Building a global system of systems for the Coastal Ocean: a strategic action plan for implementing the coastal module of GOOS

Abstract

The call for adaptive, ecosystem-based approaches to managing and adapting to the impacts of human activities and global climate change on society has intensified in recent years. Implementing such approaches requires timely and frequent assessments of ecosystem states and reliable predictions of future states based on realistic scenarios of changes in climate and human uses of marine ecosystem goods and services. Provision of the required data is a major motivation for establishing the coastal module of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS). Here we review the road map for implementing coastal GOOS, the status of implementation, and the challenges of global implementation. Major challenges include integrated development of the climate and coastal modules of GOOS, sustained capacity building, and the development of―operational marine ecology‖, the ecological equivalent of ocean forecasting systems for upper ocean physics and maritime weather.