Sandifer et al. 2023. Observing and monitoring the ocean

From time immemorial, humankind has looked to the ocean for food and other useful products, for warnings of impending danger (e.g., storms and invaders), for inspi- ration, wonder, and beauty, and as a broad avenue for exploration, adventure, and commerce (see Chapters 1 and 3). Today, we watch the ocean more closely and care- fully than ever before. Globally, the ocean and its coasts affect human health and well-being in many ways, some positive, others negative (Sandifer et al., 2021a).

In this chapter, we explore some of the technologies and other means by which humans observe and monitor a variety of ocean characteristics and processes, and how they relate to human health and well-being. Included here are sections on observing and monitoring: (a) the physical environment, (b) the growing problem of plastic waste in the ocean, (c) marine biodiversity, (d) marine fisheries, (e) harmful algal blooms, (f ) natu- rally occurring infectious microbes, and (g) marine mammals as indicators of potential ocean environmen- tal effects on humans. The chapter concludes with a vision of the future where data from a broad range of ocean, coastal, community, and health surveillance efforts might be integrated into a coastal human health observing system.

While there will be some inevitable overlap with other chapters (see Chapters 11–14, and 20), this chapter primarily focuses on ocean observing and monitoring capabilities and technologies, and how these are used to develop predictions, warnings, and other tools to bolster and protect human health and well-being.

Keywords: Altimetry, Antibiotic resistance, Bacteriophage, Cyanobacteria, Parameterization