SOCCO is a South African integrated science and innovation programme in support of the Department of Science and Innovation’s (DSI) Decadal and Strategic Plans. The Southern Ocean plays a critical role in both regional and global climate through its influence on global carbon and heat uptake and storage.
SOCCO builds on South Africa’s comparative geographical advantage to improve long-term projections of the Southern Ocean carbon-climate system for informed adaptation planning and decision-making that will meet society’s urgent need for robust and actionable climate risk management. In so doing, SOCCO aims to strengthen South Africa’s impact as a global citizen with a clear commitment to ocean and climate stewardship.
SOCCO Science, Innovation and Knowledge Landscape
The SOCCO science, innovation and knowledge landscape: adding societal value and addressing national and international priorities. This figure highlights the international landscape within which SOCCO operates: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS), World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR), Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS), Global Carbon Project (GCP), Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR), Surface Ocean CO₂ Atlas (SOCAT), Global Ocean Data Analysis Project (GLODAP) and Ocean metabolism and nutrient cycles on a changing planet - BIOGEOSCAPES.
It similarly highlights the National strategies and plans that frame and inform the direction of our science and innovation strategy to achieve maximum societal impact, namely the: Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) Decadal plan and Strategic Plan 2020-2025, National Development Plan (NDP), South African Marine and Antarctic Research Strategy (MARS), Presidential Climate Commission (PCC), Antarctic and Southern Ocean Strategy (ASOS), South African Research Infrastructure Roadmap (SARIR), Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE).
SOCCO Team
SOCCO is an interdisciplinary Earth System Science programme with a balance of strong domain depth and a capacity to jointly engage in ocean-climate science using a combination of expertise in both ocean observations and modelling. SOCCO, through its innovative approaches to tackle one of the most significant scientific challenges to date, understanding the central role of the Southern Ocean for climate, attracts many excellent young South Africans to produce a new generation of graduates (science and engineering) with the skills required to address the challenges of the 21st century. The SOCCO programme builds capabilities through earth science, big data, robotics, computer science and technical engineering which are all essential for the future digital world that requires a skilled and capable workforce for a knowledge based economy and knowledge society.
National strategic partners are a key part of the strength of SOCCO. These partnerships are of mutual benefit and long lasting and allow us to grow both our science reach and human capacity to address the broad objectives of our integrated science and innovation strategy.
International Leadership and visibility
SOCCO researchers have a well established impact in international ocean - climate science leadership bodies contributing scientists, science, data and data based products to many international initiatives. SOCCO is also active in the realm of ‘science diplomacy’, which is critical in a world where there is renewed interest in the role of the oceans in global climate.
