We are excited to share with you an important document describing the first operational steps to implement the reference-quality measurements of the Surface Ocean CO₂ Observing Network (SOCONET-Tier 1). SOCONET-Tier 1 is the observational cornerstone for surface ocean fCO₂w observations to quantify sea-air CO₂ fluxes with sustained delivery of reference quality datasets in support of efforts such as the Global Carbon Budget, Global Greenhouse Gas Watch and other assessments and activities.

The authors provide the practical considerations to establish uniform presentation, documentation, and (meta)data delivery. The document incorporates ideas and common practices in place by established operators with the goal of providing a unified outward-facing presence of the entities providing high-quality measurements. It provides the first practical implementation steps with the recognition that several other critical activities need to take place to implement SOCONET, including network design, establishing formal cooperation agreements; industry, academic, and (multi)-government partnerships; and technology development. Considerations outlined in this document are a subset of much broader requirements setting that will be developed in a form of a SOCONET Implementation Plan overseen by SOCONET under the coordination of IOCCP.

Please download the document here: https://zenodo.org/records/15681842