An online digital ocean atlas for the Indian Ocean to study the impacts of climate change and variability on tuna fisheries

Resolution 24/01 of the IOTC, adopted at the 28th session of the Commission, calls for a better integration of ocean and climate change information in the development of conservation and management measures. In this context, a design for a digital ocean atlas (IODA) covering the area of competence of the IOTC is proposed. The atlas would produce interactively maps, time series, transects, space-time plots (hovmoller) and vertical profiles, from a set of 18 physical and biogeochemical oceanic variables, from surface to 900 m in depth. The set of functionalities of the IODA was enhanced by the feedback received at WPEB20 and WPTT26. Different options are discussed on the required datasets to optimize the disk space. A schedule for the development of the atlas project is presented, spanning approximately 6 months. The Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Department of Sri Lanka is candidate to host the server and deploy a dedicated IT team to perform the maintenance of the system and to have IODA running routinely. This proposal has matured during 2024 and is presented at the current session of the WPDCS20 for final discussions and endorsement, in order to be considered by the Scientific Committee in 2024 as a valuable project to develop in 2025.