IQOE Science Committee (2022-2025)
The Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) and the Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans (POGO) appointed a Science Committee to take the lead on implementation of the IQOE Science Plan. This committee completed its term on 31 December 2025.
Co-chairs
Steve Simpson, University of Bristol (UK)
Peter Tyack, University of St. Andrews (UK)
Other Members
Carrie Wall Bell, University of Colorado Boulder (USA)
Christ de Jong, TNO (The Netherlands)
Lise Doksaeter Sivle, Institute of Marine Research (Norway)
Tess Gridley, Sea Search and Namibian Dolphin Project (Namibia/South Africa)
Bruce Martin, JASCO Applied Sciences (Canada) Ltd.
Miles Parsons, Australian Institute of Marine Science
Filipa Samarra, University of Iceland
Karolin Thomisch, Alfred Wegener Institute (Germany)
Terms of Reference
The IQOE Science Committee (SC) has the primary responsibility for coordination and management of IQOE activities that are international in nature. The main duties of the IQOE SC include the following:
- Advocate for and coordinate international activities of the IQOE Science Plan
- Review and report annually on progress in project implementation
- Refine the future project agenda annually and propose updates to the Science Plan as necessary
- Develop and oversee any subcommittees, working groups, and task teams necessary to implement international activities related to the IQOE Science Plan
- Establish and oversee the IQOE International Project Office (IPO) and its staff
- Serve as a resource for national committees
- Organize planning workshops as needed to establish research and observational priorities
- Promote partnerships with other projects and organizations to achieve IQOE goals
- Promote discussion about IQOE benefits with and among all stakeholders
- Endorse proposals for activities that are directly within the IQOE Science Plan or whose results can add to IQOE
- Define IQOE products
- Seek financial resources from national and international funding sources to support the implementation of IQOE
- Foster dissemination of the findings of the IQOE program
- Define indicators and metrics for evaluation and demonstration of IQOE progress
Individuals & Organizations
The development of the International Quiet Ocean Experiment (IQOE) involved about one hundred scientists with expertise in acoustics, hearing of marine mammals and other organisms, engineers, industry representatives, naval personnel, and representatives of environmental non-profit organizations. The individuals directly involved in the development of IQOE are listed as authors of the Oceanography magazine article that first announced details of the IQOE planning and those listed in Appendix III of the IQOE Science Plan.
The Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) and the Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans (POGO) were approached by Jesse Ausubel of the Sloan Foundation with the idea of an IQOE and funding to support an exploratory meeting and an open science conference. SCOR and POGO devoted significant staff time to help the scientists who developed IQOE to plan and execute meetings, and to develop the IQOE Science Plan. The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission hosted the IQOE Open Science Conference.
Liaisons
The IQOE Science Committee (SC) recognized that several organizations and programs, mainly global and regional, also could contribute significantly to the success of the IQOE. Accordingly, the SC identified potential Liaisons. Liaisons representing other kinds of national organizations or agencies, research institutions or agencies, and regional and global organizations and programs were considered on a case-by-case basis.
Benefits of Liaison Relationships
Both IQOE and the organizations represented by liaisons benefited from the relationship in terms of information flow between the organizations and potential for cooperative activities of mutual interest and avoidance of duplicative activities. IQOE Liaisons were kept informed about program evolution, invited to attend IQOE SC and working group meetings (at their organization’s expense), and consulted on the conduct of various IQOE activities. Liaisons can be involved by email, in conference calls, and by attending in-person meetings.
Responsibilities of Liaisons
The primarily responsibility of liaisons was to serve as a linkage between IQOE and their organizations/projects, reporting in both directions and highlighting areas of potential cooperation.
Limits of Liaison Relationships
IQOE Liaisons were not ex-officio members of the IQOE SC, so were not consulted on every decision, or receive every communication sent to SC members, etc. They did not participate in Executive Sessions and were not eligible to vote. Their liaison position depended on their continuing position with a relevant organization or program that is actively engaged in activities of common interest to the IQOE.
Current Liaisons
- Biology and Ecosystems Panel of the Global Ocean Observing System: Lavenia Ratnarajah
- Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR Convention): Nathan Merchant
- Marine Environmental Research Infrastructure for Data Integration and Application Network (MERIDIAN): Romina Gehrmann
- Ocean Tracking Network: Frederick Whoriskey
IQOE Sponsors
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation provided most of the seed funding for the development of IQOE. SCOR and POGO are contributing additional resources for implementation.
Targeted support from the Richard Lounsbery Foundation and the Monmouth University/Rockefeller University joint marine initiative for specific IQOE purposes, including (1) development of the MANTA software platform, (2) development of GLUBS, (3) data collation and analysis for the World Ocean Passive Acoustic Monitoring (WOPAM) Day, (4) implementation of an online library of ocean acoustics and bioacoustics papers, and (5) making the book Exploring Animal Behavior Through Sound: Volumes 1 and 2, open access in electronic form.
Sustained annual financial support was provided by SCOR and the Lounsbery Foundation to hold meetings of the IQOE Science Committee. SCOR also provided part-time staff support for IQOE, funded a working group for the Global Library on Underwater Biological Sounds (GLUBS) and contributed to the development of a low-cost ocean acoustic recording system.
Targeted support was provided by POGO for more observational aspects of IQOE, including development of specifications for an Ocean Sound Essential Ocean Variable (EOV), development of the Ocean Sound EOV Implementation Plan, and development of a low-cost ocean acoustic recording system.