The Mediterranean observation systems: MonGOOS analysis of present capabilities, weaknesses and perspectives

Abstract. Ocean monitoring is a crucial component of Earth's observation systems. These systems have evolved to achieve a global scope and an exceptionally high level of complexity, encompassing not only observation programs but also data centres for collection and storage, as well as computational facilities where predictions and re-analyses of oceanic conditions are generated using coupled ocean-atmosphere circulation models. The products generated by the different components of the oceanic observation systems are of paramount importance for the knowledge of the environmental state of the oceans, their variability ranges, the impact of natural and anthropogenic stressors (such as climate change) and, in summary, the appropriate governance of the sea and the sustainable use of its resources. Given the diverse nature of the data (collected through a wide range of technologies, instruments, and institutions across multiple countries), it can be challenging to maintain a comprehensive overview of existing observation programs and datasets. MonGOOS (Mediterranean Oceanographic Network for the Global Ocean Observing System) serves as a GOOS (Global Ocean Observing System) Regional Alliance (GRA). Through its Observations Working Group (OBSWG), MonGOOS has conducted an extensive consultation among Mediterranean institutions to compile information on ongoing observation programs and the institutions operating within this basin. The results of this consultation, obtained through the collaboration of a very large number of scientists and technicians from a wide range of institutions, are reflected in this community report. These objectives of this report are: i) To update our knowledge of existing observation capabilities in the Mediterranean Sea. ii) To identify contact persons for strengthening the current MonGOOS network in order to keep this information up to date in the future. iii) To describe the present strengths and weaknesses of the Mediterranean Sea’s observation system. iv) To support European ocean observation programs such as the Copernicus Marine Service and the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet). The consultation phase began in July 2023 and continued until December 2025. It included a survey addressed to 90 researchers from 59 institutions across 18 countries as well as contacts with several EuroGOOS task teams, IOC (Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission) sea level monitoring, as well as OceanOPS, for the compilation of metadata. During this consultation phase, the list of researchers addressed increased to 126. Finally, metadata from observation activities were obtained from 74 institutions belonging to 16 countries, 4 companies and the European Joint Research Centre (JRC). The description of all the observation capabilities in the Mediterranean Sea is not closed and should be considered as an ongoing effort to be reviewed periodically and more systematically in the future. However, we believe that this objective has been accomplished to a high degree of detail and inclusivity. The present compilation includes most of the currently active and operational observing systems, including 80 Argo floats and 16 surface drifters, 58 high-frequency radars (HFR), 220 tide gauges and 85 tsunami alerting devices, 9 periodic or sustained glider lines, 5 FerryBox lines, 11 wave buoys, 36 subsurface or deep moorings, 46 meteorological and oceanographic surface buoys, 5 seabed platforms or cabled observatories, 13 periodic transects or repeated cruises, and 17 oceanographic stations visited on a regular basis (time-series stations). The present survey revealed a strong asymmetry in the distribution of these platforms, reflecting a clear discrepancy in the capabilities of different Mediterranean countries. It also shows the difficulty for maintaining long-term observations, the fragility of some of these programs, and the need for national programs with structural and sustainable funds that are not only subject to competitive financial support

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Ocean science
Published
2026-11-06
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5194/os-22-3619-2026
Primary Topic
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
article

The Mediterranean observation systems: MonGOOS analysis of present capabilities, weaknesses and perspectives

Branko Čermelj, Anne Petrenko, Claudia Fratianni, Manuel Vargas‐Yáñez et al.
Ocean science
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes
article

The Mediterranean observation systems: MonGOOS analysis of present capabilities, weaknesses and perspectives

Branko Čermelj, Anne Petrenko, Claudia Fratianni, Manuel Vargas‐Yáñez, George Petihakis, Giuseppe Ciraolo, Sana Ben Ismail, George Alexandrakis, Ismail Bessa, Matjaž Ličer, Vincent Ouisse, Katrin Schröeder, Diego Álvarez‐Berastegui, Anthony Bosse, Nathaniel Bensoussan, François Bourrin, Joaquín del Río Fernández, Joaquim Ballabrera‐Poy, Leonidas Perivoliotis, Stefano Taddei, Baptiste Mourre, Francina Moya, Stefano Miserocchi, Vanessa Cardín, Pascal Conan, Emma Reyes, Jesús García‐Lafuente, Dimitris Velaoras, Frédéric Gazeau, Lucía Quirós‐Collazos, Emanuela Clementi, Emanuele Organelli, Salvatore Aronica, Simone Sammartino, Xavier Durrieu de Madron, Arianna Orasi, Carlo Brandini, Jordi Isern‐Fontanet, M.C. García-Martínez, Antonios Parasyris, Nadia Lo Bue, Guiomar Lopez, Christian Ferrarin, Laurent Coppola, Begoña Pérez-Gómez, Ramón Massana, Orens Pasqueron de Fommervault, Nikolaos Zarokanellos, George Zodiatis, Lorenzo Corgnati, Lara Díaz‐Barroso, Laure Mousseau, Anna Sànchez‐Vidal, Ivica Vilibić, Sinan Mavruk, Josep M. Gasol, Tal Ozer, Antonio Novellino, Marco Torri, Pierre Testor, Fulvio Capodici, E. Tel, Rosa Balbín, Behzad Mostajir, Enrico Zambianchi, Evi Bourma, Angela Pomaro, Dominique Lefèvre, Gérald Grégori, Pablo Lorente, Lucía Sanz-Pinilla, Dominique Lefevre, Gerard Gregory, Alicia Blanco, Svitlana Liubertseva, Anne Petrenko, Joaquín Garrabou, MALENGROS Deny, Francesca Vidussi, Sebastien Pinel, Milad Fakhri, Clara Casals-Baixas, Xavier Pitarch, Constantin Frangoulis, Laura Ursella, Emilie Diamond Riquier, Bartolomeo Doronzo, Daniela Turk, M. Carmen García-Martínez
article en

Abstract

Abstract. Ocean monitoring is a crucial component of Earth's observation systems. These systems have evolved to achieve a global scope and an exceptionally high level of complexity, encompassing not only observation programs but also data centres for collection and storage, as well as computational facilities where predictions and re-analyses of oceanic conditions are generated using coupled ocean-atmosphere circulation models. The products generated by the different components of the oceanic observation systems are of paramount importance for the knowledge of the environmental state of the oceans, their variability ranges, the impact of natural and anthropogenic stressors (such as climate change) and, in summary, the appropriate governance of the sea and the sustainable use of its resources. Given the diverse nature of the data (collected through a wide range of technologies, instruments, and institutions across multiple countries), it can be challenging to maintain a comprehensive overview of existing observation programs and datasets. MonGOOS (Mediterranean Oceanographic Network for the Global Ocean Observing System) serves as a GOOS (Global Ocean Observing System) Regional Alliance (GRA). Through its Observations Working Group (OBSWG), MonGOOS has conducted an extensive consultation among Mediterranean institutions to compile information on ongoing observation programs and the institutions operating within this basin. The results of this consultation, obtained through the collaboration of a very large number of scientists and technicians from a wide range of institutions, are reflected in this community report. These objectives of this report are: i) To update our knowledge of existing observation capabilities in the Mediterranean Sea. ii) To identify contact persons for strengthening the current MonGOOS network in order to keep this information up to date in the future. iii) To describe the present strengths and weaknesses of the Mediterranean Sea’s observation system. iv) To support European ocean observation programs such as the Copernicus Marine Service and the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet). The consultation phase began in July 2023 and continued until December 2025. It included a survey addressed to 90 researchers from 59 institutions across 18 countries as well as contacts with several EuroGOOS task teams, IOC (Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission) sea level monitoring, as well as OceanOPS, for the compilation of metadata. During this consultation phase, the list of researchers addressed increased to 126. Finally, metadata from observation activities were obtained from 74 institutions belonging to 16 countries, 4 companies and the European Joint Research Centre (JRC). The description of all the observation capabilities in the Mediterranean Sea is not closed and should be considered as an ongoing effort to be reviewed periodically and more systematically in the future. However, we believe that this objective has been accomplished to a high degree of detail and inclusivity. The present compilation includes most of the currently active and operational observing systems, including 80 Argo floats and 16 surface drifters, 58 high-frequency radars (HFR), 220 tide gauges and 85 tsunami alerting devices, 9 periodic or sustained glider lines, 5 FerryBox lines, 11 wave buoys, 36 subsurface or deep moorings, 46 meteorological and oceanographic surface buoys, 5 seabed platforms or cabled observatories, 13 periodic transects or repeated cruises, and 17 oceanographic stations visited on a regular basis (time-series stations). The present survey revealed a strong asymmetry in the distribution of these platforms, reflecting a clear discrepancy in the capabilities of different Mediterranean countries. It also shows the difficulty for maintaining long-term observations, the fragility of some of these programs, and the need for national programs with structural and sustainable funds that are not only subject to competitive financial support

Ocean scienceVol. 22(6)
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ES), Université de Toulon (FR), Université de Perpignan (FR), University of Ljubljana (SI), Ifremer (FR), University of Malta (MT), Aix-Marseille Université (FR), Slovenian Environment Agency (SI), Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (IT), GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (DE), Sorbonne Université (FR), Instituto Español de Oceanografía (ES), National Council for Scientific Research (LB), Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (FR), Centre de Formation et de Recherche sur les Environnements Méditerranéens (FR), European Global Ocean Observing System (BE), CMCC Foundation - Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (IT), Istituto di Scienze Marine del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (IT), Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (IT), Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (ES), Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System (ES), Ruđer Bošković Institute (HR), FORTH Institute of Applied and Computational Mathematics (GR), Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (GR), Laboratory for Ocean Physics and Satellite Remote Sensing (FR), Institut National de Recherche Halieutique (MA), National Institute of Biology (SI), Institute for Adriatic Crops and Karst Reclamation (HR), Marine Biodiversity Exploitation and Conservation (FR), Institut de Ciències del Mar (ES), Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research (IL), National Research Council (IT), Institut Méditerranéen d’Océanologie (FR), Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (FR), Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche (FR), Istituto di Studi sul Mediterraneo (CNR - ISMed) (IT), National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (IT), Laboratoire d'Océanographie Microbienne (FR), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR), Centro Oceanográfico de Málaga (ES), Laboratorio di Monitoraggio e Modellistica Ambientale per lo sviluppo sostenibile (IT), ETT S.p.A. (IT), Universitat de les Illes Balears (ES), Cukurova University (TR), Universitat de Barcelona (ES), Universidad de Málaga (ES), Sapienza University of Rome (IT), Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (GR), University of Palermo (IT), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (ES)
Life below water
Openalex Percentile: Top 73%
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Processes
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.

Laika access coming soon