The global integrated world ocean assessment: linking observations to science and policy across multiple scales

In 2004, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly approved a Regular Process to report on the environmental, economic and social aspects of the world's ocean. The Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment, including Socioeconomic Aspects produced the first global integrated assessment of the marine environment in December 2016 (known as the first World Ocean Assessment). The second assessment, to be delivered in December 2020, will build on the baselines included in the first assessment, with a focus on establishing trends in the marine environment with relevance to global reporting needs such as those associated with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Central to the assessment process and its outputs are two components. First, is the utilization of ocean observation and monitoring outputs and research to temporally assess physical, chemical, biological, social, economic and cultural components of coastal and marine environments to establish their current state, impacts currently affecting coastal and marine environments, responses to those impacts and associated ongoing trends. Second, is the knowledge brokering of ocean observations and associated research to provide key information that can be utilized and applied to address management and policy needs at local, regional and global scales. Through identifying both knowledge gaps and capacity needs, the assessment process also provides direction to policy makers for the future development and deployment of sustained observation systems that are required for enhancing knowledge and supporting national aspirations associated with the sustainable development of coastal and marine ecosystems. Input from the ocean observation community, managers and policy makers is critical for ensuring that the vital information required for supporting the science policy interface objectives of the Regular Process is included in the assessment. This community white paper discusses developments in linking ocean observations and science with policy achieved as part of the assessment process, and those required for providing strategic linkages into the future.Agência financiadora - United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Seainfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

2014 iAREA campaign on aerosol in Spitsbergen Part 1: Study of physical and chemical properties

This paper presents the results of measurements of aerosol physical and chemical properties during iAREA2014 campaign that took place on Svalbard between 15th of Mar and 4th of May 2014. With respect to field area, the experiment consisted of two sites: NyeÅlesund (78�550N, 11�560E) and Longyearbyen (78�130N, 15�330E) with further integration of Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) station in Hornsund (77�000N, 15�330E). The subject of this study is to investigate the inesitu, passive and active remote sensing observations as well as numerical simulations to describe the temporal variability of aerosol singleescattering properties during spring season on Spitsbergen. The retrieval of the data indicates several event days with enhanced singleescattering properties due to the existence of sulphate and additional seaesalt load in the atmosphere which is possibly caused by relatively high wind speed. Optical results were confirmed by numerical simulations made by the GEMeAQ model and by chemical observations that indicated up to 45% contribution of the seaesalt to a PM10 total aerosol mass concentration. An agreement between the in-situ optical and microphysical properties was found, namely: the positive correlation between aerosol scattering coefficient measured by the nephelometer and effective radius obtained from laser aerosol spectrometer as well as negative correlation between aerosol scattering coefficient and the Ångstrom exponent indicated that slightly larger particles dominated during special events. The inesitu surface observations do not show any significant enhancement of the absorption coefficient as well as the black carbon concentration which might occur during spring. All of extensive singleescattering properties indicate a diurnal cycle in Longyearbyen, where 21:00e5:00 data stays at the background level, however increasing during the day by the factor of 3e4. It is considered to be highly connected with local emissions originating in combustion, traffic and harbour activities. On the other hand, no daily fluctuations in NyeÅlesund are observed. Mean values in NyeÅlesund are equal to 8.2, 0.8 Mm�1 and 103 ng/m3 for scattering, absorption coefficients and black carbon concentration; however in Longyearbyen (only data from 21:00e05:00 UTC) they reach 7.9, 0.6 Mm�1 as well as 83 ng/ m3 respectively. Overall, the spring 2014 was considerably clean and seaesalt was the major aerosol componen

World Ocean Assessment II, Chapter 05, Trends in the physical and chemical state of the ocean

KEYNOTE POINTS 1. Thermal expansion from a warming ocean and land ice melt are the main causes of the accelerating global rise in the mean sea level. 2. Global warming is also affecting many circulation systems. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation has already weakened and will most likely continue to do so in the future. The impacts of ocean circulation changes include a regional rise in sea levels, changes in the nutrient distribution and carbon uptake of the ocean and feedbacks with the atmosphere, such as altering the distribution of precipitation. 3. More than 90 percent of the heat from global warming is stored in the global ocean. Oceans have exhibited robust warming since the 1950s from the surface to a depth of 2,000 m. The proportion of ocean heat content has more than doubled since the 1990s compared with long-term trends. Ocean warming can be seen in most of the global ocean, with a few regions exhibiting long-term cooling. 4. The ocean shows a marked pattern of salinity changes in multidecadal observations, with surface and subsurface patterns providing clear evidence of water cycle amplification over the ocean. That is manifested in enhanced salinities in the near-surface, high-salinity subtropical regions and freshening in the low-salinity regions such as the West Pacific Warm Pool and the poles. 5. An increase in atmospheric CO2 levels, and a subsequent increase in carbon in the oceans, has changed the chemistry of the oceans to include changes to pH and aragonite saturation. A more carbon-enriched marine environment, especially when coupled with other environmental stressors, has been demonstrated through field studies and experiments to have negative impacts on a wide range of organisms, in particular those that form calcium carbonate shells, and alter biodiversity and ecosystem structure. 6. Decades of oxygen observations allow for robust trend analyses. Long-term measurements have shown decreases in dissolved oxygen concentrations for most ocean regions and the expansion of oxygen-depleted zones. A temperature-driven solubility decrease is responsible for most near-surface oxygen loss, though oxygen decrease is not limited to the upper ocean and is present throughout the water column in many areas. 7. Total sea ice extent has been declining rapidly in the Arctic, but trends are insignificant in the Antarctic. In the Arctic, the summer trends are most striking in the Pacific sector of the Arctic Ocean, while, in the Antarctic, the summer trends show increases in the Weddell Sea and decreases in the West Antarctic sector of the Southern Ocean. Variations in sea ice extent result from changes in wind and ocean currents.Versión del edito

A Decade of Poland-AOD Aerosol Research Network Observations

The Poland-AOD aerosol research network was established in 2011 to improve aerosol–climate interaction knowledge and provide a real-time and historical, comprehensive, and quantitative database for the aerosol optical properties distribution over Poland. The network consists of research institutions and private owners operating 10 measurement stations and an organization responsible for aerosol model transport simulations. Poland-AOD collaboration provides observations of spectral aerosol optical depth (AOD), Ångstrom Exponent (AE), incoming shortwave (SW) and longwave (LW) radiation fluxes, vertical profiles of aerosol optical properties and surface aerosol scattering and absorption coefficient, as well as microphysical particle properties. Based on the radiative transfer model (RTM), the aerosol radiative forcing (ARF) and the heating rate are simulated. In addition, results from GEM-AQ and WRF-Chem models (e.g., aerosol mass mixing ratio and optical properties for several particle chemical components), and HYSPLIT back-trajectories are used to interpret the results of observation and to describe the 3D aerosol optical properties distribution. Results of Poland-AOD research indicate progressive improvement of air quality and at mospheric turbidity during the last decade. The AOD was reduced by about 0.02/10 yr (at 550 nm), which corresponds to positive trends in ARF. The estimated clear-sky ARF trend is 0.34 W/m2/10 yr and 0.68 W/m2/10 yr, respectively, at TOA and at Earth’s surface. Therefore, reduction in aerosol load observed in Poland can significantly contribute to climate warming