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Institutional coordination of global ocean observations

Nature Climate Change volume 5, pages 4–6 (2015)Cite this article

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A Correction to this article was published on 28 January 2015

This article has been updated

A sustainable global ocean observation system requires timely implementation of the framework for ocean observing. The recent Qingdao Global Ocean Summit highlighted the need for a more coherent institutional response to maintain an integrated ocean-observing system.

Approximately 93% of the additional heat associated with global warming is stored in the ocean1, and recent discoveries show that an enhanced heat storage in the subsurface ocean over the past decades contributed to the global surface warming hiatus2,3,4,5. This is just one example that highlights the importance of ocean observations in understanding, monitoring and detecting global climate change, and providing the basis to assess the impacts of climate and environmental change on the ocean.

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Figure 1: A global ocean observation framework.

Change history

  • 07 January 2015

    In the Commentary 'Institutional coordination of global ocean observations' (Nature Clim. Change 5, 4-6; 2015) ref. 18 was omitted from the reference list. This has been corrected after print 7 January 2015.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Flagship, Aspendale, 3195, Victoria, Australia

    Wenju Cai

  2. Physical Oceanography Laboratory, Qingdao Collaborative Innovation Center of Marine Science and Technology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China

    Wenju Cai & Xiaopei Lin

  3. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, 02543-1050, Massachussetts, USA

    Susan K. Avery

  4. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive #0210, La Jolla, 92093-0210, California, USA

    Margaret Leinen

  5. CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Flagship, 26 Dick Perry Avenue, Kensington, 6151, Western Australia, Australia

    Kenneth Lee

  6. GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel, and Kiel University, Duesternbrooker Weg 20, Kiel, 24105, Germany

    Martin Visbeck

Authors
  1. Wenju Cai
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  2. Susan K. Avery
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  3. Margaret Leinen
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  4. Kenneth Lee
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  5. Xiaopei Lin
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  6. Martin Visbeck
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Correspondence to Wenju Cai.

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Cai, W., Avery, S., Leinen, M. et al. Institutional coordination of global ocean observations. Nature Clim Change 5, 4–6 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2482

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