Observing the oceans in real time—need for affordable technology and capacity development

The observations from the oceans are extremely important for climate science, weather forecasts, maritime industry, tourism, etc. Ships, satellites, Argo floats, etc. have been the backbone of ocean-observation systems for the past many years. Technology for ocean science research covers a wide spectrum, ranging from ship sensors, satellites, autonomous tools, underwater vehicles, and buoys, to sophisticated laboratory instrumentation. Moored buoys are one of the long-term sustaining ocean observatories. The moored buoy technology is also used for early detection and real-time reporting of tsunamis in the open ocean. Building a network that is truly global requires expanding participation beyond scientists from well-resourced countries to a far broader representation of the global community. New approaches are required to provide appropriate training, and resources and technology should follow to enable the application of this training to engage meaningfully in global observing networks and in the use of the data. This paper explores the ocean science, early warning improvements as well as societal and technological elements of realizing such a global network while describing success of sustained ocean observation network of India for more than two decades.