MedGOOS – Building a strong regional partnership for operational oceanography in the Mediterranean

Abstract

A sustained regional system for marine monitoring and forecasting needs an enduring collaboration among the neighbouring countries, supported by the willingness to share efforts, resources and knowledge. MedGOOS, the Mediterranean association of marine organisations, fosters institutional cooperation for the establishment of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) in the region. A special emphasis is on the early dialogue between all the countries to ensure common ownership, and equal benefits and opportunities to all the riparian coastal peoples. MAMA, a 3-year thematic network project shared by leading marine research institutions from all the Mediterranean countries, is putting in place the institutional and scientific platform to establish operational oceanography in the region.