1. Cape Verde Observatory workshop
Report of breakout discussion group 3.
Tuesday 9th January 2007
Chair: Tim Jickells
Rapporteur: Richard Lampitt
Long Term monitoring in the tropical ocean

2. Key Scientific Questions:
What is the influence of dust input and variability on productivity and the way this ultimately affects fisheries?
Fisheries are changing: What is the balance between the factors affecting these changes? Viz. Global environmental change or local fishing pressure.
What controls productivity and biodiversity in the tropics?
What are the characteristic scales of temporal variability for the parameters of interest? (Spatial variability is obviously of crucial relevance).

3. Instrumental aspects
Uncertainties associated with remotely sensed data? (eg relevance of DCM)
Balance between ship-based measurements and those using autonomous sensors. Different temporal resolution (hours or weeks) and capability (eg DNA can not be measured autonomously)

4. Other issues:
It is important to establish a coastal observation system. Very little discussion about what this should comprise.
On CV the local artisanal fishery is crucially important to the community with only small industrial and open ocean sectors. The factors affecting these fisheries will be different from those affecting open ocean fisheries and studies should therefore reflect local priorities.
Data management and use must be effective, efficient and appropriate for local and international needs (Breakout group 4).