The JPI Oceans Knowledge Hub on Ocean Carbon Capacities will continue for a third phase, building on two years of work to secure reference materials and strengthen ocean CO₂ observations. Led by Norway and co-led by Germany, the Hub brings together experts from 8 European countries, with the United Kingdom’s recent decision to join adding valuable national expertise.
The next phase should now be all about turning existing groundwork into sustained capacity, in light of recent international backing for its recommendations and new opportunities to carry forward the audit work.
The global ocean carbon observing community currently relies on a single principal provider, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in the United States, for reference materials. This long-standing contribution has underpinned decades of high-quality ocean carbon science, but reliance on one provider leaves the global system vulnerable to disruptions in production, staffing, funding, or distribution. The Ocean Carbon Capacities Knowledge Hub’s roadmap for securing the supply of reference materials for the seawater carbonate system sets out how additional European capacity could help mitigate this vulnerability.
A two-day workshop in June, hosted by GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel in collaboration with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), brought oceanographic and metrology expertise together to advance European production and certification. Building directly on the roadmap, the discussions moved towards how such capacity could be established and sustained.
The European effort has since received wider international backing. In August, the Scientific Steering Group of the International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project (IOCCP) and the GOOS Biogeochemistry Expert Panel published a position paper calling for a resilient global supply of certified reference materials for the seawater carbonate system. It makes the case for a globally distributed framework of coordinated regional production and distribution hubs and directly refers to the work of the JPI Oceans Knowledge Hub.
The Hub’s work on reference materials was also presented to a global audience at the 6th International Symposium on the Ocean in a High CO₂ World, held in October in Wellington, New Zealand. This led to new connections with research teams in the United States and Japan, enabling more regular exchange with both countries and joint work to strengthen the global supply of reference materials.
Alongside its reference material work, the Hub published the first State of Europe’s Surface Ocean CO₂ Observations audit in March 2026. The assessment identifies strengths and vulnerabilities in Europe’s ability to observe, steward and interpret surface ocean carbon records.
The findings were presented at the ICOS Science Conference, held in Lund, Sweden, in September, where discussions explored how the audit could become a recurring assessment of European observing capacity. They will also be brought to the Virtual Ocean Pavilion of COP31, as part of a broader conversation on the observations needed to underpin climate action.
Part of the work is now being taken forward through JOHN, a four-year Horizon Europe project coordinated by NORCE that kicked off in mid-October. JPI Oceans leads the development of a methodology for regular audits, extending the approach developed for the ocean to land and atmospheric observations. The ambition is to enable annual reporting alongside the Global Carbon Budget and make weaknesses and investment needs more visible.
Consortium partners at the JOHN project kick-off meeting
Alongside continued work on reference materials and the audit, the Knowledge Hub will advance efforts to increase pCO₂ observations from European research vessels and other observing platforms. Connections already established with Eurofleets, the European Research Vessel Operators (ERVO) and the International Research Ship Operators (IRSO) provide a starting point.
The first European Ocean Carbon Summit, planned for 26 May 2027 in Brussels, will offer a further opportunity to connect this work with future funding and policy priorities. JPI Oceans is an organising partner, contributing through its work on Ocean Carbon Capacities and Blue Carbon. Registration will open in 2027, but expressions of interest are already open.