Ocean Observation Archives

A photo snippet of MV Pharos at the dock.

A New SOOP Line in the Southern Ocean – MV Pharos

Down Under in the Southern Ocean, the TRICUSO team has achieved another great success with the implementation of a surface pCO₂ sensor – an underway system on the MV Pharos, enabling crucial measurements of the surface ocean’s uptake of carbon.

A world map of SOCONET platforms from SOCAT version 2026 indicated as red dots and light green lines. Pasted on the picture in the top right corner is a TRICUSO milestone badge displaying 'Milestone 27'.

Mapping the Global Fleet – Identifying SOCAT Platforms as the Foundation of SOCONET (M27)

Milestones
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The 2026 release of the Surface Ocean CO₂ Atlas (SOCAT) marks a landmark moment for ocean carbon science and for the TRICUSO project. With 44 million quality-controlled measurements now publicly available, SOCAT v2026 offers an unprecedented window into the health of the ocean carbon sink.

A world map showing the depth of the oceans (bathymetry) in a blue colour gradient. On the map some sites are indicated as well: one in green to the right of North America, a few in dark blue in the Southern Ocean, an orange line from Antarctica to Australia and a red site in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Pasted on the picture in the top right corner is a TRICUSO milestone badge displaying 'Milestone 11'.

Methodology to Define pCO₂ Fields from Multiple Research Infrastructures (M11)

Highlights
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For the first time, a new approach to characterise surface ocean pCO₂ variability using observations from multiple Research Infrastructures, which disentangles the anthropogenic and circulation-driven contributions to observed pCO₂ changes, has been successfully validated at reference ocean time-series stations and extended to the Southern Ocean.

NOC’s combined lab-on-chip TADIC sensor. Pasted on the picture in the top right corner is a TRICUSO milestone badge displaying 'Milestone 7'.

Lab-on-chip TADIC Sensor: Ready for Float Integration (M7)

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Partner NOC’s lab-on-chip technology miniaturises analytical laboratory methods into compact autonomous sensors. For this milestone, the focus has been on the TADIC sensor, which combines two carbonate-system measurements within a single autonomous lab-on-chip platform…

A portrait photo of Richard Sanders: a man with short grey hair wearing black squared glasses, the photo placed on top of a blue compass illustration.

From Manganese Nodules to Pan-Euro Projects: A Chat with Richard Sanders

In the game of ocean observation bingo, it’s fair to say Richard’s card is relatively full and yet somehow his capacity seemingly expands to accommodate new challenges. So, we thought the tide was in a good place to cast a few rounds of questions and learn a little more about Richard and his thoughts on TRICUSO as it hits its year two stride.

Thumbnail for the first TRICUSO project video. Episode 1: Expanding the capacity of observation in the Southern Ocean. In the background is the beautiful scenery of the floating ice on the Southern Ocean, snowy mountains and a blue sky.

TRICUSO Project Video – Episode One (M32)

Highlights
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TRICUSO’s first video showcases the beautiful scenery of the Antarctic region and focuses on early project stories. It features interviews with consortium scientists discussing the need to expand the capacity for observation in the Southern Ocean where an increase in data is needed to help address the discrepancy between data and models used for forecasting. The video also introduces the project’s ambitions to innovate sensor technology and engage the support of citizen science platforms—racing yachts and tourist vessels—sailing in the Southern Ocean.