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DQULIQUEN, 5.’, CARVAL, T.', TAROT, 5.', SZEKELY, T.?, GOURRION, J.?, LIEN, V.°, LINDERS, J.*, 
TAMM, S5.°, DE ALFONSO, M °, PERIVOLIS, L.’, MARINOVA, V.°, ROTLAN, P.°, TINTORE, J.°, 
WEDHE, H.?, MADER, J.’°, PFEIL, B.'', VERBRUGGE, N. ’? 
'IFREMER, Plouzane, France, *OceanScope, Brest, France, #IMR, Bergen, Norway, *“SHMI, Stockholm, Sweden, °BSH, Hamburg, Germany, 
Puertos Del Estado, Madrid, Spain, /HCMR, Athens, Greece, °IOBAS, Varna, Bulgaria, ’SOCIB, Mallorca, Spain, '°AZTI, San Sebastian, Spain, ''UiB 
Bergen, Norway, '’?Puertos Del Estado, Madrid, Spain. 
According to international and European strategies (e.g., 
G00S, EuroG0O0S ROO0Ses, EO0S; Le Traon et al., 2019; Tanhua 
et al., 2019), Copernicus Marine Service In Situ Thematic 
Assembly Centre (TAC) provides scientifically-robust 
oceanographic data to support ocean health, climate change 
and operational ocean services. Collecting and integrating in 
situ observations from various platforms (e.g., profiling floats, 
gliders, drifters, saildrones, research vessels, ferry boxes, 
fixed stations, tides gauges, marine animals, high-frequency 
radars), In Situ TAC delivers a comprehensive set of physical 
and biogeochemical ocean parameters at local, regional and 
global scales, covering polar and coastal regions. 
These multi-platform data are quality-controlled in both 
delayed mode and near-real time for the global ocean and 
the six European Seas, composing a reliable multi-scale and 
multi-variate in situ observational dataset from 1950 to 
present. In Situ TAC focuses on parameters that are asked 
and relevant to users as well as necessary for Copernicus 
Monitoring and Forecasting Centres (MFC) namely: 
temperature, salinity, sea level, currents, waves, carbon, 
Chlorophyll, fluorescence, oxygen, nutrients (full list of 
parameters is available here). The integration of in situ data 
into a unique database and then to the Copernicus Marine 
catalogue requires the definition and use of standard 
formats and agreed quality control procedures. Both must 
bein line with what is done at the international and European 
levels by the in situ research community and with what is 
requested by Mercator Ocean International for Copernicus. 
Handling of in situ observations are also impacted by the 
measurement techniques and depends on the wide range of 
sensors that have been used to acquire them, which adds 
dimensions of complexity. About 7000 multi-parameter 
platforms from more than 300 observational institutions are 
integrated every month representing more than 45 000 
platforms over 70 years managed by the In Situ TAC. About 
70% of platforms provide temperature, 40% salinity, around 
10% waves, sea level, currents or biogeochemica 
Darameters. 
1. MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS 
FROM 2015 TO 2021 
In Situ TAC is not operating In situ platforms. Then, close 
collaboration with operators of ocean observing systems has 
always been crucial. It implies to define clear interfaces with all 
actors across GOOS global networks (Argo, OceanSites, DBCP. 
SOT/S0OOP, OceanGliders, GOSHIP), the EuroGO0OS ROO0Ses in 
regional seas and small data providers with their valuable data 
In Situ TAC evolved from a data integrator performing data 
gathering and homogenisation in 2015 to a product 
provider for both forecasting (NRT) and reanalysis (REP) 
activities. Main achievements (Figure 1) have been: 
- Implementation of additional quality assessment on 
data collected around the world, 
- development in partnership with EuroG0O0S, EMODnet 
and SeaDataNet of closer collaboration with operators 
of the in situ observing system in Europe, 
coordinated actions at the three main integrators level for 
European observations (3 Memorandum of Understanding 
signed) of data standardisation, enhancement of Quality 
Control (QC) procedures and feedback to providers on 
anomalies detected or data usage, 
deep involvement in users support through training 
and outreach activities organised by Mercator Ocean 
International with material presently avallable from In 
Situ TAC www site