceanObs’19 to help developing an ambitious and also realistic implementation plan for the Decade, with a strong observational component.