The journey of standardizing water mass acronyms began in 2001 at the 36th CIESM Congress in Monaco, where initial guidelines were developed through broad discussions among experts.
This effort resumed in 2022, with the CIESM C2 Committee, revisiting and expanding on this work. After comprehensive reviews—including hybrid meetings in August and October 2022—scientists finalized the revised catalogue by the end of 2024, marking the official conclusion of this critical project.
The results, now published in the Journal Mediterranean Marine Science, provide a standardized, consistent framework for naming Mediterranean water masses—advancing clarity and collaboration across the oceanographic community.
You can download the article here.
Congratulations to all contributors for their dedication to advancing Mediterranean science over two decades!
