The Consortium for Ocean Leadership, in coordination with the U.S. National Committee of the Census of Marine Life (CoML) organized a workshop to demonstrate the importance of incorporating biological data, particularly CoML data, into the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). The workshop brought together more than 80 experts from academia and management agencies to share information with regard to four central objectives:

·        Explore the general types of biological observing data, and identify specific data sets that should be integrated into IOOS;

·        Consider critical data gaps in biological data measurement/collection, analysis, and management that should be addressed by IOOS;

·        Identify specific strategies to advance the interoperability between CoML/OBIS and IOOS; and

·        Explore the development of predictive models based on current and future IOOS data efforts to support the move towards ecosystem based management.

“It is clear from this meeting that the extraordinary and unique biological information being obtained from the Census of Marine Life Program needs to be widely disseminated and incorporated over time with other ocean observing programs such as the Ocean Observatories Initiative and the Integrated Ocean Observing System,” said Bob Gagosian, President & CEO of Ocean Leadership.  “This connectivity is critical to our success in taking full advantage of these programs in understanding how our oceans function.”

CoML is a growing global collection of biological information used to assess and explain the diversity, distribution and abundance of marine life in the oceans. The data and information that CoML collects provide new insights into the biodiversity of the oceans and are therefore a vital component of IOOS.  They help to identify sentinel species that enhance our ability to predict and evaluate changing climate and environmental conditions.  In December 2007 Discover Magazine called CoML one of the six most important experiments in the world.  Earlier this year CoML was #4 on Time Magazine’s 2007 Top 10 Scientific Discoveries.

“The Census of Marine Life made a lot of progress in 2007,” said Michael Feldman, U.S. CoML Program Coordinator.  “This workshop will build on the progress made and provide new opportunities, particularly in the area of ocean observing.”

Fundamental to IOOS is the integration of not only physical and chemical ocean information but also biological information consisting of both spatial and temporal species data. Biological information and biodiversity data are essential to understanding the overall health and sustainability of our Nation’s ocean ecosystems, as well as the entire global marine ecosystem.

The Consortium for Ocean Leadership was formed in 2007 from the merger of the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education (CORE) and the Joint Oceanographic Institutions (JOI).