How to monitor the Ocean?

In Situ observing systems: present capacities and future opportunities

The ocean drives Earth’s climate, sustains vital ecosystems, and supports the global economy. Yet, much of it remains under-observed, limiting our ability to improve weather forecasts, ensure maritime safety, secure food supplies, strengthen climate resilience, and safeguard human well-being. 

Since the early 2000s, the global Argo program has transformed ocean monitoring by deploying a vast network of autonomous floats that measure temperature and salinity up to 2,000 meters deep in real time, providing open-access data worldwide. Building on this success, OneArgo aims to expand the Argo program to include full-depth, polar, and biogeochemical observations - covering the carbon cycle and ocean health. By 2030, OneArgo promises to unlock new insights into the ocean and climate, enhance forecasting at regional and global scales, and democratize ocean data for all nations.

With input from scientists, modelers, and end-users, this session explores the current status and future directions of the OneArgo initiative, highlighting its essential role in providing actionable ocean intelligence and supporting science-based marine policy amid the climate crisis. The session concludes with showcase the use of Argo technology for three-dimensional dynamic management in the Eastern Tropical Pacific’s Thermal Dome—a biodiversity hotspot in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ). This example illustrates how sustained ocean observation can enhance High Seas governance in line with the objectives of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Treaty.

In 2018, a new active underwater volcano emerged in the Mozambique Channel, near the island of Mayotte. In 2020, the French Ministry of Ecology launched a continuous monitoring program for CO2/CH4 emissions and droplets in the water column. Since then, Alsemar, with Ifremer, has been implementing regular monitoring of this phenomenon using SeaExplorer gliders. Not only was this multi-year mission accomplished, but it was also the first to record other remarkable occurrences, such as the acoustic signals from marine mammals and the impact caused by the CHIDO tropical cyclone on the water column in december 2024. The topics presented will include some scientific results but also operationnal aspect of this mission.

The main objective is to demonstrate that SMART Cables are decisively transitioning from concept to reality, with the first two operational systems scheduled for installation in 2026, representing a total investment exceeding €200M. The Atlantic CAM system, supported by €50M from the European Union, will connect mainland Portugal with the Azores and Madeira in a ring configuration across the eastern North Atlantic, while the Tamtam system, backed by French government support, will link New Caledonia and Vanuatu across the tectonically active Vanuatu Trench. These pioneering projects demonstrate a viable financial structure combining development bank funding, government support, and industry participation, with clear frameworks for both capital expenditure and operational costs including data infrastructure management.

This panel brings together experts from climate and ocean sciences, geophysics, earthquake and tsunami early warning, the subsea telecom industry, and government stakeholders to discuss these groundbreaking projects and future SMART Cable systems planned for both hemispheres. This talk will foster cross-sectoral dialogue, highlighting not only technological advancements and essential partnerships for global scaling but also the business case for investing in SMART Cables. Through interactive discussions, we will explore how this innovative initiative supports SDG 14 by enhancing climate monitoring and disaster resilience through unprecedented open-ocean observations. Special attention will be given to the system's unique capability to provide continuous, real-time measurements of ocean temperature, bottom pressure, and seismic activity, offering critical data for both climate change research and disaster risk reduction in previously unmonitored regions of the deep ocean to support policy decisions.

Presentation of the Italian RAISE (Robotics and AI for Socio-economic Empowerment) project Spoke 3 "Environmental Caring and Protection Technologies, towards a Zero Emission Environment". It aims to create an innovation ecosystem for enhanced environmental monitoring, leveraging robotics and AI to integrate widespread and punctual monitoring systems. This approach improves data collection efficiency, energy savings, and forecasting systems across aquatic, terrestrial, and aerial sectors, while developing targeted solutions using advanced technologies and citizen science. Focus will be given to projects related to marine monitoring and forecasting.

With a 360 degree view of the sea surrounding the Maltese Islands, and a marine area under national jurisdiction up to the 12 nm limit that is 14 times the size of the land, the challenge to measure, monitor and manage territorial waters is even harder than for other EU countries. Several experiences in operational oceanography have been made in the last 25 years. CONNECT is an initiative run by the Malta College for Arts, Science & Technology under the patronage of the Parliamentary Secretariat for Youth, Research & Innovation that is taking these experiences to a higher level by putting plans and funds together for synergy and complementarity to build a sustained national marine observation system that delivers essential marine data to the nation, and to the benefit of society. High-quality marine data is key to the monitoring of the state of health of the sea, and the conservation and management of its resources. Marine data is required by users to meet their operational (eg. port activities, shipping and navigation, oil exploration, aquaculture & fisheries, oil pollution response, search & rescue), and strategic planning and management needs (eg. marine spatial planning, marine food resources and ecosystem services, climate change, mitigation and adaptation), on top of the broader ambitious targets of the European Green Deal, and other international agreements.

The French Ocean Observing System (Fr-OOS) is the national coordination of French marine observation infrastructures. The objective of the Fr-OOS is to consolidate and develop the national long-term ocean observation system by strengthening, harmonizing and integrating its components (research infrastructures, monitoring networks, operational networks) and organizing links with the French oceanographic fleet, space observation, data and modelling centers.

The Fr-OOS vision is of a fully integrated ocean observing system that is fit-for-purpose and meets scientific needs and societal expectations for a healthy, safe and protected ocean. 

- Opening Remarks - Fr-OOS Executive Secretariat