TM13 | Ocean observation governance in the 21st century: what history tells us about the future

TM13

Ocean observation governance in the 21st century: what history tells us about the future

Convener: Laurent Mortier | Co-convener: Joanna Post, Erik van Doorn

Wed, 04 Jun, 12:45–13:45 (CEST)|Room 7

The long history of the governance of ocean observation sheds light on the challenges facing the international community in strengthening the current governance of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS). GOOS is a complex system of systems, implemented by a wide and diverse range of partners, from the academic to the private sphere, in many disciplines, and coordinated by numerous international, including two United Nations' specialised agencies, national and regional groups. The coordination and governance of ocean observations are therefore polycentric and require creative models to improve the efficiency of a rather fragile system, mainly funded by research initiatives.
Since its birth in the middle of the 19th century, under the impetus of Matthew Fontaine Maury and the scientists of the time, systematic observation of the ocean and atmosphere above it has been motivated by scientific and operational reasons. It was at an international conference in Brussels in 1853 that standards were first adopted, and then governance was gradually put in place. It is to this founding initiative that the history of today's WMO and of the GOOS can undoubtedly be traced, which shows the historical depth that led to the current governance of ocean observation systems.
The aim of this 'town hall' meeting is, by briefly recalling a few particularly instructive examples, to discuss possible and original ways of improving the current governance of GOOS to make it more sustainable. Should GOOS governance move closer to that of the World Meteorological Organization Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS)? Is this possible without a change in the very paradigms of GOOS? Are other models possible? What balance should be struck between the current approach led by the United Nations' specialised agencies and more targeted diplomacy led by motivated national entities, as history has sometimes shown?