National Capability

National capability enables the UK to deliver world-leading environmental science, support national strategic needs, and respond to emergencies. It includes the research and development activities which keeps this capability at the cutting-edge.

NERC provides national capability through support of:

  • Environmental surveys and monitoring
  • Shared services and facilities
  • Skills and expertise
  • Research infrastructure
  • Related training and knowledge exchange

NERC research centres, collaborative centres and other service and facilities providers, play a leading role for the UK in managing and delivering this capability.

In the area of marine research the NERC supported national capability encompasses

  • Major platforms
  • Observing and observing systems
  • Analysis, interpretation and modelling
  • Data and information archive/curation
  • Adding value (dissemination and engagement)

MAJOR PLATFORMS

Ocean Going Vessels

Research Vessels (RRS James Cook, RRS Discovery)

Research Vessels (RRS James Clark Ross, RRS Ernest Shackleton)

Subscriptions

Satellites (ESA subscription)

Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP)

OBSERVING AND OBSERVING SYSTEMS

Services and Facilities

Seagoing technical support

National Marine Equipment Pool (NMEP)

Marine Geophysics Facilities (both NERC and facilities provided by UK-Spanish barter partnership)

Deep Platforms Facility

Coastal vessel (RV Prince Madog)

Inshore vessels (SAMS, PML and MBA vessels)

NERC Facility for Scientific Diving (NFSD)

Long-term climate records from EO data sets

BAS services and facilities

Airborne Facilities

Technology

OCEANS 2025 Technology Development

Underwater Drilling and Coring Equipment Development

Sustained Ocean Observing

Open Ocean Observing Systems

Coastal Seas Observing Systems

Marine Mammal Survey

Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey

Seabed and Habitat Mapping (incl. GEBCO, UN Convention of the Law of the Sea, geological mapping)

ANALYSIS, INTERPRETATION & MODELLING

Facilities

NEODAAS EO Data Acquisition & Analysis Service

Community Models (incl.NEMO, ICOM, POLCOMS)

High Performance Computing (national and local)

Model validation and improvement

Marine Geological models

Other facilities

DATA & INFORMATION ARCHIVE/CURATION

Curation

British Ocean Sediment Core Research Facility (BOSCORF)

Culture Collection for Algae and Protozoa (CCAP)

Discovery Collections

NERC Earth Observation Data Centre

Marine Geoscience sample and data collections

Gilmerton Hydrocarbon core and data store

Data Management

British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC)

Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level (PSMSL)

BGS Marine Data Archive Centre

DEAL and National Hydrocarbons Data Archive

BAS marine data

ADDING VALUE (DISSEMINATION & ENGAGEMENT)

Integrating EO data in operational processes

Information Services

Marine Libraries

Coordination

National coordination (incl. NMCO, MSCC, IOC, Seabed mapping WG)

International Project Offices and coordination (incl. CLIVAR, GLOBEC, SOLAS, POGO, EuroGeoSurveys, IPY and EuroCoML)

Advice and International engagement

Based around key marine science disciplines

Advice to UK Government, Agencies and Devolved Administrations

Public Outreach for Marine National Capability
Interacting with EMODNET