The data generated by Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS) ocean stations supports multiple strands of international policymaking. Through inclusion in the Surface Ocean CO₂ Atlas (SOCAT), these data form a core component of the evidence base used in the annual assessment of the global carbon cycle. This assessment is reported to the Conference of the Parties (COP) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) through the Global Carbon Budget.
This process enables you to identify and respond to significant changes in the global carbon system. For example, a reduction in the ocean carbon sink could require adjustments to emissions pathways in order to remain on track to achieve net zero targets.
In addition, these data provide valuable support at regional and national levels. Reliable information on greenhouse gas emissions - essential for managing your pathway to net zero - can be derived using two complementary approaches: bottom-up and top-down methods. Bottom-up methods rely on national inventories of emissions compiled according to established methodologies, while top-down methods estimate carbon fluxes using atmospheric observations.
Top-down approaches are increasingly recognised as an important constraint on bottom-up estimates, particularly in identifying emissions that are difficult to quantify or mitigate. These approaches typically employ inversion systems, in which carbon fluxes are estimated using atmospheric circulation models combined with boundary flux data.
For coastal states, the ocean plays a clear role in defining these flux estimates, but its influence is also significant for landlocked countries through atmospheric transport processes. ICOS marine data therefore support you in developing a more detailed and accurate understanding of national emission patterns, strengthening your ability to plan and manage the transition to net zero.
At present, such estimates are available from individual studies and a pan-European system operated by Copernicus. Looking ahead, these efforts are expected to be coordinated at a global scale under the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).