SWIRE NOCS Ocean Monitoring System

Welcome

Data are collected by the MV Pacific Celebes shown in this picture

Welcome to the SWIRE NOCS Ocean Monitoring System (SNOMS) project, an innovative programme helping to answer important questions about global climate change.

In 2006, the Swire Group Charitable Trust provided funding to develop and install a system on the MV Pacific Celebes of The China Navigation Company to measure carbon dioxide (CO2) in the oceans. They continue to support  the project which links the National Oceanography Centre, the University of Southampton in the UK and the University of Xiamen in China with the rest of the global scientific community involved in these measurements.

The oceans are important. They are the cradle of life on Earth. They cover 70% of the Earth’s surface and contain 97% of the biosphere by volume. Climate change is recognised as one of the most significant environmental challenges facing humankind and the oceans are a key component in regulating the Earth’s climate system.

The National Oceanography Centre, Southampton and Swire are leading a pioneering effort to capture data from remote areas of the globe where the oceans’ interaction with the atmosphere is largely unknown.  By utilising ocean-monitoring equipment installed on Swire’s cargo ship the MV Pacific Celebes, we are helping to address a serious shortfall in our understanding of the impact that CO2 has on the oceans.  The research from this partnership will have wider implications for helping us to understand and eventually to mitigate the factors that may contribute to global climate change.

We extend our appreciation to Swire for their generous support.  We invite other industry partners to contact us if they would like to learn more about supporting this innovative programme.