The JPI Oceans Knowledge Hub on Ocean Carbon Capacities, launched in January 2024 and led by Norway and co-led by Germany, with Belgium, Greece, Ireland, Poland, and Portugal participating as well, is pleased to release two new resources: a policy brief and a roadmap. Together, these publications provide national governments, the European Commission, funding agencies, research infrastructures, and the international community with practical guidance to diversify and secure the supply of reference materials, enhance data reliability, and strengthen Europe’s role in global ocean CO₂ system monitoring.
Explore our new Ocean Carbon Capacities publications below:
1. Policy brief on strengthening Europe’s ocean CO₂ monitoring
This brief overview highlights critical, and unresolved key challenges in Europe’s seawater CO₂ monitoring: dependence on a single external supplier of ocean CO₂ reference materials, under-sampling of ocean surface CO₂ concentrations, and the absence of regular audit procedures. It calls for the creation of a European Hub for Certified Ocean CO₂ Reference Materials, more efficient use of European research vessels for CO₂ observations, and the establishment of a regular audit system with practical assessment tools. These measures aim to ensure that ocean CO₂ monitoring becomes efficient, resilient, and effective.
2. Roadmap for securing the supply of reference materials for the seawater CO₂ system
This publication serves as a call to action and a practical guide for establishing a European Ocean CO₂ Reference Materials Hub, urgently addressing Europe’s current dependence on a single global supplier. It underscores the critical nature of this challenge, presents potential operational models, and places the issue within the context of existing policy frameworks and initiatives. It also outlines the advantages of such a hub, the minimum requirements, potential solutions, implementation pathways, and budget considerations.
Last week, Richard Sanders and Paul Trautendorfer presented this work at the Annual General Meeting of the European Metrology Network for Climate and Ocean Observation. We thank the Knowledge Hub member Steffen Seitz from PTB, the National Metrology Institute of Germany, for offering this valuable opportunity to exchange with full-heated metrologists and engage in their specific perspective on ocean observing. We look forward to strengthening collaboration with this group, particularly in advancing the establishment of a European Hub for Ocean CO₂ Reference Materials.