Speaker
Description
The Southern Ocean's influence on global climate and marine ecosystems underscores the urgent need for comprehensive and accessible observational data. Here we present a tool for discovery of, and access to, existing Southern Ocean data – SOOSmap, Version 2. SOOSmap is a collaborative effort between the Southern Ocean Observing System and European Marine Observations and Data Network Physics, free to use for anyone, from ocean science experts to classroom students. Currently hosting over 50,000 observations across multiple disciplines, SOOSmap is a gateway to physical, biogeochemical and ecological open access data. We describe the platform's architecture, user interface, and its role in facilitating data discovery, visualisation, and download. Furthermore, we contextualise SOOSmap within the broader polar data ecosystem and emphasise the importance of community engagement and data contribution for its continued growth and utility. By fostering open access and data sharing according to FAIR principles, SOOSmap aims to empower a wide range of stakeholders and ultimately improve our capacity to understand, predict, and respond to changes occurring in the Southern Ocean.
