Canada and the European Union have launched the OceanEye International Alliance to support the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), securing approximately €220 million in financial and in-kind commitments from participating countries.
The initiative was launched during the UN General Assembly High Level Week in New York, with the pledges intended to support the maintenance of existing observation platforms, close data gaps and strengthen the coordination and data infrastructure supporting GOOS.
The EU has pledged €92 million for ocean observation activities, while Canada will provide CAD$82 million over five years to expand its national ocean observation capabilities. Contributions from other participants include research vessels, sensors, drones and data processing facilities.
The alliance has 31 members, including Canada, the EU and 29 countries, and is being organised in partnership with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization, which co-sponsor GOOS.
GOOS currently delivers around 120,000 observations each day from 8,000 platforms operated by 64 countries and 17 global observation networks. The data supports weather forecasting, climate prediction, maritime safety, coastal protection and marine environmental monitoring.
The OceanEye International Alliance is intended to establish longer-term funding and coordinated international support for GOOS.
