ALBERT

Description: This report provides recommendations to foster collaboration and cooperation between technologies and disciplines and for implementing truly integrated ocean observing systems. Based on an intensive literature review and a careful examination of different examples of integration in different fields, this work identifies the issues and barriers that must be addressed, and proposes a vision for a real implementation of this ocean integration ambition. This work is a contribution to the implementation of EOOS, a much-needed step forward in Europe, following the international guidance of GOOS.

Description: While originally developed for weather forecasting, the Extreme Forecast index (EFI) concept has found utility in diverse fields. This study marks the inaugural application of EFI principles to numerical ocean forecasting. EFI offers a metric to gauge the forecast's deviation from historical norms specific to the location and time of year. A heightened EFI value signifies that the forecast falls beyond the usual range of variability, signifying a higher probability of extreme conditions. This novel use of EFI stands to benefit oceanographers by identifying significant oceanic events, aiding decision-making, and supporting early warning systems, particularly for extreme marine conditions. It enhances comprehension of forecast uncertainties and facilitates clearer communication of potential risks to the public and stakeholders. Such insights are invaluable for preparedness, coastal management, and mitigating the impact of marine extremes on communities and ecosystems. EFI indices for the Mediterranean Sea are computed using a first implementation of a forecast ensemble system that is being developed for the Mediterranean Sea Monitoring and Forecasting Center of the Copernicus Marine Environment Service. This deliverable report presents the first-ever application of the EFI approach to the Mediterranean Sea. After presenting the EFI definition adopted in this study, we discuss its application to sea surface temperature (SST) and sea surface height (SSH) extremes. A case studies using ensemble forecasts for the year 2021 are presented and discussed.

Description: Understanding and sustainably managing complex environments such as marine ecosystems benefits from an integrated approach to ensure that information about all relevant components and their interactions at multiple and nested spatiotemporal scales are considered. This information is based on a wide range of ocean observations using different systems and approaches. An integrated approach thus requires effective collaboration between areas of expertise in order to improve coordination at each step of the ocean observing value chain, from the design and deployment of multi-platform observations to their analysis and the delivery of products, sometimes through data assimilation in numerical models. Despite significant advances over the last two decades in more cooperation across the ocean observing activities, this integrated approach has not yet been fully realized. The ocean observing system still suffers from organizational silos due to independent and often disconnected initiatives, the strong and sometimes destructive competition across disciplines and among scientists, and the absence of a well-established overall governance framework. Here, we address the need for enhanced organizational integration among all the actors of ocean observing, focusing on the occidental systems. We advocate for a major evolution in the way we collaborate, calling for transformative scientific, cultural, behavioral, and management changes. This is timely because we now have the scientific and technical capabilities as well as urgent societal and political drivers. The ambition of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030) and the various efforts to grow a sustainable ocean economy and effective ocean protection efforts all require a more integrated approach to ocean observing. After analyzing the barriers that currently prevent this full integration within the occidental systems, we suggest nine approaches for breaking down the silos and promoting better coordination and sharing. These recommendations are related to the organizational framework, the ocean science culture, the system of recognition and rewards, the data management system, the ocean governance structure, and the ocean observing drivers and funding. These reflections are intended to provide food for thought for further dialogue between all parties involved and trigger concrete actions to foster a real transformational change in ocean observing

Description: The Mediterranean Forecasting System produces operational analyses and reanalyses and 10 d forecasts for many essential ocean variables (EOVs), from currents, temperature, salinity, and sea level to wind waves and pelagic biogeochemistry. The products are available at a horizontal resolution of 1/24 (approximately 4 km) and with 141 unevenly spaced vertical levels. The core of the Mediterranean Forecasting System is constituted by the physical (PHY), the biogeochemical (BIO), and the wave (WAV) components, consisting of both numerical models and data assimilation modules. The three components together constitute the so-called Mediterranean Monitoring and Forecasting Center (Med-MFC) of the Copernicus Marine Service. Daily 10 d forecasts and analyses are produced by the PHY, BIO, and WAV operational systems, while reanalyses are produced every 3 years for the past 30 years and are extended (yearly). The modelling systems, their coupling strategy, and their evolutions are illustrated in detail. For the first time, the quality of the products is documented in terms of skill metrics evaluated over a common 3-year period (2018–2020), giving the first complete assessment of uncertainties for all the Mediterranean environmental variable analyses.

Description: Published

Description: 1483–1516

Description: OSA4: Ambiente marino, fascia costiera ed Oceanografia operativa

Description: JCR Journal