This session aims to bring together scientists working on improving ocean temperature and salinity profile datasets with those who use these data for climate science and services.
The objective is to promote dialogue and closer collaboration among these communities as we work towards the first internationally-coordinated, freely available, ocean subsurface ocean profile database (IQuOD), with support from CLIVAR, SCOR and IODE programmes.
We are fortunate to have an irreplaceable collection of tens of millions of ocean temperature profiles dating back to 1772, however, there is current user demand to maximize its quality, digital availability, spatial coverage and vertical resolution.
Reliable long-term records of subsurface temperature and salinity are essential to understand the state of the climate system (e.g., energy flows, water cycle, sea level); to inform society about the causes and consequences of variability and change; and to evaluate and constrain model predictions supporting decision-making.
We welcome cross-community contributions with a focus on:
• Discovery and curation of ocean physical data profiles and derived products (assembly, quality control methods, instrumental bias corrections, uncertainty estimates, mapping procedures, and reanalyses)
• Scientific analyses (Earth’s energy imbalance, climate sensitivity, steric sea level, climate modes of variability, seasonal-to-decadal prediction, climate model evaluation, climate monitoring, detection and attribution, and process studies)
• User requirements and applications to societal services and decision-making.

Contributions based on biogeochemical tracers and other ocean variables may also be considered.