AtlantOS European Strategy Workshop

On 4-5 June, the European H2020 project AtlantOS held a workshop to develop a European strategy for the future Atlantic Ocean Observing System in Brussels, hosted by EuroGOOS.

This was co-organized by EMB together with EuroGOOS, IOC and GEOMAR with the aim to deliver a European contribution to the wider Blueprint for the Atlantic Ocean Observing System.

More than 20 experts actively discussed key components of a future basin-scale observing system, from user-driven requirements, data and products, to infrastructures, capacity building and resource mobilization. Cross-cutting all of these is effective coordination and governance. The European Commission (DG Research and Innovation) joined discussions from the Marine Resource Unit, Earth Observation Unit and Executive Agency EASME. The workshop will deliver a strategy paper by the end of 2018 on Europe’s contribution to the AtlantOS legacy. This has strong links with the developing European Ocean Observing System (EOOS) framework, which has a public consultation running until 15 June 2018. More information is available in the 3rd AtlantOS Newsletter. Key messages from the workshop will also be taken forward in a EMB-led foresight paper on ocean observing coordination and governance linking European and Atlantic developments (see Task 10.6).