4D Biogeochemical-Argo Data Products: New Tools for Informed Ocean Policy

The ocean plays an essential role in regulating Earth’s climate, carbon storage, and nutrient cycles, making it indispensable to both environmental health and human well-being. As anthropogenic pressures on marine systems increase, there is an urgent need for high-resolution, dynamic data to monitor and better understand the biogeochemical processes that drive ocean productivity and climate feedback.

Newly developed, four-dimensional (4D) Biogeochemical-Argo (BGC-Argo) data products (4D-BGC), enabled by high-resolution observations from the international BGC-Argo program, offer exciting opportunities for ocean research and decision-making. These products—which are produced via methods such as objective interpolation and machine learning and are gridded across latitude, longitude, depth, and time—capture essential ocean biogeochemical dynamics such as carbon cycling, oxygen distribution, and ecosystem metrics with unprecedented resolution and accuracy. By enhancing BGC-Argo data accessibility and continuity, they provide a robust foundation for a better understanding and tracking changes in the ocean over time and space.

For policymakers and stakeholders, 4D-BGC products can serve as valuable references on the biogeochemical state of the ocean, which is crucial for evaluating its evolution. Delivered at regular time intervals, these products provide essential, up-to-date data to guide ocean management decisions on high-impact techniques, such as marine carbon dioxide removal, and offer additional constraints on the shifting distributions of commercially important marine species. Additionally, by potentially improving the accuracy of biogeochemical models, these products could play a crucial role in the development of digital ocean twins, enabling scenario-based projections of environmental changes and potential strategies for mitigation.

The 4D-BGC SCOR Working Group #168 aims to facilitate discussion and coordination among diverse scientific communities for the development, validation, and distribution of 4D-BGC products from the BGC-Argo dataset. The group is dedicated to fostering capacity-building initiatives to ensure long-term engagement and expertise in using these data products. By coordinating among developers of high-quality 4D-BGC products and enhancing their accessibility, the working group helps bridge the gap between science and policy, equipping society with the necessary resources for better ocean management.