NOC at OceanObs’19

Scientists from the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) are attending the OceanObs’19 conference in Hawaii this week. OceanObs’19 is a community-driven conference that brings people together from all over the planet to improve the governance of a global ocean observing system.

Ahead of this conference, a number of research papers were published featuring NOC scientists in the OceanObs’ special addition of the journal Frontiers in Marine Science. Below is a brief summary of some of these.

Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation: Observed transports and variability

Working alongside collaborators, NOC scientists outlined a consistent, comprehensive and future-proof method for observing the Atlantic Meridional Ocean Current (AMOC), to deepen understanding of its role in global climate.

Click here to read a copy of the paper.

SKIM, a Candidate Satellite Mission Exploring Global Ocean Currents and Waves

A potential satellite mission, designed to reveal the transport of heat in the tropics, freshwater in the Arctic, and plankton or plastics everywhere with unprecedented resolution, is outlined in a research paper involving NOC scientists.

For the first time, this Sea surface KInematics Multiscale monitoring (SKIM) satellite mission could directly measure ocean surface current vectors from space.

Click here to read a copy of the paper.

Seafloor Mapping – The Challenge of a Truly Global Ocean Bathymetry

Best practice examples for bathymetry data collection are outlined in a paper involving NOC scientists, which also gives recommendations towards future seafloor mapping and achieving the goal of a truly global ocean bathymetry.

Only a small fraction of the seafloor has been systematically mapped by direct measurement. The remaining bathymetry is predicted from satellite altimeter data, providing only an approximate estimation of the shape of the seafloor. Improved global bathymetry data have the potential to play a pivotal role in managing the world’s oceans.

Currently several global and regional initiatives are underway to change this situation, including the Nippon Foundation-GEBCO (The General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans) Seabed 2030 Project that complements and leverages these initiatives and promotes international collaboration and partnership.

Click here to read a copy of the paper.

Requirements for a Coastal Hazards Observing System

A white paper, involving contributions from several NOC scientists, identified a number of ocean observations, taken from space, that are needed in the near future to better understand changes affecting world coastal zones and to provide crucial information to decision-makers involved in adaptating to and mitigating environmental risks.

Click here to read a copy of the paper.

Evolving and Sustaining Ocean Best Practices and Standards for the Next Decade

A research paper involving NOC scientists lays out a future vision of how current systems of ocean best practices will contribute to improving ocean observing in the decade to come.

Click here to read a copy of the paper.