EC-Marine Science & Technology Programme

Concerted Action (MAS3-CT98-0174/ERBIC20-CT98-0103)

MEDAR/MEDATLAS 2002MEDAR/MEDATLAS 2002 and future initiativesand future initiatives

Mediterranean Data Archaeology and Rescueof Temperature, Salinity and Bio-Chemical

Parameters

OBJECTIVES To compile and safeguard historical data. To make available comparable datasets.

− Common format.− Common protocol for quality checks.

To compute climatology for all the parameters.

To publish and disseminate observed data and climatology.

To enhance communication between scientists and data manager.

MEDAR GROUPMEDAR GROUP

MEDAR STRUCTUREMEDAR STRUCTURE

DATA BASE CONTENTDATA BASE CONTENT(PARAMETERS)

Parameter Nb of Profiles Parameter Nb of Profiles

Temperature

284 371 Nitrite 10 508

Salinity 118 009 Ammonium 5 239

Oxygen 44 928 Chlorophyll 4 672

Phosphate 20 761 Alkalinity 2 548

Silicate 15 920 Total Phosphorus

2 381

PH 14 512 H2S 1 843

Nitrate 10 572 Total Nitrogen

153

DATA BASE CONTENTDATA BASE CONTENT(DATA TYPE)

Data type Nb of Profiles in MEDATLAS 2002

(MEDATLAS 1997)

CTD 35 679(15 778)

Bottle 88 323(33 977)

MBT and XBT 161 848(156 474)

Thermistors 29(29)

TEMPERATURETEMPERATURE

SALINITYSALINITY

DISSOLVED OXYGENDISSOLVED OXYGEN

PHOSPHATEPHOSPHATE

CHLOROPHYLLCHLOROPHYLL

QUALITY CHECKSQCO : Automatic check of the formatQC1 : Automatic and visual check of the headers QC2 : Automatic and visual check of the data points

a quality flag to each numerical value (GTSPP flag scale)

0 1 2 3 4 5 9

No QC Correct Inconsistent Doubtful Bad Changed Missing

DATA QUALITYDATA QUALITY

GOOD FALSEDOUBTFULOUT OF STATISTICS NO QC

CLIMATOLOGYObjective analysis

Computation of Climatological Analysis by Variational Inverse Model (VIM) algorithms

Computation made on finite elements and then re-interpolated on a regular grid (0.2 degrees in Latitude and Longitude), with smaller scales for local computations

T, S and bio-chemical climatology reviewed by regional experts and modellers

http://modb.oce.ulg.ac.be/Medar

CLIMATOLOGY:CLIMATOLOGY: Numerical fields

+ 2500 horizontal sections, vertical sections and stations location

SOME EXAMPLESSOME EXAMPLES

SALINITY at 20m SALINITY at 20m DepthDepth

VERTICAL SECTIONSVERTICAL SECTIONS (2500 vertical sections and

surface zoom)

CD-ROM 4: climatology Black Sea + E-Mediterranean

CD-ROM 3: Climatology:Global + W-Mediterranean

DATA PRODUCTDATA PRODUCT(A set of 4 CD-ROMs)

CD-ROM 2: DatabaseObserved data + SELMED interface for extraction (according to various criteria), interpolation and visualization - export formats: MEDATLAS, CSV or ODV.

CD-ROM 1−HTML documentation

on the project and its results

−Cruise inventory−QCmedar

- ODV software

CLIMATOLOGYCLIMATOLOGYThe selected fields depends on data availability:• Annual , seasonal and monthly climatology

– Temperature, Salinity• Annual and seasonal

– Oxygen, Silicate, Phosphate – Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) in the Black Sea

• Annual only– Nitrate, Nitrite, pH, Ammonium, Alkalinity,

Chlorophyll• No climatology

– Total Phosphorus, Total Nitrogen

Results and further Results and further Requirements Requirements for an effective for an effective

management of oceanographic data of the management of oceanographic data of the Mediterranean & Black SeaMediterranean & Black Sea

MEDAR/MEDATLAS has set common protocols and practices for data handling for all the Mediterranean and Black Sea countries and MEDATLAS 2002 is presently the best available data base for the Mediterranean & BLack Seas, however we need further:

Regular collection, archive and dissemination of new physical and biochemical parameters, including recent cruises and RT data

Improve the QC of the non-physical parameters and the gridded data with better statistics,

Use of Internet capabilities and technologies for data disseminations

Enhanced international cooperation & capacity building activities.

TheThe

MEDBLACK-MEDBLACK-ODNODN

InitiativeInitiative

MEDBLACK-ODNMEDBLACK-ODNMain ObjectiveMain Objective

The main aim of the MEDBLACK-ODN initiative is to build an Oceanographic Data Network of the Mediterranean and Black Seas for making available, to a wide user community, a great diversity of fully quality controlled oceanographic data (delayed mode and near-real time mode) and data products, using Internet capabilities and other modern technologies.

MEDBLACK-ODNMEDBLACK-ODNConsortiumConsortium

Thirty-three (33) NODCs, DNAs and specialized laboratories from 26 countries of the Mediterranean, Black Sea and Europe.

World Data Centre - A (Oceanography), USA.

World Data Centre - B (Oceanography), Russia.

Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC).

International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).

International Ocean Institute (IOI).

MEDBLACK-ODN: Module 1MEDBLACK-ODN: Module 1

ManagementManagement Coordinator.

Steering Group, consisting of the modules leaders.

Technical Task Group, consisting of technical experts directly involved in the MEDBLACK-ODN system design and development.

External advisers.

MEDBLACK-ODN: Module 2MEDBLACK-ODN: Module 2

System Design and System Design and Tool-kit DevelopmentTool-kit DevelopmentSystem design [user requirements, definition of

the functional specifications, design of global architecture, design of physical and logical components (navigator and integrators), design of the XML exchange protocol and the data dictionary.

System development (development of the navigator and the integrators).

System integration and test (integration of the system components).

System exploitation and maintenance (compilation of users feedback, documentation).

MEDBLACK-ODN: Module 3MEDBLACK-ODN: Module 3

National Data National Data AcquisitionAcquisition

Identify data holding Institutes, etc.Data and meta-data requests to data holding institutes.Develop/update national cruise and/or mooring

inventories.Code data and meta-data into common MEDATLAS

format.Perform first level data and meta-data quality control.Check for duplicates.Pass over the assembled data set to the responsible

regional Data Centre.

MEDBLACK-ODN: Module 4MEDBLACK-ODN: Module 4

Regional Data Regional Data AssemblingAssembling Assemble regional data in an integrated data set.

Check meta-data to avoid duplicates. Develop/update regional inventories of cruises/moorings

(ROSCOP) and data sets (EDMED). Send simplified data and information to the data

originating countries. Send regional cruise/moorings inventory to WDC-B

(Russia). Send regionally assembled data set to the global

assembling Data Centre. Archive comprehensive data sets and maintain them on

computer medium (RDBMS) to be accessible by end users through the MEDBLACK-ODN navigator system.

Load regional database in the MEDBLACK-ODN system using common tool-kit developed.

MEDBLACK-ODN: Module 5MEDBLACK-ODN: Module 5

Data Quality AssuranceData Quality Assurance Investigate and document quality control standards for

all data types, with special attention to bio-chemicals and pollutants and comparability between coastal and deep sea stations.

Advice on suitability of data sets of uncertain quality. Prepare and update a Quality Control protocol manual. Design specification for automatic QC checks for

distributed system (XML-based). Establish and run training courses with respect to QC

issues. Overview the data parameters definition required for

the distributed system to ensure that adequate account is taken of QC issues.

Quality control the climatology and products produced by the consortium.

MEDBLACK-ODN: Module 6MEDBLACK-ODN: Module 6

Near-Real Time Data Near-Real Time Data AccessAccess

Design and develop of MEDBLACK-ODN interface with near real time data systems which are disseminated on the Global Transmission System (GTS) or managed under several international or national, deep sea and coasstal GOOS related Programmes, like MFSPP/MFSTEP, ARGO/CORIOLIS, POSEIDON, ADRICOSM, MAREL, etc.

MEDBLACK-ODN: Module 7MEDBLACK-ODN: Module 7

Data ProductsData Products Where possible: mean, decadal,

seasonal, montly gridded data and maps at basin scale, regional scale and shelf scale.

Feedback of data quality and availability to the data providers.

General geostatistical indicators for the Mediterranean and Black Sea

Publication on appropriate media (CDrom/DVD) of data, products and documentation.

MEDBLACK-ODN: Module 8MEDBLACK-ODN: Module 8

Capacity Building, Capacity Building, Dissemination and Dissemination and

PromotionPromotion Assist to the development of national human and infrastructural capacity to effectively implement the MEDBLACK-ODN at national and regional level.

Develop, disseminate and provide training on relevant software tools for data processing.

Develop website/portal for distributed management and dissemination of information and products of the MEDBLACK-ODN.

Develop relevant public awareness products (leaflets, brochures, posters, etc.)

MEDBLACK-ODN: Module 9MEDBLACK-ODN: Module 9

Future Update and Future Update and DevelopmentDevelopment

Estimate the socio-economic importance of data availability and to get feedback and guidance from the users community for further development of the MEDBLACK-ODN structure.

Plan and establish a mechanism for a permanent maintenance of the MEDBLACK-ODN system and its regular update.

Make a plan for its further development taking into account the progress made in the development/improvement of various national data management structures.

CONCLUSIONSCONCLUSIONS A wide international cooperation on oceanographic data and

information management of the Mediterranean and Black Seas enabled the development of:• the most complete and internationally available, data base for the Mediterranean

and Black Seas.• common standards and protocols for data handling across the region.• the MEDATLAS format, which has become one of the most useful, flexible and

commonly used oceanographic data format anywhere on the Globe.• a network, which during the last few years has been one of the most active

networks, on data management, in the world. Future activities on data management of the Mediterranean

and Black Sea should include:• Regular updates of the MEDAR/MEDATLAS data base, including the collection,

quality control, archive and dissemination of additional data types (e.g., biogeochemical data, long time series, etc.).

• Development of a distributed data management system, for dissemination of delayed mode and near-real time data, using Internet capabilities and new technologies.

• Continuation of the standardisation issues and quality assurance for chemicals and gridded data.