Ocean Observing and Climate
LSLTOC Theme 3 - Developing Skills in Pre-Operational Oceanography:
a focus on the Atlantic Margin
Operational oceanography in the North-East Atlantic, in which datasets from routine monitoring networks are automatically assimilated into accurate ocean circulation models to produce reliable forecasts of the changing state of the ocean, has huge potential benefits for Europe. It will support and improve the performance of existing maritime industries and services (such as the fisheries, leisure, shipping, and offshore industries), and lead to better decision making and management of the environment. This is why NERC has identified pre-operational research (the skills which will enhance the operational networks in the near future) in the seas around the UK (the "Atlantic Margin") as a key research area.
The aim of the present theme is therefore to develop new skills for pre-operational oceanography in this region within the context of the developing plans for EUROGOOS, GOOS and GCOS. This includes the development and use of autonomous instrumentation and monitoring techniques, increasing the usefulness of existing climatological datasets, and data assimilation and other model studies. Particular regions of interest are the Rockall Trough, the Iceland Basin, and the Iceland Faroes Front. In addition, through the Argo float programme we are contributing more generally to routine observations in the entire North Atlantic.
For more information about the UK contribution to GOOS, see the UK GOOS Action Group website.
