IQOE Science Committee (2022-2024)

The Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) and the Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans (POGO) have appointed a Science Committee to take the lead on implementation of the IQOE Science Plan.

Co-chairs

Steve Simpson, University of Bristol (UK)
Peter Tyack, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (USA)

Other Members

Carrie Wall Bell, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (USA)
Christ de Jong, TNO (The Netherlands)
Lise Doksaeter Sivle, Institute of Marine Research (Norway)
Tess Gridley, Sea Search and Namibian Dolphin Project (Namibia/South Africa)
Bruce Martin, JASCO Applied Sciences (Canada) Ltd.
Miles Parsons, Australian Institute of Marine Science
Filipa Samarra, University of Iceland
Karolin Thomisch, Alfred Wegener Institute (Germany)

Terms of Reference

The IQOE Science Committee (SC) has the primary responsibility for coordination and management of IQOE activities that are international in nature. The main duties of the IQOE SC include the following:

Advocate for and coordinate international activities of the IQOE Science Plan
Review and report annually on progress in project implementation
Refine the future project agenda annually and propose updates to the Science Plan as necessary
Develop and oversee any subcommittees, working groups, and task teams necessary to implement international activities related to the IQOE Science Plan
Establish and oversee the IQOE International Project Office (IPO) and its staff
Serve as a resource for national committees
Organize planning workshops as needed to establish research and observational priorities
Promote partnerships with other projects and organizations to achieve IQOE goals
Promote discussion about IQOE benefits with and among all stakeholders
Endorse proposals for activities that are directly within the IQOE Science Plan or whose results can add to IQOE
Define IQOE products
Seek financial resources from national and international funding sources to support the implementation of IQOE
Foster dissemination of the findings of the IQOE program
Define indicators and metrics for evaluation and demonstration of IQOE progress

Status

IQOE is in its 9th year as a 10-year project and continues to implement of its Science Plan (available here). IQOE has successfully coordinated a variety of activities in ocean acoustics and bioacoustics through IQOE working groups on the use of acoustics to assess biodiversity, the importance of acoustic observations in the Arctic Ocean, standards for reporting ocean acoustic and bioacoustic data for IQOE, software for making acoustic observations comparable worldwide, and recommendations for implementation of an Ocean Sound Essential Ocean Variable for the Global Ocean Observing System. IQOE progress has been documented since June 2018 through IQOE Newsletters and since the beginning of the project through other products. IQOE identified 2020 as the Year of the Quiet Ocean because of evidence that ocean sound decreased because of decreases in human activities in the ocean due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Next Steps

Activities in 2024 will include actions to help implement the Ocean Sound Essential Ocean Variable Implementation Plan; continuation of new activities on low-cost ocean acoustic observing systems and expansion of the Open Portal to Underwater Sound (OPUS), implementation of the Global Library of Underwater Biological Sounds, sponsorship of the second World Ocean Passive Acoustic Monitoring Day; and meetings of IQOE working groups and Science Committee.