A new paper by Marilaure Grégoire and other 56 collaborators from 45 institutions in 22 countries including eight members of the International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project (IOCCP) outline the need for a coordinated international effort toward the building of an open-access Global Ocean Oxygen Database and ATlas (GO2DAT) complying with the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable). The aim is to fully harness the increasing volumes of oxygen data already delivered and in anticipation of much higher quantities of data from autonomous platforms in the open ocean and coastal areas.
These comprehensive data synthesis products will support the development of climate and ocean health indicators allowing for knowledge-based decision-making processes aimed at sustaining a healthy, productive and resilient ocean as prioritized by international policies and initiatives (e.g., UN SDG 14, the EU MFSD, the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development) associated with the emerging blue economy, the conservation of marine resources and their associated ecosystem services and the development of management tools required by a diverse community of users (e.g., environmental agencies, aquaculture and fishing sectors).