GOOS is the Global Ocean Observing System. A single, contiguous, body of water encircles the globe. From the Arctic ice through the warm equatorial waters to the Antarctic Circumpolar Current all the Earth's oceans, seas, bays and inlets are connected. They form one body of water, the one Global Ocean. GOOS, the Global Ocean Observing System, is designed and being implemented to embrace the oceans as a single entity, to provide a global view of the ocean system.
GOOS is a system of programmes, each of which is working on different and complementary aspects of establishing an operational ocean observation capability for all of the world's nations. UN sponsorship and UNESCO assemblies assure that international cooperation is always the first priority of the Global Ocean Observing Sytem.
GOOS is a the oceanographic component of the Global Earth Observing System of Systems (GEOSS).
GOOS is designed to:
Monitor, understand and predict weather and climate
Describe and forecast the state of the ocean, including living resources
Improve management of marine and coastal ecosystems and resources
Mitigate damage from natural hazards and pollution
Protect life and property on coasts and at sea
Enable scientific research