EuroGO-SHIP: developing a concept for an ocean observing research infrastructure

Making vertical profiles of water column properties from ships, a process known as hydrography, is one of the oldest ways of observing the ocean, conducted by nearly every coastal state. The presence of scientists on ships, the high levels of power available and the high quantities of water available from modern CTD rosettes allow hydrographic programmes to measure a  great range of parameters, with great precision. As a result hydrographic observations remain the bedrock of the modern ocean observing system, against which many other campaigns are referenced and calibrated, giving us key information on the evolution of key issues such as eutrophication, ocean acidification, ocean carbon storage and hypoxia. Despite (and potentially because of) the longevity of this way of observing the ocean through(?) organized hydrographic observations, represented within GOOS via the GO-SHIP programme, lacks formal presence in the EU Research infrastructure landscape and as a consequence many of the issues that confront European hydrographers including training, best practices and data are not systematically addressed and improved as they are in other RIs. In 2021 we initiated the EuroGO-SHIP project to rectify this with a major focus on addressing these gaps and formulating a concept for how a European component to the international GO-SHIP programme could exist within the EU RI landscape. This presentation will report on this project, highlighting key insights regarding how addressing these gaps can lead to a material improvement in our ability to measure and respond to key societal issues and how the services needed to do this can be sustained in the next generation of RI construction.