Co-Convenors:
Kenneth Denman (Canada)
Jack Barth (USA)
Jae Hak Lee (Korea)
Robert Weller (USA)
Hidekatsu Yamazaki (Japan)
Invited Speaker:
Holger Brix (Institute of Coastal Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Germany)
In the North Pacific Ocean, various cabled ocean observatories are operating or under development. In addition
there exist several long-term time series programs, and the Argo drifter program. It seems timely to hold a
workshop with the following objectives:
1. set up plans for coordinated data sharing, data standards, common sampling protocols, and open access on
the Internet;
2. set out a timeline for developing an integrated (nearly) real-time synthesis of observations in the North
Pacific by linking coastal and open ocean observatories and Argo;
3. define a specific science challenge/question that could be best addressed through a network of observing
systems in the Pacific Ocean.
Most of these facilities are in the North Pacific, and are regional and coastal in scope, making PICES the ideal
organization to host such a workshop. The need for such a network of observing facilities was articulated in the
conference description of the recent Joint PICES/ICES Workshop on "Global assessment of the implications
of climate change on the spatial distribution of fish and fisheries" held in May 2013 in St. Petersburg, Russia: "...observations and model projections (are) needed to develop a global synthesis of the implications of climate
change on fish and fisheries". In the past, correlations of sardine and anchovy long-term changes have been
established between populations off California, Chile and Japan, so it seems prudent to make the scope of such
a workshop the whole Pacific Ocean. The following format for the workshop is expected: a) a series of talks
describing the capabilities of the various long-term systematic ocean observing facilities in the Pacific Ocean, b) a
series of talks representing various modelling efforts around the Pacific and c) a discussion on setting up a group
to develop a plan for achieving objective ii) above.