Integrated Ocean Observing System

The United States Integrated Ocean Observing System (U.S. IOOS) is a national-regional partnership of ocean observing systems that routinely and continuously provide quality-controlled data and observations of the oceans within the United States exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and Great Lakes. The U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System program office is seated within the National Ocean Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. U.S. IOOS is a multidisciplinary system, consisting of eleven Regional Associations, that provide data in forms and at rates required by decision makers to address various societal needs, such as maritime safety, natural hazards, the blue economy, and human impacts on marine life. It is part of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission's Global Ocean Observing System efforts.

Regional Associations

The U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System consists of eleven independent Regional Associations (RAs) that serve stakeholder needs within their respective regions. From a coastal perspective, the global ocean component is critical for providing data and information on basin scale forcings (e.g., ENSO events), as well as providing the data and information necessary to run coastal models (such as storm surge models).^[1]