Dickson¹, Andrew G., and Yukihiro Nojiri²

¹Scripps Institution of Oceanography (UCSD), La Jolla, USA, E-mail: adickson@ucsd.edu, and ²National Institute for Environmental Sciences, Tsukuba, Japan

Future coordination of carbon cycle activities: the role of PICES Working Group 17 for the North Pacific Ocean

Working Group 17 of PICES on Biogeochemical Data Integration and Synthesis was set up in 2002 to achieve a variety of tasks that are both a clear legacy of the JGOFS / WOCE era as well as a vision for the future. Some of the goals of this group are to:

1. Develop a North Pacific database for ocean CO₂ and related parameters in association with existing data centers. Advise data centers which of the available historical data sets should be assigned a high priority for acquisition and conversion to an electronically readable form.

2. Prepare a written guide of best practices for oceanic CO₂ measurements and data reporting. Carry out, as needed, inter-laboratory method comparisons to assure future measurement quality. Encourage the availability of suitable reference materials.

3. Develop a strategy to co-ordinate the planning of future North Pacific measurement programs.

These tasks are underway. Work is in progress at MIRC (Tokyo, Japan) to prepare an inventory of Japanese CO₂ data in the North Pacific that also incorporates information about Canadian and U. S. cruises. The highest priority for the coming year is the preparation of a written guide of best practices for oceanic CO₂ measurements and data reporting. In future years we will emphasize the need for the international coordination that is required to attain the scientific information that is needed about the ocean carbon cycle and its response to climate changes, and work to consolidate the co-operation between PICES countries that was initiated during the JGOFS/WOCE era.