Periodic Reporting for period 3 - Euro-Argo RISE (Euro-Argo Research Infrastructure Sustainability and Enhancement)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2022-01-01 do 2022-12-31
As a major component of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) and the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), the Argo programme is actively participating in monitoring and understanding climate change and its impact on ocean health. Argo therefore ultimately contributes to two of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015: SDG13 “Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts” and SDG14 “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”.
In 2020, Argo became OneArgo and aims to expand from core Argo to a global, full depth, interdisciplinary array. In doing so, it will revolutionise our ability to observe and' predict the ocean, its role in the climate system and its health. OneArgo now consists of 3 missions: core-Argo, Deep-Argo and BGC-Argo. Developing Argo and its extensions is, in particular, one of the top priorities of the G7 Future of Oceans.
The overall objectives of the Euro-Argo RISE project followed this impetus and aimed at sustaining and extending the Argo network at the European level. During four years, Euro-Argo RISE supported the European extension of Argo observations further towards biogeochemistry, greater depth, partially ice-covered and shallower water regions and also aimed to secure and improve the current network. With this in mind, the project secured the strategy for further development of OneArgo in Europe for the next decade, defined an implementation plan together with a long-term sustainability plan supported by Member States and funding agencies.
Last but not least, the Euro-Argo strategy for next decade has been elaborated as well as a first draft of the next 5-year implementation plan and Long-Term sustainability plan. Those documents will be key for the Euro-Argo ERIC 5-year evaluation and the ESFRI Landmark monitoring planned in 2023.
Each of these results is crucially taking Euro-Argo members to a higher level of performance in Argo activities and contributes to improving the overall Argo network and enhancing the Euro-Argo community.
The innovation potential of the project (sensor diversification, implementation of Deep and Biogeochemical Argo, Marginal Seas uniqueness and adaptation of monitoring tools, enhancement of data quality, development of new services and tools for users, collaborations and engagement with new communities, higher level of integration in the framework of in situ ocean observing systems) already had a positive impact on the research infrastructure, on scientific, technological, training and education, economic, societal and social aspects.
Socio-economic impacts of the Euro-Argo RISE activities, by consolidating the European contribution to OneArgo, are expected to be large in the longer run. Given the prominent role of Argo for climate change research, its contribution to (as indicated in the last IPCC report), and impact for seasonal and decadal climate forecasting, is of paramount importance for citizens and policy makers. Indeed, Argo’s socio-economic impacts extend to the wide range of ocean services developed through global and regional operational oceanography systems, such as those developed by the Copernicus Marine Service, ECMWF or EMODnet, in areas including maritime transport and safety, fishery management and water quality (MSFD).
In the coming decade, thanks to the Euro-Argo RISE project, Euro-Argo will tremendously boost the scientific impact of Argo, by involving new scientific users and communities. In addition, thanks to the progress made in the Euro-Argo RISE project, Euro-Argo will collaborate with European industry providing technological expertise in ocean observation and will support, in collaboration with Copernicus and EMODnet, the development of new downstream services, with important socioeconomic impacts on national and European levels. Investing in such global ocean observations has thus potentially a high benefits/costs ratio.