The oceans have a major impact on global geophysical processes of the Earth. Non-tidal changes in oceanic currents and ocean-bottom pressure have been shown to be a major source of polar motion excitation and also measurably change the length of the day. The changing mass distribution of the oceans causes the Earth's gravitational field to change and causes the center-of-mass of the oceans to change which in turn causes the center-of-mass of the solid Earth to change. The changing mass distribution of the oceans also changes the load on the oceanic crust, thereby affecting both the vertical and horizontal position of observing stations located near the oceans. Recognizing the important role that non-tidal oceanic processes play in Earth rotation dynamics and terrestrial reference frame definition, the International Earth Rotation Service, now known as the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS), created a Special Bureau for the Oceans in order to facilitate research into these and other solid Earth geophysical processes affected by the oceans.

The IERS Special Bureau for the Oceans (SBO) is one of seven Special Bureaus of the IERS Global Geophysical Fluids Center (GGFC) which was established on January 1, 1998 in order to help relate dynamical properties of the atmosphere, oceans, mantle, and core to motions of the Earth, including its rotation. In particular, the IERS Special Bureau for the Oceans is responsible for collecting, calculating, analyzing, archiving, and distributing data relating to non-tidal changes in oceanic processes affecting the Earth's rotation, deformation, gravitational field, and geocenter.

Through the IERS SBO web site, oceanic data can be downloaded and a bibliography of publications pertaining to the effect of the oceans on the solid Earth can be obtained. Additional information about the IERS Special Bureau for the Oceans can be found in an unpublished manuscript available here and in the SBO chapter of IERS Technical Note 30 (Proceedings of the IERS Workshop on Combination Research and Global Geophysical Fluids).