Report on the statuses of harmonization and interoperability in the current Calibration-Validation landscape for ocean variables

This report compiles and reviews information on the breadth and quality of the European calibration-validation landscape in the field of marine observation. It summarizes the exchanges conducted during the MINKE project concerning the state-of-the-art of the current calibration-validation activities and practices, including services.The state of harmonization and interoperability in these areas has been investigated principally through the frameworks of the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) and the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), and their requirements for the Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) and the Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs), respectively. The assessment highlights the need to continue to integrate metrological information into mainstream ocean data flows as well as enhance knowledge of metrology (e.g. vocabulary, uncertainties calculations, metrology metadata, etc.) and measurement skills within the overall marine observing community in order to achieve the level of quality needed to address ongoing and future concerns of universal relevance like climate change, sustainability and environmental stewardship.