FIX03 at Oceanology International

15 March 2016 –

Marine Technology and Services Sector Role in the Blue Economy

15 March 2016 10:00 – 17:00 South Gallery, Room 12

Costs and Benefits of Multidisciplinary Fixed-Point Ocean Observations

13:15-13:40 – Dr Luisa Cristini, FixO3 Project Manager, National Oceanography Centre

Eulerian or fixed-point observatories are an essential component of the global ocean observing system as they provide several unique features that cannot be found in other systems and are therefore complementary to them. In addition they provide a unique opportunity for multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary work, combining physical, chemical and biological observations on several time scales. As the benefits of sustained ocean observations are often unclear because they seem not to produce products of direct relevance to society, the analysis of the benefits deriving from ocean observatories products is useful to clarify the value of these data and services.

Recognizing that a full estimate of the cost incurred for operating a fixed-point ocean observatory is difficult, as is an assessment of the economic benefits deriving from Eulerian observations, in this paper we want to:

1. Emphasise the rationale behind Eulerian time series monitoring essential ocean variables (EOVs).
2. Provide an estimate of the costs for a typical fixed-point observatory
3. Examine the value of services and products derived from Eulerian ocean observations