NOC contributes to a new free online course

Satellite oceanographers at NOC have contributed to a new massive open online course, or MOOC. The course launch is timed to coincide with wider release of data from Sentinel-3, the dedicated ocean satellite launched earlier this year.

Dr Val Byfield from the NOC said “Satellite oceanographers at NOC have contributed to the development of some of the data products available from this satellite, and we are delighted to also make a contribution to this course - which shows some of the many ways in which satellite data can deliver valuable information to many different users.

Over the past three decades satellite observations have revolutionised understanding of the ocean. They allow us to monitor the ocean day after day, year after year with a detail that cannot be obtained in any other way. This exciting on-line course shows clearly how satellite oceanography can provide information of value to anyone with an interest in the marine environment or the ocean’s role in regulating climate around the world.”

The course is presented by physicist, oceanographer and BBC science presenter Dr Helen Czerski, from University College London and marine Earth observation scientist Dr Hayley Evers-King, of Plymouth Marine Laboratory.

NOC has contributed to all the main themes of the course: how satellites help monitor the ocean currents that transport heat to high latitudes; how events like the Pacific El Niño can bring floods or droughts to regions far away; how satellites can measure sea level rise, coastal flooding, wind and waves, delivering essential information for shipping, off-shore, and sustainable energy industries; how the satellite data are used to monitor oil spills and other marine pollution, as well as to deliver information to support emergency response.”

The five week MOOC, due to start on the 24th of October, will be provided through the online learning platform FutureLearn and registrations are now open at www.futurelearn.com/courses/oceans-from-space.