New paper! Global ocean indicators: Marking pathways at the science-policy nexus

We are pleased to share that the new paper on global ocean indicators has been published!

Ocean indicators are essential for turning scientific knowledge into practical tools that help assess and protect ocean health and inform decision-making. This insightful paper establishes a scientific basis for advancing ocean indicators through international and multidisciplinary collaboration. It outlines clear criteria and introduces pilot indicators covering physical, biogeochemical, biological and ecosystem aspects of the ocean.

Among the nine pilot indicators proposed by the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) and described in the paper, three are for biology and ecosystems. Indicators listed below relate to the respective BioEco Essential Ocean Variables, which are in our project's scope:

✅ Seagrass Cover Change
✅ Phytoplankton Concentration and Composition Change
✅ Macroalgae Canopy Cover and Composition Change.

Congratulations to all the experts involved in this collective, cross-disciplinary effort, which resulted in this excellent and impactful paper for the ocean observing community.

We are very proud that the EU-funded BioEcoOcean project has contributed to this effort. We would like to specifically acknowledge the co-authors contributing to the BioEcoOcean project:

• Lina Mtwana Nordlund (Uppsala University, BioEcoOcean lead),
• Ward Appeltans (OBIS: Ocean Biodiversity Information System),
• LISANDRO BENEDETTI CECCHI (Università di Pisa)
• Emma Heslop (Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS)
• Ana Lara-Lopez (Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS)
• Frank Muller-Karger (BioEcoOcean External Expert Advisory Board)
• Gabrielle Canonico Hyde (BioEcoOcean External Expert Advisory Board)

Read or download the paper here