TY - JOUR T1 - Societal need for improved understanding of climate change, anthropogenic impacts, and geo-hazard warning drive development of ocean observatories in European Seas A1 - Ruhl,Henry A. A1 - Andre,Michel A1 - Beranzoli,Laura A1 - Cagatay,M. Namik A1 - Colaco,Ana A1 - Cannat,Mathilde A1 - Danobeitia,Juanjo J. A1 - Favali,Paolo A1 - Geli,Louis A1 - Gillooly,Michael A1 - Greinert,Jens A1 - Hall,Per O. J. A1 - Huber,Robert A1 - Karstensen,Johannes A1 - Lampitt,Richard S. A1 - Larkin,Kate E. A1 - Lykousis,Vasilios A1 - Mienert,Jurgen A1 - Miguel Miranda,J. A1 - Person,Roland A1 - Priede,Imants G. A1 - Puillat,Ingrid A1 - Thomsen,Laurenz A1 - Waldmann,Christoph AD - Univ Southampton, Natl Oceanog Ctr, Southampton S014 3ZH, Hants, England AD - Univ Politecn Cataluna, Lab Aplicac Bioacust, Ctr Tecnol Vilanova & Geltru, Barcelona 08800, Spain AD - Ist Nazl Geofis & Vulcanol, I-00143 Rome, Italy AD - Istanbul Tech Univ, TR-80626 Istanbul, Turkey AD - Univ Azores, Dept Oceanog & Fisheries, IMAR, P-9901862 Cais De Sta Cruz, Horta, Portugal AD - Inst Phys Globe, Lab Geosci Marines, F-75252 Paris, France AD - CSIC, Unidad Tecnol Marina, Barcelona, Spain AD - IFREMER, F-29280 Plouzane, France AD - Marine Inst Headquarters, Oranmore, Co Galway, Ireland AD - Royal Netherlands Inst Sea Res, NL-1790 AB Den Burg, Texel, Netherlands AD - Univ Gothenburg, Dept Chem, SE-41296 Gothenburg, Sweden AD - Univ Bremen, MARUM Ctr Marine Environm Sci, D-28359 Bremen, Germany AD - Univ Kiel, Leibniz Inst Meereswissensch, D-24105 Kiel, Germany AD - Hellen Ctr Marine Res, Athens 19013, Greece AD - Univ Tromso, Dept Geol, N-9037 Tromso, Norway AD - Univ Lisbon, Ctr Geofis, P-1749016 Lisbon, Portugal AD - Univ Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB41 6AA, Scotland AD - Univ Bremen, D-28759 Bremen, Germany UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2011.05.001 DO - 10.1016/j.pocean.2011.05.001 N2 - Society's needs for a network of in situ ocean observing systems cross many areas of earth and marine science. Here we review the science themes that benefit from data supplied from ocean observatories. Understanding from existing studies is fragmented to the extent that it lacks the coherent long-term monitoring needed to address questions at the scales essential to understand climate change and improve geo-hazard early warning. Data sets from the deep sea are particularly rare with long-term data available from only a few locations worldwide. These science areas have impacts on societal health and well-being and our awareness of ocean function in a shifting climate. Substantial efforts are underway to realise a network of open-ocean observatories around European Seas that will operate over multiple decades. Some systems are already collecting high-resolution data from surface, water column, seafloor, and sub-seafloor sensors linked to shore by satellite or cable connection in real or near-real time, along with samples and other data collected in a delayed mode. We expect that such observatories will contribute to answering major ocean science questions including: How can monitoring of factors such as seismic activity, pore fluid chemistry and pressure, and gas hydrate stability improve seismic, slope failure, and tsunami warning? What aspects of physical oceanography, biogeochemical cycling, and ecosystems will be most sensitive to climatic and anthropogenic change? What are natural versus anthropogenic changes? Most fundamentally, how are marine processes that occur at differing scales related? The development of ocean observatories provides a substantial opportunity for ocean science to evolve in Europe. Here we also describe some basic attributes of network design. Observatory networks provide the means to coordinate and integrate the collection of standardised data capable of bridging measurement scales across a dispersed area in European Seas adding needed certainty to estimates of future oceanic conditions. Observatory data can be analysed along with other data such as those from satellites, drifting floats, autonomous underwater vehicles, model analysis, and the known distribution and abundances of marine fauna in order to address some of the questions posed above. Standardised methods for information management are also becoming established to ensure better accessibility and traceability of these data sets and ultimately to increase their use for societal benefit. The connection of ocean observatory effort into larger frameworks including the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) and the Global Monitoring of Environment and Security (GMES) is integral to its success. It is in a greater integrated framework that the full potential of the component systems will be realised. Crown Copyright (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Y1 - 2011/10 PB - Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd JF - Progress In Oceanography SN - 0079-6611 VL - 91 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 33 ID - 15557 ER -