NOAA Research Releases First-of-its-Kind Ocean Carbon Observing Science Plan

22 January 2025

(Image credit: NOAA Research)

On January 16th, 2024, NOAA Research released an Ocean Carbon Observing Science Plan. Ocean, coastal, and Great Lake carbon observations provide critical information that helps support the development of future climate projections, adaptation and mitigation strategies, and policies that inform decision-makers and advance the Blue Economy. There is a critical need to observe and monitor our changing ocean, especially given increasing national and international carbon observing directives on global carbon cycle topics such as greenhouse gas monitoring, ocean acidification, and the emerging carbon dioxide removal field. This Science Plan aims to provide improved coordination and optimization of NOAA Research ocean carbon observing activities.

The ocean carbon value chain. Both ocean carbon observations and data management support the creation of products, models, and assessments and ultimately support end users and decision-makers. In turn, the upper levels of the pyramid inform, improve, and amplify the impact of observations through observing system design and community co-design of observational objectives. (Image credit: NOAA Research)

This subject-focused Science Plan is the first of its kind within NOAA Research, outlining and prioritizing scientific goals related to ocean carbon observation and providing coordination across NOAA Research and with intra-agency, interagency, and international partners. With extensive review and contributions by over 40 subject matter experts, this document represents what NOAA Research ocean carbon experts deem the most important ocean carbon scientific questions to answer over the next 10 years. This plan provides a framework and strategic direction for addressing these pressing scientific questions with regard to ocean carbon.

Some of the topics addressed in the plan include ocean carbon uptake and storage, ocean acidification, air-sea flux, data management, model and product development, and communication to end users, policymakers, and the general public. Parts of this plan were also informed by a landscape analysis of federal carbon observing efforts.

OAR supports the use of multiple technologies to sample oceanic carbon, including (a) oceanographic platforms such as CTD-equipped research vessels and profiler-equipped moored buoys, (b) autonomous platforms such as gliders, floats, and surface vehicles, (c) commercial ships of opportunity, and (d) aircraft vertical profiles to collect ocean carbon and air-sea flux observations. These observations support global products, models, and forecasts. Modified from Sutton and Sabine 2023. (Image credit: NOAA Research)

While this Science Plan focuses on NOAA Research’s ocean carbon activities, we envision it serving as an actionable guide for intra- and interagency partners (such as NSF, NASA, USGS, DOE, EPA, etc.) to identify potential areas of collaboration.

Strategic Scientific Goals

Subject matter experts have identified three goals to achieve over the next 10 years:

Goal 1: Observe Changes in the Ocean Carbon Cycle
Goal 2: Enhance Ocean Carbon Data Management, Models, and Services for Society
Goal 3: Expand Ocean Carbon Opportunities and Community Engagement

Each goal includes prioritized research questions, actionable objectives, and a roadmap of suggested actions that NOAA Research can use to work towards achieving these goals. These efforts support NOAA’s mission and will enable NOAA Research to deliver trusted ocean carbon observations and services for the nation and the world.

An instrument deployed from a research vessel in the Arctic. (Image Credit: Leticia Barbero, CIMAS)

By better-coordinating ocean carbon efforts, aligned with NOAA and US government priorities, this plan aims to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of carbon observing, enhancing the nation’s ability to address environmental and ecosystem change. With a clear scientific direction, actionable objectives towards accomplishing ocean carbon observing goals, and enhanced coordination and communication provided by this plan, NOAA Research labs and programs will work towards advancing this 10-year vision for ocean, coastal, and Great Lake observing networks.

NOAA and partner institution scientists collect carbon samples from bottles with seawater. (Image Credit: Leticia Barbero, CIMAS)

This Science Plan was developed and made possible by ocean, coast, and Great Lake carbon experts. The Executive Writing Team includes GOMO Ocean Carbon Knauss Fellow and Program Managers Kyla Kelly, Alyse Larkin, and Kathy Tedesco, as well as David Munro (GML), Erica Ombres (OAP), Liza Wright-Fairbanks (OAP), Richard Feely (PMEL), Samantha Clevenger (OAP), and Elise Keister (OAP). Contributing authors included (in alphabetical order) Simone Alin (PMEL), Leticia Barbero (CIMAS), Chris Beaverson (OER), Eugene Burger (PMEL) Brendan Carter (PMEL), Sarah Cooley (OAP), John Dunne (GFDL), Reagan Errera (GLERL), Andrea Fassbender (PMEL), Dwight Gledhill (OAP), Liqing Jiang (CISESS), John Kochendorfer (ARL), David Legler (GOMO), Abby Letts (OER), Xiao Liu (GFDL), Sarah Nickford (IOOS), Kevin O’Brien (CICOES), Denis Pierot (AOML), Aaron Ramus (National Weather Service), Jonathan Sharp (CICOES), Adrienne Sutton (PMEL), Colm Sweeney (GML), and Samantha Wills (CPO). Feedback and review were provided by: Maciej Telszewski (IOCCP), Amanda Fay (Columbia University), Tim DeVries (U. of California, Santa Barbara), Annika Jersild (U. of Maryland), Britton Stephens (NCAR), Heather Heenehan (GOMO), Melissa Smuck (GOMO), Shelby Brunner (GLOS), Daniel Sandborn (U. of Minnesota/CICOES), Ralph Keeling (Scripps Institute of Oceanography), NOAA Research lab and program directors, the USGCRP Carbon Cycle Interagency Working Group, the Interagency Working Group on Ocean Acidification, the NOAA Carbon Dioxide Removal Task Force, the NOAA Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Technical Team, and the Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry program Scientific Steering Committee.