CIOOS Annual Report 2020-2021

The importance of the ocean is well established, as it plays a fundamental role in the global climate system and in supporting communities, jobs and livelihoods, food security, human health, biodiversity, economic prosperity and way of life. Canada’s ocean community collects large volumes of data, but until recently there was no mechanism to integrate data from diverse sources, and no formal coordination and collaboration mechanism for the ocean community to advance as a nation. Consequently, the lack of a national integrated ocean observing system for Canada has led to fragmented and isolated data, inaccessible and undiscoverable for reuse.

To address the issue, members of the ocean science community, led by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and the Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response Network (MEOPAR) developed and launched the Canadian Integrated Ocean Observation System (CIOOS) in 2019.

This first public annual report recounts the tremendous achievements of CIOOS in 2020-2021, building on its inaugural year of 2019-2020. We hope you enjoy reading this report and develop a clear understanding of CIOOS’ activities.

Finally, we’d like to congratulate and thank all the CIOOS teams and partners, who have shown incredible resilience and adaptation in this time of a pandemic. We’re looking ahead at the next year with a lot of confidence and energy!