The Global Ocean Ship-Based Hydrographic Investigations Program (GO-SHIP): A Platform for Integrated Multidisciplinary Ocean Science

Abstract

GO-SHIP: Multi-Disciplinary Ocean Science Argo array. GO-SHIP provides the relevant suite of global, full depth, high quality observations and co-located deployment opportunities that, for the foreseeable future, remain crucial to maintenance and evolution of Argo's unique contribution to climate science. The evolution of GO-SHIP from a program primarily focused on physical climate to increased emphasis on ocean health and sustainability has put an emphasis on the addition of essential ocean variables for biology and ecosystems in the program measurement suite. In conjunction with novel automated measurement systems, ocean color, particulate matter, and phytoplankton enumeration are being explored as GO-SHIP variables. The addition of biological and ecosystem measurements will enable GO-SHIP to determine trends and variability in these key indicators of ocean health. The active and adaptive community has sustained the network, quality and relevance of the global repeat hydrography effort through societally important scientific results, increased exposure, and interoperability with new efforts and opportunities within the community. Here we provide key recommendations for the continuation and growth of GO-SHIP in the next decade. Keywords: GO-SHIP, ship-based observations, multidisciplinary ocean research, contemporaneous ocean observations, global ocean change and variability, health, essential ocean variables, essential climate variables Program/Research activity Acronym Link Argo www.argo.ucsd.edu Biogeochemical Argo BGC Argo www.biogeochemicalargo.org

Statistical Assessment of Sea-Surface Salinity from SMAP: Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and a Promising Red Sea Application

“…Over the SMAP era (April 2015-September 2019), 2 meridional transects were occupied in the North Indian Ocean as part of the international GO-SHIP program [32] (Figure 2). One transect was in the Arabian Sea (2018) and is known as the I07N line.…”

Adequacy of the Ocean Observation System for Quantifying Regional Heat and Freshwater Storage and Change

“…The situation is similar with GO-SHIP, the ship-based observing network. Currently 10 nations share responsibility for the 62 repeat transects covering the global ocean (Sloyan et al, 2019). GO-SHIP is focused on increasing the number of participating nations to maintain the program due to the continued pressure by the realignment of national research priorities of the partner nations.…”

“…While deep (>2000 m) ocean measurements are sparse, these are captured by dedicated research cruises using highly specialized, calibrated measurement platforms under the auspices of GO-SHIP (Sloyan et al, 2019) and represent the "gold standard" for subsurface observations. Regions of the deep ocean have also undergone statistically significant warming and freshening since the 1990s with large regional variability Johnson, 2010, 2013).…”

“…In addition, the abyssal Indian and Pacific sectors of the Southern Ocean have freshened at a rate equivalent to a freshwater flux of 73 ± 26 Gtonne/year (Purkey and Johnson, 2012). As a third decade of repeat hydrography becomes available, there has been some evidence that the warming is slowing in the South Atlantic and accelerating in the Pacific, but variability in local trends are not statistically significant owing to limited data (Sloyan et al, 2019). To fully resolve deep ocean HC and FWC changes on local to global scales, a continuously, global, full depth monitoring system is needed.…”

“…For the deep layers (below 2000 m), the AMOC boundary arrays, boundary current arrays (Todd et al, 2019), choke point OceanSITES moorings (e.g., Vema Channel) and the oceanographic research cruises (incl. GO-SHIP, Sloyan et al, 2019) are, for the time being, the only source of deep T and S data. However, it must be said that, in the Atlantic Ocean, due to the AMOC dedicated mooring arrays and the fact that these moorings need to be serviced, the amount of yearly data at depth exceed the number of data available for other ocean basins.…”