Global Ocean Observing System Status Report 2026 has been released

Extracted from GOOS.org:

The Global Ocean Observing System Status Report 2026 highlights the latest progress in strengthening the world’s capacity to deliver long term marine and ocean monitoring and identifies remaining gaps and risks. 

The ocean underpins the safety, wellbeing and livelihoods of communities worldwide. Understanding how it is changing depends on sustained observations: the measurements collected by dedicated people, instruments and platforms, from the seafloor to the atmosphere.

The Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) – led by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO – leads countries, institutions, scientists, and ocean professionals to evolve a globally integrated, responsive, and resilient ocean observing system for thriving communities and a healthy ocean. Its operational centre, OceanOPS, jointly supported by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and IOC, supports the implementation of the observing system and monitors the performance and status of global ocean observing networks.

Released today, the 2026 GOOS Status Report provides an interactive overview of the status of the system, presents new statistics on national contributions, and showcases the societal value of marine and ocean observations through impact stories from around the globe.  

Today, 67 countries contribute to physical and biogeochemical observations at sea through 17 GOOS observing networks monitored by OceanOPS. Satellites complement these measurements with observations from space, while a diverse community of initiatives collects vital data on marine life and ecosystems. Together, these observations underpin weather forecasting, climate monitoring, maritime and coastal risk management, biodiversity conservation and sustainable ocean economies.

Explore the 2026 GOOS Status Report

Discover:

• Latest updates and metrics from the 17 GOOS observing networks, including an interactive map with platforms and reference observatories deployed by each country;
• How the global ocean observing community is filling crucial climate monitoring gaps in the polar oceans;
• Practical tools for Pacific community resilience against rising seas, enabled by data from marine and ocean observations;
• How coral and algae observations are informing global coral reef monitoring and restoration efforts;
• A new International Alliance to support and strengthen GOOS, led by EU and Canada;
• A fascinating example of global ocean observing community collaboration in recovering a lost ocean glider at sea.

Access the interactive report here: https://www.ocean-ops.org/goosreport/2026/