J-SCOPE provides short-term (six- to nine-month) forecasts of ocean conditions that are testable and relevant to management decisions for fisheries, protected species, and ecosystem health. Integrated Ecosystem Assessments (IEAs) offer a framework for informing ecosystem-based management, which aims to take into account interactions among ecosystem components and managed sectors, as well as cumulative impacts of a wide spectrum of ocean-use sectors.

The forecasts are issued by the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean (JISAO), which has existed since 1977 for the purpose of fostering research collaboration between the University of Washington and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. JISAO's research is at the forefront of investigations on climate change, ocean acidification, fisheries assessments, and tsunami forecasting.