Developing an Observing Air-Sea Interactions Strategy (OASIS) for the global ocean

The Observing Air-Sea Interactions Strategy (OASIS) is a new United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development programme working to develop a practical, integrated approach for observing air-sea interactions globally for improved Earth system (including ecosystem) forecasts, CO2 uptake assessments called for by the Paris Agreement, and invaluable surface ocean information for decision makers. Our Theory of Change relies upon leveraged multi-disciplinary activities, partnerships, and capacity strengthening. Recommendations from >40 OceanObs'19 community papers and a series of workshops have been consolidated into three interlinked Grand Ideas for creating #1: a globally distributed network of mobile air-sea observing platforms built around an expanded array of long-term time-series stations; #2: a satellite network, with high spatial and temporal resolution, optimized for measuring air-sea fluxes; and #3: improved representation of air-sea coupling in a hierarchy of Earth system models. OASIS activities are organized across five Theme Teams: (1) Observing Network Design & Model Improvement; (2) Partnership & Capacity Strengthening; (3) UN Decade OASIS Actions; (4) Best Practices & Interoperability Experiments; and (5) Findable-Accessible-Interoperable-Reusable (FAIR) models, data, and OASIS products. Stakeholders, including researchers, are actively recruited to participate in Theme Teams to help promote a predicted, safe, clean, healthy, resilient, and productive ocean.

Automated summary

The Observing Air-Sea Interactions Strategy (OASIS) is a program that aims to improve Earth system forecasts, CO2 uptake assessments, and provide ocean information for decision makers. It focuses on creating a global network of mobile air-sea observing platforms, a satellite network optimized for measuring air-sea fluxes, and improving the representation of air-sea coupling in Earth system models. The program consists of various activities such as network design, model improvement, partnership building, and best practices experiments.