Led by Norway and co-led by Germany, this Knowledge Hub brings together experts from seven European countries (Belgium, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Norway, Poland and Portugal) to improve monitoring and understanding of the ocean’s role in the global carbon cycle. Its primary goal is to reinforce ocean carbon observation, ensure high-quality data, and enable relevant scientific input to inform policy development.
The two-day meeting served to define critical next steps, including the development of roadmaps and policy briefs.
This is how Richard Sanders (Norwegian Research Centre, NORCE), scientific lead of the Ocean Carbon Capacities Joint Action, described the declining ability to provide quantitative information about the ocean’s role in the carbon cycle and its impact on climate mitigation. He went on to add that “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” In response, the expert group identified specific weak points and proposed solutions to address them. These include ensuring the availability of certified reference materials for seawater CO₂, increasing CO₂ data collection from European research vessels, and conducting periodic audits of our ocean carbon observing capacities.
One of the primary topics discussed was the need to secure a stable supply of ocean carbon reference materials, a critical component for ensuring accurate CO₂ measurements. Steffen Seitz, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt’s newly appointed expert to the group, contributed valuable insights from a meteorological perspective. Maribel Garcia-Ibáñez, an external expert from Spain working on the topic, was invited to co-lead the discussion.
Participants outlined plans to establish a European Hub dedicated to producing and distributing these materials. The experts also agreed on expanding data contributions to the Surface Ocean CO₂ Atlas (SOCAT) through stronger collaboration with European research vessels. Closer ties with the European Research Vessel Organisation (ERVO) would improve the efficiency of existing observing systems. Additionally, discussions explored how commercial shipping could play a greater role in global ocean monitoring and carbon cycle research.
Finally, the expert group formulated an approach for assessing the state of surface ocean CO₂ observation in Europe. Key metrics will be defined in the coming months. Dorothee Bakker, an external expert from the University of East Anglia, agreed to co-lead the task and presented a way forward.
The first report will become available already in 2025, followed by annual updates. These will hopefully reveal tangible improvements, not the least thanks to the efforts of the Ocean Carbon Capture Knowledge Hub.