In the last deade, the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) has enhanced regional coordination and observing system capabilities. The SOOS Science and Implementation Plan (2021-2025) articulates the scientific priorities for the Southern Ocean observational community for the coming five years, including the observational data and network requirements. SOOS has been recognised by the CCAMLR Scientific Committee as having an important role to play in CCAMLR ecosystem monitoring and observation; and spatial observations of impacts on ecosystems, climate change, and data delivery and management.
This Background Paper provides an overview of the SOOS Science and Implementation Plan (2021-2025) and work SOOS will be conducting to identify the spatio-temporal and thematic requirements of observations, existing coverage and gaps.