IBI-ROOS Plan: Iberia Biscay Ireland Regional Operational … · 2010. 1. 15. · Martin Holt Met...

IBI-ROOS Plan:Iberia Biscay Ireland Regional

Operational Oceanographic System 2006–2010

The EuroGOOS Iberia Biscay Ireland Task Team:

Co-chairs Sylvie Pouliquen1 and Alicia Lavín2

1. IFREMER, Brest, France2. IEO, Santander, Spain

EuroGOOS Personnel

EuroGOOS Publications

Secretariat Hans Dahlin (Director) EuroGOOS Office, SMHI, SwedenPatrick Gorringe (Project Manager) EuroGOOS Office, SMHI, SwedenSiân Petersson (Office Manager) EuroGOOS Office, SMHI, Sweden

Chair Peter Ryder

Board Sylvie Pouliquen Ifremer, FranceEnrique Alvarez Fanjul Puertos del Estado, SpainKostas Nittis HCMR, GreeceBertil Håkansson SMHI, SwedenJan H Stel NWO, NetherlandsMartin Holt Met Office, UKGlenn Nolan Marine Institute, IrelandKlaus-Peter Kolterman IOC UNESCO

Task Team Chairs Stein Sandven Arctic Task TeamErik Buch Baltic Task Team/BOOSSylvie Pouliquen/Alicia Lavín Iberia Biscay Ireland Task Team/IBI-ROOSNadia Pinardi Mediterranean Task Team/MOONMartin Holt North West Shelf Task Team/NOOS

1. Strategy for EuroGOOS 1996 ISBN 0-904175-22-72. EuroGOOS Annual Report 1996 ISBN 0-904175-25-13. The EuroGOOS Plan 1997 ISBN 0-904175-26-X4. The EuroGOOS Marine Technology Survey ISBN 0-904175-29-45. The EuroGOOS Brochure 19976. The Science Base of EuroGOOS ISBN 0-904175-30-87. Proceedings of the Hague Conference, 1997, Elsevier ISBN 0-444-82892-38. The EuroGOOS Extended Plan ISBN 0-904175-32-49. The EuroGOOS Atlantic Workshop Report ISBN 0-904175-33-210. EuroGOOS Annual Report 1997 ISBN 0-904175-34-011. Mediterranean Forecasting System Report ISBN 0-904175-35-9 12. Requirements Survey Analysis ISBN 0-904175-36-713. The EuroGOOS Technology Plan Working Group ISBN 0-904175-37-514. The BOOS Plan 1999-2003 ISBN 0-904175-41-315. Bio-ecological Observations in OO ISBN 0-904175-43-X16. Operational Ocean Observations from Space ISBN 0-904175-44-817. Proceedings of the Rome Conference 1999, Elsevier ISBN 0-444-50391-918. NOOS—Strategic Plan ISBN 0-904175-46-419. Proceedings of the Athens Conference 2002, Elsevier ISBN 0-444-51550-X20. The EuroGOOS Brochure 200421. The Policy Basis of the “Ecosystem Approach” to Fisheries Management ISBN 91-974828-1-122. The Arctic Ocean and the Need for an Arctic GOOS ISBN 91-974828-0-323. Proceedings of the Brest Conference, 2005, European Commission ISBN 92-894-9788-224. IBI-ROOS Plan: Iberia Biscay Ireland Regional Operational Oceanographic

System 2006–2010ISBN 91-974828-3-8

Contents1 Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.1 Rationale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.2 User needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.2.1 A real-time observation system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.2.2 Recreational users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.2.3 The scientific community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.2.4 Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.2.5 Fisheries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.2.6 Disasters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.2.7 Eutrophication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.2.8 Alien species . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.2.9 Aquaculture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.2.10 Accidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.2.11 Water quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.2.12 Coastal protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.2.13 Energy production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.2.14 Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.3 Modelling potential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.4 Current situation in the area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61.5 Objectives of the task team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61.6 Links with other programmes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71.7 Implementation plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

2 Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92.1 Oceanographic characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92.1.1 Definition of the region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92.1.2 Bottom topography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92.1.3 Meteorology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92.1.4 River runoff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102.1.5 Sea level, waves and tides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102.1.6 Water masses and circulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102.1.7 Synthesis of main oceanographic characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122.2 Marine activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122.2.1 Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132.2.2 Ecosystem management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132.2.3 Environmental protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132.2.4 Coastal management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132.2.5 Recreation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132.2.6 Fisheries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132.2.7 Harmful Algal Blooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

3 Existing Systems in the IBI-ROOS Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153.2 Existing activities and observation platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153.2.1 Water level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153.2.2 Wind, waves and surface circulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173.2.3 Hydrological variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173.2.4 Synoptic sea-surface fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173.2.5 River runoff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183.2.6 Currents in the water column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183.2.7 Hazardous substances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183.2.8 Primary production, harmful algal blooms and zooplankton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183.2.9 Fisheries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

3.3 Existing modelling activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193.3.1 Circulation models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203.3.2 Storm surge modelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223.3.3 Wave modelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

4 Future Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244.1 Requirements for IBI-ROOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244.2 A coordinated observing system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254.3 From regional to coastal modelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254.4 Fisheries and their impacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274.5 Plan for accidental pollution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284.6 Oceanographic control of HAB events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304.7 Water quality services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324.8 Plan for sea level application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324.9 Data management and exchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

5 Action Plan for IBI-ROOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355.1 Strategic development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355.2 Priority projects for IBI-ROOS (2007-2009) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

6 Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388 Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Annex 1: Existing Observations in the IBI-ROOS Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Annex 2: Existing Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

IBI-ROOS Plan: Iberia Biscay Ireland Regional Operational Oceanographic System 2006–2010 1

1.1 RationaleThe ocean and shelf sea characteristics of the IberiaBiscay Ireland Regional Operational Oceano-graphic System (IBI-ROOS) region have a greatinfluence on the societal status of the populationliving in the bordering countries and theireconomies. A large proportion of the population inthe IBI-ROOS area lives in areas influenced by theAtlantic. Air and ground transportation, heating,construction, sports and leisure, health, etc. are alsoaffected.

The Eastern North Atlantic shelf and slopes arelarge European fisheries. Ocean temperature is oneof the key variables that influence fisheries, andfish stocks seem to migrate northwards as the seasurface temperature increases (Drinkwater et al.,2004). Lately fish stocks in the IBI-ROOS areahave started to suffer significant decreases.Monitoring of the ocean environment is animportant element in the management of fisheriesresources. Fish demand is increasing, the number offisheries is decreasing, and aquaculture is facingmultiple challenges. Growth rates and mortality atthe aquaculture sites depend critically on temper-ature profiles, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyllconcentrations (phytoplankton), and ambient flowconditions. This information is therefore importantin site selection and the granting of licences. Bothregulatory agencies and individual aquaculturistshave great interest in reliable and synoptic recordsof these data being supplied by operationalservices.

Aquaculture and fish farming have great value andpotential in the region. France and Spain producemore than 20000 tons/year of mainly molluscs, andIreland and Portugal have a large potential.Changes in sea surface temperature, salinity,chlorophyll, and storm development influence thisproduction. On the other hand, the aquaculturepractices affect the environment where they arecarried out. Moreover, a major problem is thedevelopment of Harmful Algal Blooms. HABs area serious problem, with an impact on developmentand sustainable aquaculture; for example during the1990s the French Atlantic coast had a total of 4275closure days in mussel harvesting(Ifremer/Quadridge Databasehttp://www.ifremer.fr/envlit/). Monitoring of HABs

is carried out in all European countries butwhenever the problems induced are due to oceanicprocesses, the prediction of HABs is an achievablegoal, enabling producers to implement counter-measures at the local scale (mitigation or earlyharvesting).

Tanker transportations of oil and gas from theOrient follow the IBI-ROOS coast from SouthAfrica and the Strait of Gibraltar, carrying morethan 400 million tons a year. This transportation isincreasing, bringing an associated increased risk ofaccidents and damage to the environment. Therecent Prestige accident (2002) was a terribleexample, and is just one of a large number ofincidents. Accidents in such as strong dynamic areaaffect a very wide expanse of coastline. Among thescenarios of global change, increased strong windevents or storms heighten the danger of theseaccidents and a quick response is vital to preventand reduce environmental risk.

New uses of maritime areas are underdevelopment — harbours and ship construction,aquaculture development, wind farms, mining,etc. — and have to be clearly regulated andenvironmentally safe. The IBI-ROOS area can haverough weather which calls for improved operationalmonitoring and forecasting systems in order tosafeguard all types of maritime or coastal opera-tions. The operational services should also includelong-term data archiving.

Extreme events such as big storms and floodinghave a major economic and social impact.Improved prediction can reduce damage andincrease confidence in the operational systems.Maritime transportation, fishing, aquaculture andtourism are strongly affected by these events, aswell as the large population living on the coast.

Recent studies show that the ocean climate of the20th century has undergone major fluctuations,characterised by a significant warming over the lasttwo decades. An increase in the intensity andfrequency of strong wind episodes has also beendetected. Global warming is supposed to influenceOcean Thermohaline Circulation and manifesta-tions of its slowing have been detected recently inthe Atlantic (Bryden et al., 2005). These changessuggest that the East Atlantic region together withthe Northern North Atlantic may be one of the more

1 Executive Summary

Executive Summary2

affected areas and a lot of attention should be givento this problem. Warming of the upper watersduring the last century was detected by Planque etal. (2003) and an intensification of this trend wasdetected in upper and intermediate waters for thelast decade by Gonzalez-Pola et al. (2005). Also thesea level trend is moving upwards for most of thearea (Tel, 2005).

The IBI-ROOS area has strong interannual varia-bility and it is strongly influenced by modes ofatmospheric variability such as the North AtlanticOscillation (NAO), depending on the latitude.Improved monitoring systems are needed toprovide consistent and long-term data on oceancirculation. Monitoring systems should have acentral role in detection and verification of climatevariability and trends.

The European Union is developing a MarineFramework Directive and has adopted a greenpaper on Maritime Policy, asking for coordinationbetween member states that share marine areas.IBI-ROOS encompasses a large area of the NorthEast Atlantic covered by this directive. Coordi-nation in this task will safeguard the necessity offuture developments and the IBI-ROOS devel-opment will contribute towards assessing therequired state of the ecosystems.

The key issue for the establishment of an opera-tional oceanographic observing system in the IBI-ROOS region is integration and further devel-opment of the existing observational systems anddata sets. The objective is to maximise their utilityfor the specific purpose for which they have beenoriginally designed and, by combining data setswith further stages of modelling and forecasting, tomake them available for other relevant purposesand user groups. The combination of data types intoa single system will enable higher resolution inmodels, faster delivery of products, and longerforecast horizons.

The existing observing systems should adapt andintegrate new technologies to make observationsmore complete, more effective and moreaffordable, and the data infrastructure andmanagement system should be complementary toexisting systems and attuned to multiple sources ofdata and their multiple uses. Ocean observations inthe IBI-ROOS region require more effective co-ordination between institutes and countries.

1.2 User needsLike most coastal waters of Europe, the IBI areasupports a myriad of socio-economically importantactivities. It is a busy commercial highway, aproductive aquaculture area, a bountiful source ofwild stock, and in some parts an extraordinaryrecreational domain. Each use of this area,however, is limited by gaps in our knowledge of thephysical and biological variables that define thisfertile ecosystem. These knowledge gaps presentproblems that range from the inconvenient to thecatastrophic:

• The shipping industry and harbour pilots needinformation on currents, waves, and meteoro-logical conditions to bring ships safely to ports.

• The livelihoods of commercial groundfishermen are under threat, and resourcemanagers have few tools at their disposal toeffectively manage the important commercialspecies.

• Over the last few decades oil spills haveoccasionally coated significant areas of ourcoast, which is one of the busiest oil tankerpassages in Europe, and there is still insufficientdata to predict the trajectories of the spills andprotect coastal wetlands and other marinehabitats.

An operational oceanographic service to supportthese activities would focus on observationstogether with analysis and model prediction ofwater level, waves, currents, temperature, salinity,oxygen, nutrients, turbidity, chlorophyll and algae.The technological and scientific expertise exists inthe area to use this information to create productsthat would significantly close these gaps.

1.2.1 A real-time observation systemReal-time data are already collected by separateinstitutes in the area but these data need to be morewidely available and an infrastructure is needed fordata exchange. Many different users require accessto up-to-date measurements.

1.2.2 Recreational usersSome of the beaches in the IBI area have a hugenumber of summer visitors, yielding a significantrevenue. Companies and associations related toleisure activities (e.g. bathing, surfing, wind-surfing and boating) are a growing community ofconsumers of operational products, mainly waveforecasts. Circulation and wave forecasts are alsodesirable for boating activities. The leisurecommunity is becoming a strong voice that also


demands a high level of water quality along thecoastline.

1.2.3 The scientific community The scientific community would benefit from acommon platform where researchers can store andaccess data in standard formats and in an efficientway. Operational outputs from buoys, remotesensing, cruises and modelling could help thescientific community focus their energy on therelevant societal and scientific issues. This wouldattract and stimulate new research activity in thecoastal and ocean area by making such researcheasier and more cost-effective.

1.2.4 Transport In 2004 almost 50000 commercial ships entered thecontinental ports in the IBI area, corresponding to acargo movement of approximately 260 milliontons. Galvão (1998) estimates 100 ships per dayalong the Portuguese coast, and 52 ships per dayare estimated around Ireland. A national opera-tional infrastructure together with traffic controlsystems would create a tool for providing valuableinformation for improving marine traffic safetywhile also dissuading illegal activities (e.g. disposalof contaminated material, drug trafficking).

1.2.5 Fisheries In 2003 the fish landings in the area were approxi-mately 828 thousand tons with a value of 1776MEUR. Although fisheries are becoming less

important economically they are a significantsource of employment. There is a tendency towardsan increase in fish restrictions and in monitoringactivities of the fish stocks evolution. The outputsof an operational oceanographic system are veryimportant to increase the efficiency of thesemonitoring programmes.

1.2.6 DisastersPortuguese authorities are one of the promoters of atrans-national system of tsunami alerts for theAtlantic and the Mediterranean. The tsunami of the1755 earthquake is a catastrophe still rememberedin Portuguese history. The Atlantic tsunami alertsystem would benefit from implementation incooperation with IBI-ROOS.

1.2.7 EutrophicationCoastal areas are classified with regard to eutrophi-cation in the framework of the OSPAR Conventionfor the Protection of the Marine Environment, andalso supporting the implementation of the UrbanWaste Water Treatment Directive and the NitratesDirective. Institutes would benefit from an opera-tional infrastructure able to monitor the evolutionof water quality parameters (such as nitrate andchlorophyll) along the coast with a high temporaland spatial continuity.

Through river discharges, irrigation andmanagement of the rural environment are related tocoastal water properties. As a consequence, a betterunderstanding of the fate of materials carried by

Portugal Ireland Spain (Iberian-Biscay area) France

% of economic activity related to the sea (including tourism)Gross national product (GNP) 5% 0.8% 4.30% 1.3%TransportCommercial ships entering continental ports in the IBI area

10294 16323 14452 6896

Cargo movement (million tons) 55 48 100 56.4Ships per day of maritime traffic 100 52 51 19FisheriesFish landings (thousand tons) 154 291 397 194Economical value (MEUR) 274 184 863 442 (turnover)Number of workers involved in this activity 16000 16825 32194 2950 (full time

equivalent)AquacultureProduction (tons) 5885 60500 225000 131400Economical value (MEUR) — turnover 38 109 163.5 283 TourismVisitors (million) 11.5 7 2.5 13.5Economical value (MEUR) — turnover 750 4000 1811 8370

Executive Summary4

rivers would be a great advantage to planning activ-ities in catchment areas. Any decision taken tocontrol nutrient loads to decrease eutrophication incoastal areas will have a huge socioeconomicconsequence, and monitoring of the water qualityin coastal areas would help to evaluate the successof the measures taken to control nutrient loads.

1.2.8 Alien speciesAn important issue related to heavy shipping trafficis the introduction of alien species from ballastwater. There are already several studies about theintroduction of HABs and alien species in the area,and the International Maritime Organization (IMO)and other international bodies have been calledupon to take action to address the transfer ofharmful organisms by ships (globallast.imo.org/).In future the IBI countries should be prepared toimplement the IMO ballast water guidelines and toprepare for the new IMO ballast water Convention.

1.2.9 AquacultureAquaculture (fish farming and shellfish culture) is agrowing activity, with a significant potentialgrowth: in Portugal for instance, production is still40 times lower than in Spain. However, this activityis very vulnerable to harmful algal blooms (HABs),and alert systems of potential periods for HABswould be very helpful.

Growth rates and mortality at the aquaculture sitesdepend critically on temperature profiles, dissolvedoxygen, chlorophyll concentrations (phyto-plankton), and ambient flow conditions. Bothregulatory agencies and individual aquaculturistshave great interest in these data being supplied byoperational services.

1.2.10 AccidentsAlong the IBI coast there is intense tanker trafficand the International Tanker Owners PollutionFederation Ltd. (www.itopf.com/costs.html)evaluated the cost of the AMOCO CADIZ (France,1978) accident to a sum of as much as 282 millionUSD and ERIKA (France, 1999) to well over 180

Figure 1 Patterns of ship, oil and water movement in the Bay of Biscay in connection with the Prestige disaster: +, ships passage, from distress call to final sinking; shaded area, release of oil, on the sea surface, during the ship’s

movement; (A) initial movement/arrival of spilled oil; (B) main trajectory of oil movement, following sinking; x, movement of surface drifter buoys inside the Bay of Biscay


million USD — showing a huge potential economicloss. The costs of small oil spills are difficult toquantify but, due to their intense frequency, theyalso have a non-negligible impact on the economy.Institutes with responsibilities in this area couldimprove their efficiency in detecting andrestraining accidents with operational outputs.They need access to data and predictions, asaccurate as possible, to carry out the tasks that usershave established in their contingency plans. Theseinstitutes also need equipment to enable tasks to beperformed fully.

1.2.11 Water qualityDue to the fact that a large number of people live onor near the coast, the sea becomes a natural disposalsite for waste water. Several waste watercompanies are responsible for waste watertreatment systems that discharge the effluent in thesea using outfalls to minimise conflicts with leisureactivities. These companies must have monitoringprogrammes to prove to the authorities that thetreatment system is working properly. Due to thehighly variable nature of the coastal system the dataresulting from these monitoring activities isdifficult to analyse. Coastal operational outputscould help by, for example, identifying whether thevalues of chlorophyll measurements are high due tothe waste water discharge or due to intenseupwelling or river discharge.

User requirements vary for different kinds of users:

• Environmental agencies need water qualityparameter images (e.g. nutrients, phytoplankton,oxygen) of the system under their responsibility,with enough spatial and temporal resolution tohelp identify local and large scale trends.

• Waste water management companies needphysical and biogeochemical forecasts at thecoastal scale of the marine environment so theycan improve, for example, their forecasts ofpathogenic contamination in beaches.

• The general public needs accessible informationthat can help to understand how to interactsafely with the marine environment.

1.2.12 Coastal protection Predictions of wave forecasts together with sealevel forecasts are important information for a moreeffective monitoring of the areas sensitive to theimpact of the sea. Parts of the coastline havesuffered severe changes in the past decades due tohuman interference (e.g. dams and coastalprotection infrastructures). Sea level forecasts

together with run-off data can be very helpful toimplement useful flood alert systems in shallow,highly populated areas.

1.2.13 Energy production Coastal power plants can use sea water for theircooling system. Operational outputs can beimportant in the design phase to estimate thethermal impact of the power plants and the locationof the discharge and extraction points. They canalso be important in the operational phase toidentify the best periods for maintenance and repairactivities. They can be used in designing the imple-mentation of windmills in shelf areas. Anotherimportant aspect to consider is the forecast ofevents which could lead to the obstruction ofextraction points by macroalgae.

1.2.14 ManagementIntergovernmental conventions, internationalagreements, European directives and initiativessuch as GMES and GEOSS include requirementson observations, data and assessments. Regionallycoordinated monitoring, data exchange, andforecasting, as planned in IBI-ROOS, will be aneffective tool to satisfy these different needs. Sucha system will also give the participating institutesthe opportunity to decrease costs for the productionof mandatory data deliveries.

1.3 Modelling potentialCoastal models on their own represent dynamiccurrents and fronts where several fish speciesevolve and can allow a pollutant (such as an algalbloom or toxic material) to be followed as it mixesin the water column. Coupled with an ecologicalmodel, the coastal model can contribute toindicating the sanitary quality of an area, explainthe presence of life species, or generate alerts priorto a phyto-toxic bloom. Several industries, such asfish farming and nuclear power plants, demandhigh resolution information and forecasts of coastalcurrents.

The circulation model output, together with windand wave fields from other operational systems,would be used for oil spill modelling and, ingeneral, to track any drifting object.

Shoreline Response Management Systemsassociated with emergency response to coastal oil,chemical and inert pollution from shipping areusually based on scenarios of currents and wind.However in the future a strong link between thesesystems and coastal operational products should be

Executive Summary6

realised. A detailed high-resolution knowledge ofthe circulation, together with other means, could beused to detect ships responsible for illegaldischarges.

The models would be able to compute the stericanomaly of sea level, therefore complementing andcompleting the storm surge solutions provided byexisting operational systems such as Nivmar(Alvarez et al., 2001). This is of particular interestand importance in areas with strong baroclinicactivity.

Coastal models will provide boundary conditions tolocal models able to solve circulation inside theharbours and, coupled with wave model forecastsystems (Carretero et al., 2000), in beaches andother coastal areas.

Realistic circulation data is necessary to study theevolution of suspended particulate matter (SPM)and the dynamics of coastline evolution.

1.4 Current situation in the areaOcean circulation at the North Atlantic scale isreasonably well-described even when interannualvariability is involved, but the inter-gyre region ofthe IBI-ROOS area is an area of slow general flowwith energetic events that need improvedknowledge. The area is also influenced by Mediter-ranean outflow with formation of meddies that needto be studied in more detail. The following pointshave been identified as needing more attention:

• Knowledge of interaction between open oceanand shelf seas is poor and there is strong season-ality with development of an Iberian Polewardcurrent, mainly in winter, and upwelling in thesummer. The impact of seasonal variability onecosystems still needs some adjustments.

• Several observing systems exist in the area, butare developed at national level, often not coordi-nated between countries, and not developedenough to be able to efficiently monitor thecomplete area with the required spatial andtemporal density of data.

• There are several national services for sea leveland wave forecasting but very little collabo-ration between the groups.

• A lot of satellite data are available but only afew groups use them operationally, especiallynear the coast. Improvement of satelliteproducts and merged satellite/in situ productsshould be made for a better service to users.

• Data management activities are spread amonginstitutes, and improvement of data processingand exchange (format, quality control, easyaccess) should help the use of the data in thecommunity. There is a need for more synergywith international and EuroGOOS groups.

• Several ocean circulation modelling activitiesare handled at national level but the couplingbetween large scale and local scale models isstill an emerging activity. Additional validationactivities are required.

• Several experiments with coupling betweenhydrodynamic and biogeochemical models havestarted but still need improvement to reachoperational needs.

1.5 Objectives of the task team The overall objective of IBI-ROOS in partnershipwith the international community and agencies is todevelop and implement a sustainable system foroptimal monitoring and forecasting in the IBImarine region using state-of-the-art remote sensing,in situ, numerical modelling, data assimilation anddissemination techniques.

In order to meet these objectives there is a need to

• Improve efficiency and reduce redundancy bysharing data, tools and products

• Encourage networking between scientists toimprove and share know-how on techniques

• Further develop the observing system networkfor operational monitoring and forecasting ofocean parameters

• Provide biological data to protect marineecosystems and conserve biodiversity

• Improve the exploitation and the disseminationof data from existing observing systems for bothin situ and remote sensing measurements

• Further validate and improve existing modellingsystems

• Integrate scales and processes by improvingmultiscaling, nesting techniques and couplingbetween bio-physical models

• Develop provider services to process anddisseminate data and products for different users

• Improve and provide new services for fisheries,HABs, water quality, sea level and waves,pollution, etc.


1.6 Links with other programmes One important link to be strengthened is with theNorth West Shelf Operational OceanographicSystem, NOOS, which shares part of the IBI-ROOSarea. The organisation of IBI-ROOS will follow thefunctional structure of GOOS, where “liaison andintegration” will include links to GODAE, GCOS,JCOMM, GMES, various EU-funded projects (e.g.MERSEA and MarCoast), IOC, IMO, OSPAR, andnational monitoring programmes.

GMES is a key initiative in Europe, aiming todevelop European operational services in supportof public demand and policy-driven requirementsfor information. Implementation of operationaloceanography in this area provides useful infor-mation to existing GMES projects. There will beclose collaboration with the MERSEA IntegratedProject, as well as the pan-European Coastalproject ECOOP that will start in early 2007. Theimplementation of operational oceanography in theIBI area will build on the observing methods andmodelling systems partially developed with supportfrom these projects.

Links also need to be established with activities inUSA, Canada, North Africa and other countrieswith an interest in the IBI area.

1.7 Implementation plans ECOOP will provide the means to work together inthe IBI area, where we propose to work on theAtlantic front in a downscaling strategy from theglobal scale (MERSEA) to regional, coastal andlocal scales with specific end users applications —HABs, oil spill and storm surges. This approach isalso planned to be addressed over other areasthrough the ECOOP project to cover all regionalEuropean seas in the EuroGOOS sense (NOOS,BOOS, Arctic GOOS, MOON, MedGOOS andBlack Sea GOOS).

The EU is developing a Marine FrameworkStrategy and has adopted a green paper onMaritime Policy. Both documents have stronginfluence on IBI-ROOS implementation and IBI-ROOS will help with the required coordinationbetween countries. Countries from the region willhave to commit to studying the state of theecosystems, requiring coordination betweencountries. In the Atlantic area, two or three subre-gions are involved from the IBI-ROOS area:

• The Celtic Sea subregion

• The East North Atlantic waters of France, Spainand Portugal

• The waters around the Azores, Madeira and theCanaries.

The International Council for the Exploration of theSea (ICES) has traditionally carried out work onenvironment and fisheries in the IBI-ROOS region.A yearly ICES Annual Ocean Climate StatusReport is published as well as planktonic state.International Commissions such as OSPAR arestrongly involved in quality control. The last reportof the State of Area IV was published in 2000 andwas a collaboration between France, Spain andPortugal, mostly written by IBI-ROOS partners.

Initiatives for a tsunami alert system are beingdeveloped by the Intergovernmental Oceano-graphic Commission (IOC) for both the Atlanticand the Mediterranean.

A number of parallel activities are ongoing whichcan contribute to the development of operationaloceanography in the IBI area. The Global ClimateObserving System has produced an ImplementationPlan which identifies a number of actions to betaken to establish observing systems, many ofwhich are directly related to the IBI region (GCOS,2004).

The GMES initiative, initiated jointly by the EUand ESA, aims to develop and establish operationalmonitoring services by 2008. A number of GMESprojects are funded to develop these services,including several Atlantic-related projects such asMERSEA, ECOOP and ESONIM (EuropeanSeafloor Observatory Network ImplementationModel).

GMES is a mechanism to fund development andimplementation of Core and Downstream servicesbased on operational observing and modellingsystems. The ESA GMES programme has definedseveral key service elements to be implementedagainst the background of user needs and ongoingdevelopments in many applications of satellite data,including risk management and security (e.g.ROSES and MarCoast). GMES includes observa-tions and models, data provision and distribution,service providers, research and development, andlinks to user groups who are the recipients of thedata products. GMES builds links between researchinstitutes and operational institutes and betweenclimate monitoring and operational services(monitoring and forecasting). The Final Reportfrom the GMES initial period 2001–2003 outlines anumber of actions for the implementation of opera-tional services within the next five years (GMES,

Executive Summary8

2004). The marine area is one place where GMESservices have been identified to be fast-tracked withthe establishment of a marine core service to inter-mediate users (e.g. agencies) and a downstreamservice to end users as shown in Figure 2.

It is likely that GMES and other such initiativeswill provide funds to consolidate activity in the areaof operational oceanography but the key fundingfor providing these operational services will comefrom member states in the first instance.

Figure 2 GMES core services


2.1 Oceanographic character-istics

2.1.1 Definition of the regionThe IBI-ROOS region encompasses the Celtic Sea,the western Irish shelf, the whole of the Bay ofBiscay, the European sector of the Gulf of Cadizand the western Iberian margin (Figure 3). Thewestern limit is defined by 30° W and the easternlimit by the continent and 2° E in the EnglishChannel. The northern limit roughly corresponds toNorthern Ireland and the southern to the latitude ofthe southern boundary of Western Sahara (20° N).

Figure 3 The IBI-ROOS region

The IBI-ROOS region includes:

• Deep areas associated with the presence of thefirst few hundred metres of North AtlanticCentral water overlying Mediterranean watermasses. Currents are low and present animportant variability linked to mesoscaledynamics.

• Coastal regions characterised by strong tidal andwind-induced currents, effects of rivers (Miño,Douro, Tejo, Gironde, Loire, Adour andGuadalquivir), freshwater discharge, andseasonal upwelling in the Western Iberia, butpermanent in NW Africa.

The region is characterised by a number of physicalprocesses such as slope currents with markedseasonal variations, eddies and internal tidesresulting from the interaction of the continentalmargin current instabilities with the topography.

2.1.2 Bottom topography The Iberian continental margin is divided intosubregions by seamounts, banks and submarinecanyons. Some of these canyons are particularlyprominent, such as the Cap Breton (~44° N) andNazaré Canyons (~39.5° N), where the 1000 misobath is found only 3 km from the coast.

The continental shelf in the northern Bay of Biscayhas gentle slopes that are more than 140 km wide(Vanney and Mougenot, 1981). Along theCantabrian coast the shelf may be as narrow as12 km; off western Iberia the wide section isbetween the river Miño and the Nazaré Canyon,and in the Gulf of Cadiz it is of the order of 50 kmwide, particularly to the east.

The shelf is relatively narrow off south-western andnorth-western Ireland and quite broad to the west ofIreland. The narrow shelf off the south-west coastis adjacent to the shelf break near Goban Spurwhile Erris Head (off the northwest coast) islocated close to the narrowing continental shelf thatplunges into the Rockall Trough where depthsexceed 2500 m.

2.1.3 MeteorologyAtmospheric circulation in the middle latitudes ofthe North Atlantic and over western Europe isgoverned by the existence of two main centres ofactivity: an anticyclonic zone near the Azores (theAzores High), and a low pressure area near Iceland(the Iceland Low). Between these two areas, theprevailing winds are south-westerly (downwellingfavourable) in autumn and winter while they arenorth-westerly (upwelling favourable) in spring andsummer. The average patterns of individual yearsreveal a great inter-annual variability, enhanced in

2 Background

Background10

spring (March–April). The annual mean windstress near the European ocean margin at about43º N is directed to the east, while south of thatlatitude the wind stress turns to a more southwarddirection (Isemer and Hasse, 1987).

2.1.4 River runoffRivers represent the principal sources of freshwaterthat drain into the Atlantic along the French andIberian coast. The Loire, Gironde, Miño and Douroare the main rivers with an annual mean outflowabout 27000 m3s–1. Together they contribute 60%of the total freshwater discharge onto the shelf.Each of them has a peak runoff in winter or springexceeding 3000 m3s–1 and a minimum in summerof about 200 m3s–1. Along the French coast, theplume of the Vilaine can merge with the Loire andstrengthen its impact, especially in terms ofturbidity. The rivers in the Cantabrian shelf aresmall due to the proximity of the mountains to thesea. In Ireland the river Shannon provides up to800 m3s–1 run-off to the western Irish shelf at peaktimes. It is also worth noting that freshwatersources in the United Kingdom such as the riverSevern are likely to be significant contributors tothe fresh water flux in the Celtic Sea and westernIrish shelf.

2.1.5 Sea level, waves and tidesSea level is of significant practical importance withregard to storm surges in estuaries; it also consti-tutes a dimensioning parameter in the design ofharbours and coastal infrastructures for landprotection, erosion prevention and is a relevantindicator in the context of global warming.

Forecasting of waves and tidal currents areessential for navigation safety and coastal marineactivities. There are plans to develop the consid-erable potential for tidal power generation in someparts of the French, British and Irish coast. Atpresent only the Rance has been operating for 30years. However, the cost estimates, coupled withconcerns over environmental impact, discourageactual construction and currently none of the plansare progressing.

2.1.6 Water masses and circulationMost of the water masses are of North Atlanticorigin, including those that have been transformedafter mixing with the Mediterranean water thatoutflows through Gibraltar (Pollard et al., 1996;Rios et al., 1992).

Between 1000 m and the surface, Eastern NorthAtlantic Central Water (ENACW) (Harvey, 1982)

is found with two main branches: a subpolar branchformed in an area south of the North AtlanticCurrent (NAC) spreading southwards (Pollard etal., 1996) and a subtropical branch formed in thenorthern margin of the Azores current, whichmoves towards the Iberian Coast (Pingree, 1997).They meet near the Iberian NW corner where thesubpolar branch subsides to spread southwardsunder the subtropical branch (Fraga et al., 1982;Rios et al., 1992). Mediterranean outflow in theGulf of Cadiz splits vertically into several cores atdifferent levels: the shallow core centred at depthsaround 400 m (Ambar, 1983), the upper core atdepths around 800 m and the lower core at depthsaround 1200 m. In the region off Cape St. Vincent,where the bottom topography turns sharply, part ofthe Mediterranean undercurrent — mainly theshallow and upper cores — is deflected northwardand follows the continental slope along Iberia.

A poleward-flowing slope current at most depths isfound along the eastern Atlantic margin west ofIreland. Mean residual currents range from about5 cms–1 SW and W of Ireland but can increase to10 cms–1 further west at Porcupine Bank. Residualcurrents are stronger NW and N of Ireland (15–20 cms–1) along the Malin shelf. Seasonality in theslope current is apparent south of Porcupine Bank(53° N) which is less readily measured in theRockall Channel margin. Poleward transport alongthe continental slope south of Porcupine Bank doesnot vary hugely and is about 3 Sv. Along theRockall margin, whilst transport varies little withseason, interannual variability is relatively large, sothat the transports may vary from 0–8 Sv (Whiteand Bowyer, 1997).

Shelf currents are dominated by the tides. Residualcurrents have a southerly component on the outershelf but northerly and clockwise around Ireland onthe inner shelf. Wind-forced residuals are relativelysmall but there is a significant difference in thedynamic response to different wind forcing on theshelf currents.

In south-west Ireland the proximity of the IrishShelf Front (ISF) to the coast determines thestrength of the coastal current (Raine andMcMahon, 1998). A front close to the coast inhibitsthe coastal flow, but when the front is furtheroffshore, flows of about 20 cm s–1 appear. Thepresence or absence of northern Celtic Sea Water(NCSW) near Fastnet rock (Southern Ireland) maybe linked to the frontal position.

Off south-west Ireland thermal fronts andupwelling events are observed in summer (Raine etal., 1990). The fronts form the boundary between


stratified and well-mixed (probably upwelled)waters, and phytoplankton blooms often occur inthe vicinity of the fronts. Summer stratificationresults in the development of bottom density frontson the inner shelf which drive baroclinic flowsclockwise along the Irish coast, reinforcing anybuoyant freshwater-forced currents (Nolan, 2004).

In the Bay of Biscay, interactions of tidal currentswith bottom topography are responsible for theformation of seasonal thermal fronts, such as theUshant front off western Brittany. Several othermixed areas occur along the French coast, generallyin the vicinity of islands. Along the Armorican andCeltic slopes, frontal zones are induced by internalwaves. Coastal upwelling appears off the IberianPeninsula in spring and reaches a maximum insummer, when it also occurs in the south-easternBay of Biscay over the shelf off the Landes coast.Coastal upwelling intensifies off the westernIberian coast at typical periods of four to ten daysas the wind forcing the circulation pattern is charac-terised by along-shore shelf currents stronger thatthe cross-shelf component. The effect of theupwelling on the chemical parameters of the coastalwaters off western Iberia was characterised byCoste et al. (1986) and the mesoscale processessuch as jets, eddies, and counterflows associatedwith the upwelling by Peliz et al. (2002). Theconsequences of the upwelling of subsurface watersare not only a lowering of the sea surface temper-ature (SST) but also an increase in primary produc-tivity and fisheries (Fiúza, 1979; Chícharo et al.,2003). Although upwelling off western Iberiaoccurs mainly during summer months, there arealso winter events which can have an impact on thebiology (Santos et al., 2004; Ribeiro et al., 2005).

South of Gibraltar, a lot of knowledge of the coastalupwelling ecosystem was obtained during theintensive studies of the 1970s. The coastalupwelling is maintained by the presence offavourable north-easterly winds throughout theyear, although winds and upwelling are moreintense during the summer months.

The distribution of water masses in the region hasbeen summarised by Barton (1998). Most of theregion, from Cape Finisterre to Cape Blanc, isdominated by North Atlantic Central Water(NACW), responsible for fertilising the coastduring upwelling processes, although there isconsiderable variation in this water mass withlatitude.

In western Iberia (Figure 4) there are along-shoreflows, mainly towards the north over the shelf(surface and slope) and towards the south (Portugal

current) off the continental shelf (Perez et al., 2001;Huthnance et al., 2002; Martins et al., 2002). ThePortugal Current is the northeastern branch of thelarge-scale subtropical surface gyre flowing offPortugal. The Mediterranean Undercurrent flowsfrom the Strait of Gibraltar along the upper conti-nental slope of the Gulf of Cadiz. Off Cape St.Vincent, part of it turns northward and part spreadswest and south-westwards into the NE Atlantic.Eddies are shed by the Mediterranean WaterUndercurrent off Portugal. A poleward flow alongthe continental slope off western Portugal existsthroughout the year at intermediate depths(carrying Mediterranean Water) and also at thesurface layer in winter (Portugal Countercurrent).However, in summer, the surface circulation alongthe slope reverses, turning equatorwards, inresponse to the wind-induced coastal surface diver-gence. The circulation of MOW is towards thenorth with meanders and meddies as the mainsignificant characteristics, and deeper waters havenortheastward drift with less variation and thus lessimpact on the yearly upper layers oceanic climate.

Figure 4 Surface circulation in the IBI-ROOS area

60° N

50° N

40° N

30° N

20° W 10° W

Background12

In Biscay (Figure 4) there is a weak (1–2 cms–1)and variable anticyclonic surface circulation andthe presence of cyclonic and anticyclonic eddiesshed by the slope current (Saunders, 1982;Maillard, 1986; Koutsikopoulos and Le Cann,1996; Pingree and Le Cann, 1992). As the winterPoleward Current enters the Bay of Biscay aroundCape Finisterre, warm water moves eastward alongthe Cantabrian continental shelf and slope. Someflow continues its poleward advance across theLandes Plateau and the continental slope of CapeFerret canyon. Where topography changesabruptly, as in Cape Ortegal, Cape Ferret canyonand Goban Spur, the slope water is injected into theoceanic region to form anticyclonic eddies thatcontain a core of slope water (Pingree and Le Cann,1989; 1990). These slope water oceanic eddies (or“swoddies”) contain surface warm water and theirmovements have been followed using infrared andcolour satellite images (Garcia–Soto et al., 2002)and floats (van Aken, 2002; Huthnance et al.,2002).

2.1.7 Synthesis of main oceanographic characteristicsThe hydrodynamics of the region are dominated bythe following features:

• Weak anticyclonic circulation in the oceanicpart of the Bay of Biscay where mesoscalefeatures such as anticyclonic eddies have beenfound, containing a core of slope water (Pingreeand Le Cann, 1989; 1990) formed where topog-raphy changes abruptly such as in Cape Ortegal,Cape Ferret canyon and Goban Spur.

• A poleward-flowing slope current due to thegeostrophic adjustment of the cross-shoredensity gradient that occurs when the large-scaleeastward flow meets the continental boundary.

• Coastal upwelling particularly evident alongthe western Iberian coast, although it also occursoff northern Iberia and to a limited extent offsouth-west France. It results from thepersistence of alongshore equator-ward windsduring spring and summer, with a southward jetover the shelf, offshore transport in the upperwater layers (especially in association withfilaments) and compensatory onshore transportat subsurface levels.

• A northward flow of MW particularly relevantto the (bottom-trapped) shallow and uppercores, and to the generation and displacement ofeddies carrying MW out of the IBI-ROOSregion.

• Shelf circulation governed by the combinedeffects of tides (which are particularly importantover the Armorican shelf and the southern CelticSea), buoyancy (coastal currents induced byrun-off from the main rivers) and wind.

• River plume fluctuations and lower salinitylenses sustain a cold pool known as a “Bourreletfroid” (Vincent and Kurc, 1969) which isisolated on the middle part of the French shelfand sometimes in the northern Celtic Sea.

• Cross-shelf transport acts along the axes ofsubmarine canyons. This is due to amplifiedtides and non-linear wave-current interactions,and is particularly important in relation to thecanyons dissecting the shelf between CapBreton and Nazaré.

Cabanas et al. (2003) showed that a notable shift inthe winds has occurred during the last two decades,resulting in a reduction in the spring-summerupwelling off the northwest of the IberianPeninsula. Koutsikopoulos et al. (1998) determineda mean increase of 1.4ºC in the surface waters ofthe southeast Bay of Biscay for the period 1972–1993 (0.6ºC per decade), which was slightly higherin winter than in summer. Over the last century,Planque et al. (2003) showed an increase in themean annual SST of 1.03°C. In the intermediateBay of Biscay waters from the mixed layer to1000 m, temperature and salinity increased duringthe last decade by 0.032ºC yr–1 in the ENACW and0.02ºC yr–1 in the Mediterranean. These rates ofwarming are two to six times greater than thoseaccepted for the North Atlantic (Gonzalez–Pola etal., 2005).

Cabanas et al. (2003) reported a long-term trend insea level, varying from 2.02 mm yr–1 in Santanderto 1.45 mm yr–1 in A Coruña, where estimates overrecent decades are greater than for the whole period(1945–1999).

2.2 Marine activitiesIn the IBI-ROOS region the marine industriesrelated to fishing, shipping and shipbuilding havebeen a feature for many hundreds of years. Theseactivities are concentrated in coastal areas and thelast century has seen an increase in the utilisation ofmarine resources and the marine environmentlinked to economic and social development of thecoastal regions.

The most important activities concerning uses ofthe sea are described in the following subsections.


2.2.1 TransportFor centuries transport related to trade betweennorthern Europe and Africa and Asia has been animportant business in the IBI-ROOS region.Increased oil transport from the Middle East hascaused occasional damage (disasters) and problemsnear the seashore. Maritime traffic is more intenseand is expected to increase substantially in thefuture.

In addition to traditional navigational aids —weather forecast, traffic control, lighthouses, etc. —real-time data and forecasts of oceanographicparameters such as water level, current velocity anddirection, waves, buoyancy, and wind speed anddirection are required by captains in order to ensurea safe voyage.

2.2.2 Ecosystem managementTo manage the ecosystem, nowcasts and forecastsof ocean climate are necessary to improve theassessment of renewable resources. Knowledge ofexpected biological production is necessary toimprove management tools such as TAC andquotas, and also the expected aquaculture harvest.

Upwelling intensity, and to a lesser extent otherfactors such as water stability, retention areasproduced by local or general current fields andother mesoscale features like river plumes andeddies affect biological processes in the smallpelagic fish community. Global warming has beenrelated to changes in the distribution of severalspecies that are progressively increasing theirnorthernmost distribution limits. Recently, rarespecies from North Africa were reported in theAlgarve and western Iberia (Quero et al., 1998).

Oyster and mussel cultivation dominates aqua-culture in France estimated at around 100000 tonsper year. In Spain, the total production oscillatesaround 300000 t shellfish — 90% of the total aqua-culture production. In Ireland 43000 t of shellfishwere produced in 2004, as well as 58000 t offinfish (mainly salmon). Production can be affectedby the presence of harmful algae or spread ofdisease.

2.2.3 Environmental protectionFor many decades industry, agriculture and thegeneral population (including coastal users andtourism) in the densely populated coastal area haveplaced the seashore under strong environmentalpressure. A large number of cargo ships, oil tankersand hazardous cargo vessels adds an extra risk tothe safety of coastal waters and the shore.

Real-time operational oceanographic forecasting isdesirable for support in combating accidental oiland chemical discharges into the sea. Both driftforecasts and impact assessments are produced toensure optimum use of resources available anddiminish the damage.

Moreover, for nature conservation, vulnerable orsensitive natural seabed habitats have to bemonitored, such as maerl beds, zostera eelgrass orkelp forests. A reliable assessment of the hydrody-namic and biogeochemical environment of theseareas can only be provided by the results of opera-tional oceanography obtained at the appropriatescale. For instance, there should be more focus onforthcoming marine protected areas by zooming inon them.

2.2.4 Coastal managementAll countries have for decades operated a networkof tide gauges and of met-ocean buoys. Reliabledata are required for climatic studies, but real-timetransmission is still expected so that governmentagencies can assess the options to manage thecoast.

2.2.5 RecreationThe shoreline of the IBI-ROOS region has forgenerations attracted people for tourism and recrea-tional purposes — an activity that has increasedsince 1970. The number of people on beaches,leisure boating and wind surfing has especiallyincreased during the past 1–2 decades, resulting inhigher frequencies of rescue operations. Oceanforecasts and warnings are improving the safetyconnected to leisure activities in the region.

2.2.6 FisheriesThis region is a transition zone where both tropicaland boreal species are naturally present. Thismeans a complex community structure wheretypical temperate-water species from the southoccur together with those of northern origin and,consequently, high biodiversity indices exist with alarge number of commercial and non-commercialfish species caught for human consumption. Thefishing activities and the industries related to theseactivities are of great social and economic impor-tance in the coastal areas. The fisheries exploitdemersal and pelagic fish species, crustaceans andcephalopods.

The main pelagic species are sardine and anchovy(small pelagic) and mackerel and horse mackerel(middle-size pelagic). These species form the basisof important fisheries in the Iberian Peninsula and

Background14

the Bay of Biscay, which represent an importantsource of income for local economies. Otherspecies more common to temperate and subtropicalwaters, such as chub mackerel (Scomberjaponicus), Mediterranean horse mackerel(Trachurus mediterraneus), tuna (tunnus alalunga)and demersal species, namely hake, megrim, four-spot megrim and anglerfish (Lophius piscatoriusand L. budegassa), are distributed throughout thearea and targeted by the fishing fleet.

Different kinds of fleets operate in this area —trawl, artisanal, purse-seine and longline.

The main species landed by the trawl fleet are hake,white and black anglerfish, megrim, horsemackerel, mackerel, blue whiting, red shrimp, roseshrimp and Norway lobster.

The artisanal fishery is composed of a large number(over 10000) of small boats, operating mainlyinshore and using a variety of gear such as gillnets(the majority), seines, beam trawls, longlines, trapsand dredges. Some of these boats are licensed formore than one type of gear. The main specieslanded are octopus, pouting, horse mackerel, hake,mackerel, anchovies and sardines.

The wind, river runoff and oceanographic charac-teristics greatly affect the fish abundance, distri-bution and catchability.

The river runoff in the French shelf of the Bay ofBiscay benefits species with estuarine depend-encies, which are absent in the Spanish area.Species whose recruitment is highly dependent onlarval drift processes, such as hake or megrim,show strong links with hydrographic structures ofretention and transport, independently of whetherthey have cyclonic (cold and fresh) or anticyclonic(warm and saltier) characteristics in relation to thegeneral pattern of the surrounding waters (Sánchezand Olaso, 2001).

Upwelling in the Iberian Peninsula has a largeinfluence in the pelagic community, both in termsof productivity and thus food availability, andoffshore transport and thus possible increases inmortality rates. Upwelling indices, based on bothwind data and hydrographical models have beenused to improve environmental-stock-recruitmentrelationships. Seasonal upwelling, local upwellingand mesoscale-induced upwelling have also beensuggested as important environmental featuresaffecting ecosystem production and fishrecruitment, although measures of these features ona large scale are necessary to improve under-standing of fish recruitment.

2.2.7 Harmful Algal BloomsAn important problem that occurs on this coastlineis due to the toxicity of seafood products and to themortality of sea life induced by the growth/accumu-lation of some toxic algal species. The main agentof mass mortalities of fish and benthic organisms inthe region is the hemolysin-producing dinoflag-ellate Karenia mikimotoi. Dense blooms of thisspecies have been detected in the Bay of Biscay,both by teledetection and by sampling with ships ofopportunity (FerryBox).The most serious HarmfulAlgal Bloom problems that have made an impacton the development and sustainability of aquac-ulture within Europe are associated with contami-nation of farmed shellfish with Diarrheic ShellfishPoisoning (DSP) toxins produced by differentdinoflagellate species of the genus Dinophysis, andParalytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) toxinsproduced by dinoflagellate species Gymnodiniumcatenatum and Alexandrium minutum. The latterspecies usually blooms in estuaries or semi-enclosed areas. In contrast, Gymnodiniumcatenatum populations build up in Atlantic shelfwaters off Galicia (south of Cape Finisterre) andPortugal (Sordo et al., 2001). Intense PSP-toxinoutbreaks associated with blooms of this specieshave re-appeared in the Atlantic coasts of Iberiaafter 10 years without being observed, a fact thatsuggests connections with climate variability. ASPtoxins also seem to be widely spread in the Channeland in some bays (Rade de Brest), where Pseudo-nitschia blooms occur with a wide diversity ofspecies.

The characteristic spatial-temporal scales forpopulation development are 10 n.m. and 10 daysrespectively. The occurrence of an event at thecoast depends on advection and/or dispersal ofstructures developed offshore. Implementation of3D hydrodynamical models resolving these scaleswould allow risk analyses to be conducted for thecoastal rias and embayments where intensivemussel aquaculture and other shellfish resourcesfrom natural beds are located. Better knowledge ofnutritional requirements — for instance, in the caseof the mixotrophic species of Dinophysis — wouldbe a benefit from refinement of those predictions.

The general approach aims towards prediction ofharmful events at the coast based on risk analyses,which could be successively refined, followingsuccessive improvement in the knowledge of theecology of these species. Consequently, the devel-opment of in situ measuring systems should followa tiered approach integrating the different improve-ments in knowledge and technology.


3.1 IntroductionIBI-ROOS constitutes a close cooperation betweennational governmental marine laboratories andagencies in the countries surrounding the IBI arearesponsible for collection of observations, modeloperations and production of forecasts, services andinformation for industry, the public and other endusers.

IBI-ROOS plans to coordinate, strengthen andharmonise the national and international efforts toassess and predict the marine environment and thuseffectively improve operational oceanography —defined as the activity of systematic and long-termroutine monitoring of the seas, their interpretation,and the rapid dissemination of products (typicallyforecasts, but also assessments to politicians, andmobilisation of resources to face unexpected eventssuch as the recent Prestige oil spill).

IBI-ROOS is based on a family of existingprogrammes, projects and modules, financed andoperated by different institutes and marine labora-tories in the IBI area. The existing ocean observingsystems have been developed and maintained tomeet their own purpose, including:

• Management of fish stocks for sustainableexploitation

• Preserving healthy marine ecosystems• Ensuring public health• Safe and competent navigation.These purposes, which serve the broad public good,require long-term observations and commitmentsas well as international cooperation which may beexecuted only through involvement from govern-ments and governmental institutes.

3.2 Existing activities and obser-vation platforms IBI-ROOS is being built on existing monitoringprogrammes and activities at sea and along thecoast, sustained by the countries bordering the IBIarea. Many of these oceanographic observatoriesare based on long-term projects assessing practicalneeds such as fisheries management, sea health andsecure transportation.

Protection of this economical value has resulted inpre-operational or on-line monitoring systems ofmany environmental and biological variables, witha value for IBI-ROOS determined by:

• Real-time/on-line availability• Spatial and temporal resolutions and coverage in

sampling• Operational status of the measuring systems• Monitoring status of the observations: routine-

based or monitoring oriented projectsMost physical parameters can be measuredaccurately with sensors from research andcommercial vessels, fixed platforms and floatingbuoys. Although all these systems lack synopticity,remote sensing systems can resolve the spatialvariability for some parameters and thereforeoperational products are offered in near real-time.

Biological measurements are still at an early stageof technical development, and real-time datatogether with temporal and spatial coverage ofprocesses are bottlenecks that limit the generationof operational products. The creation and intro-duction of new technology regarding biologicalmeasurements should be considered in itself as achallenge to IBI-ROOS.

The various variables of interest are reviewed heretogether with the techniques presently in use.Innovative technical solutions are mentioned. Table1 summarises the individual systems and networkswhich produce this information in the variousregions of the IBI area (a more detailed list of theexisting observation types is provided in Annex 1).The spatial coverage of these resources is alsoshown in Figure 5.

3.2.1 Water levelWater level is one of the first variables which hasbeen measured routinely. The IBI waters are not anexception to that rule: 42 water level stations areoperated from Dunkerque to Gibraltar, includingthe Irish coast. Variations can then be traced backfor many years. This variable is of high practicalimportance regarding storm surges in estuaries, andalso constitutes a dimensioning parameter in thedesign of harbours and coastal infrastructures forland protection and erosion prevention. Finally,water level is a relevant indicator in the generalcontext of global warming.

3 Existing Systems in the IBI-ROOS Area

Existing Systems in the IBI-ROOS Area16

Figure 5 Map showing the spatial coverage of different ocean observing systems operating in the IBI-ROOS

area.

Figure 6 Spatial distribution of hydrographical stations in the ICES oceanographic database within the area

34°N to 54°N, 26°W to 0.5°W as of May 2005 (courtesy of ICES).

Variables, observing systems and national scores

Water level Tide gaugesSatellite

River dischargesWind, waves and surface circulation Buoys

Meteo stationsSatellite (radar)

Hydrological variables Transects (time series)Fixed stationsLarge scale ship observationsShips of opportunityMoored systemsSatellite SST

Currents in the water column Moored systemsDrifters

Hazardous substances Pollutants (metals, organic, oil)Microbiological

Phytoplankton and zooplankton Transects/stations (time series)Harmful Algal BloomsSatellite (visible)Ships of opportunity

Fisheries Pelagic species (surveys)Groundfish species (surveys)

Table 1 Summary of the ocean observing systems and networks in the various IBI-ROOS regions.


Therefore, within the IBI-ROOS area, the effort tocollect water level data should be encouraged andimproved, particularly regarding access to data inreal-time. At an international level, the network ofEuropean sea level measuring stations contributesto GLOSS (Global Sea Level Observing System)under the IOC (Intergovernmental OceanographicCommission), see www.pol.ac.uk/ntslf/data.html.

3.2.2 Wind, waves and surface circulationMonitoring and forecasting of wind, waves andsurface currents are essential for navigation safety,harbour construction and most marine activities.Related operational services are generallyconducted by national services and concern bothmeasurements (in situ, coastal radars and remotesensing) and modelling.

The network of in situ monitoring stations in theIBI-ROOS area is composed of 39 permanentinstallations, most of them transmitting real-timeinformation accessible on the web. On the AtlanticCoast of Spain it should be mentioned that Puertosdel Estado has carried out an experiment operating2 HF radars to measure waves and surface currentsduring four months with very good results inmeasurement validation with fixed buoys andutility of technology. A similar experience startedin 2006 with two HF radar operated bySHOM/France in the western part of Brittany.These experiences should be capitalised on andextended to other areas. It should also be noted that3 deep water ODAS buoys (Brittany, Gascogne andOuessant) are operated by Météo-France for met-ocean measurements, 5 more in Irish waters by theMarine Institute, and 6 others in Spanish shelf-slope waters by Puertos del Estado. In the Basquearea there are 7 completely operational coastal met-ocean stations.

Satellite observations will play an increasinglyimportant role in monitoring waves over the entireregion. Techniques such as “collocation of satelliteand buoy measurements” are very promising whenhigher-resolution satellite observations providedata closer to the coastline. SLA, SST and colourimages provide a synoptic spatial distribution ofcirculation features.

Within the IBI-ROOS initiative, wind, waves andsurface current information should be madeavailable to all actors through a data managementsystem to support the modelling activity.

3.2.3 Hydrological variablesThe term “hydrological variables” include temper-ature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity andnutrients. Observations of temperature and salinityare carried out in real-time by more than 50 fixedbuoys and shore stations in the IBI-ROOS area.Additional data are collected regularly from shipsduring scientific cruises and in connection withmonitoring programmes (Figure 6), and by ships ofopportunity such as the FerryBox activityconducted by SOC between Portsmouth andBilbao, weekly since April 2002, or with thecooperation of the coastal fishing fleet(RECOPESCA project). Moreover about 20 Argofloats provide temperature and salinity measure-ments every ten days in the deep-sea part of theIBI-ROOS area.

3.2.4 Synoptic sea-surface fieldsRemote sensing is a major source of hydrologicaldata. As an illustration, IFREMER has developedan image browser for the Bay of Biscay and theEnglish Channel/Southern North Sea(http://www.ifremer.fr/nausicaa). These browsers aimto:

• Present a comprehensive remote sensing data set(Sea Surface Temperature, chlorophyll concen-tration, mineral suspended matters) over thecontinental shelf of the Bay of Biscay processedthrough locally calibrated algorithms.

• Provide inputs to biogeochemical models(surface solar irradiance, winds, river outflow)and satellite data for assimilation.

Collocation of a satellite sensor together withoceanographic (wave spectrum, etc.) and meteor-ological (surface parameters) buoy networksconsists of associating each measurement fromthe satellite product with all buoy measurementsmatching the following criteria:

• distance from satellite projection lower than agiven value

• time difference between satellite and buoymeasurement lower than a given value.

The process is thus slightly different fromsatellite/satellite collocation since not only theclosest buoy measurement is selected but all ofthose matching the criteria. The final productcontains all the satellite cells for which collocatedbuoy measurements were found, together withthe related list of buoy measurements.


The following parameters are displayed in thebrowsers:

• Bathymetry • Mean climatological SST for the current day

(calculated on 10-day periods from 1982–1995) • SST (4 daily AVHRR passages, data provided

by the Ocean and Ice Satellite ApplicationFacility of EUMETSAT/Météo-France inLannion)

• Chlorophyll concentration• Inorganic suspended particulate matter • Irradiance• Wind (shown on the irradiance maps) • In situ data (when available)• Outputs of biogeochemical models are included

as they become available.There is however a need to complement the presentobservation scheme with real-time observations onthe vertical distribution of temperature and salinityat least, and hopefully the complete set of hydro-logical variables, in a synoptic pattern over thegeographical coverage of models with a limit asclose as possible to the coastline.

The experience of the Coriolis programme willprovide very valuable real-time data using a provenpowerful data management system.

3.2.5 River runoffFresh water fluxes as well as concentrations of themain biochemical variables are of utmost impor-tance as they represent the main source of anthropicperturbation of the coastal environment. They areneeded as a forcing variable to models. Datagenerally exist as climatologies of the main rivers;access to this information has to be improved.

Action should be taken to at least complete theclimatologies of the main Atlantic rivers and gatherthese data into a single database. Plans should bemade to implement real-time monitoringprogrammes in the main estuaries, in closeconnection with water authorities. Moreover,access to forecasts should be granted for modellingpurposes.

3.2.6 Currents in the water columnCurrents in the water column are measured byspecific moorings carrying current meters atdifferent depths and more recently by bottom-mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers. Inboth cases, data are not generally available in real-time. Campaigns are regularly conducted using

bottom-mounted ADCPs for limited periods of time(a few months), and 7 ADCPs constantly monitorthe water column currents along the Basque Coast.

There is a clear need for better geographicalcoverage and for observations in the open waters tomonitor the transports between locations. Experi-ments to derive turbidity from ADCP signals havebeen successfully proven (Tessier et al., 2003) andshould be considered as a candidate technique forfuture operational activities.

3.2.7 Hazardous substances“Hazardous substances” are defined as substancesthat are not only toxic but also persistent and liableto bio-accumulation. The most well-recognisedhazardous substances are organic chlorinatedhydrocarbons, heavy metals and organo-metalliccompounds. The presence of hazardous substancesin the water, sediments and biota in the Bay ofBiscay is monitored by the IEO and IFREMER andalong the coast of Portugal by IPIMAR, and AZTIruns a network for water, sediment and biotaquality assessment in the Basque estuaries andcoastal area. The objectives of these traditionalactivities is to monitor levels and general trends ofconcentrations of these substances by manualsampling and laboratory analysis. The samplingfrequency extends from yearly to weekly duringaccidental spill crisis periods.

Higher frequency monitoring of these variables isneeded in order to produce alarms that could signala discharge from waste water, sewage or ships.Incorporation of remote sensing surveillance ofship routes is recommended in order to identifytank-cleaning activity in open waters.

3.2.8 Primary production, harmful algal blooms and zooplanktonIn Portugal, Spain, France and Ireland programmesare carried out to monitor and inform the authoritiesand the public of potentially harmful algalblooms — HABs (Figure 7).

These programmes are implemented at locationswhere molluscs (e.g. mussels and oysters) are culti-vated for human consumption. Identification ofharmful species and data on algal concentrationsare provided in near real-time. This system hasbeen in operation for 20 years.

Remote sensing of ocean colour provides a uniquemeans for synoptic observation of the phyto-plankton distribution over the continental shelf.Chlorophyll, as an indicator of biological particlesand inorganic suspended particulate matter governs


a large part of the absorption and scatteringproperties of the coastal waters. However, opticaltechniques from space are hampered by clouds andcannot be used alone for year-round monitoring ofphytoplankton; they need to be associated withbiochemical models (Gohin, 2005).

Chlorophyll concentrations in the IBI area has beenroutinely retrieved from SeaWiFS (and morerecently from MODIS data) since 1998. Thisactivity has to be pursued as it is a unique source ofreal-time synoptic information about the biologicalprocesses at work in the water masses.

Zooplankton abundance and biomass are a proxy tofood availability for fish larvae and for pelagicspecies. Both parameters are routinely measured inoceanographic surveys and monitoringprogrammes carried out at specific locations (i.e.Santander, Gijón, Cudillero, Coruña and Vigo).New equipment has recently been developed tomeasure abundance and biovolume of zooplanktonat a fine vertical resolution and a wide range of sizeclasses (e.g. Laser Optical Plankton Counter, L-OPC). Therefore abundance and biomass (dryweight or biovolume) of zooplankton can beobtained in near real-time and the data used for fishassessment. The longest available data series foroceanic phyto- and zooplankton in the IBI area hasbeen monitored by SAHFOS’ CPR (ContinuousPlankton Recorder) Survey since the early 1950s(www.sahfos.org).

Abundance and seasonal dynamics of zooplanktonspecies can be traced to monitor changes in theecosystem due to human impact or climate varia-bility. Long-term programmes on biologicaloceanography were established in 1988–1992 atseveral locations along the Spanish margin of the

Bay of Biscay, and zooplankton species countedevery month. Both data and sampling logistics canbe mobilised for operational purposes on demand,e.g. historic data have been used to monitorpotential changes in the ecosystem after thePrestige oil spill (Figure 8).

Figure 8 Abundance of two copepod species before and after the Prestige oil spill (courtesy of IEO).

3.2.9 FisheriesSardine, anchovy, tuna, mackerel and horsemackerel constitute the main pelagic fisheries in theIBI area. Acoustic surveys are carried out duringwinter and spring and egg surveys are performedduring the spawning season of sardine and anchovyand cover the waters from the Bay of Biscay to theGulf of Cadiz. Sampling combines acousticmethods with plankton tows and fish catches.Results are processed and used operationally for theevaluations within the same year of sampling(ICES, 2006).

The main groundfish species are hake, megrim,anglerfish and Nephrops. Bottom trawl surveyshave been performed since 1982 (fourth quarter)along the Spanish continental shelf from Vigo tothe French border and since 1979 (first and fourthquarter) along the Portuguese continental waters,(from 42°N to 36°N) according to the samplingstrategy described in Cardador et al. (1997). Thesemaps on the number of recruitments as well asadults are produced in near real-time and assimi-lated into models (ICES, 2005).

3.3 Existing modelling activities There is active model development work on thesouth-western shelf of Europe, an area extendingonto the Atlantic Ocean/Margin from Ireland toMorocco. This activity is very diverse due to the

Figure 7 Live cells from a plankton net-haul, dominated by Ceratium furca, Dinophysis caudata and to a lesser

extent D. acuta, collected in Ria de Vigo during a diarrhetic shellfish toxins outbreak, October 2003 (Escalera et al. 2003, Phase contrast micrography,

100X).


objectives to be reached. These objectives deal withoperational oceanography and real-time andforecasting data, research improvement onprocesses and applications such as algal blooms,storm surges, accidental pollution, sedimenttransport, fishery or primary production. For thisreason, the modelling activity of the area concernsseveral scales:

• regional, coastal and local• research or operational mode systems• circulation, wave, tidal, ecosystem, drift,

dispersion or sediment transport models on theirown or linked together.

These systems are mainly supported by nationalresources. Most of them are maintained and run —and often also developed — by a laboratory or teamfor their own needs. Some of them, such as inFrance and Spain, result from the association ofseveral institutes and laboratories that worktogether to reach a common objective of operation-ality.

A selection of operational and future operationalmodelling systems are described in the followingsubsections. They address those models run bypresent EuroGOOS members and IBI-ROOSpartners. This list will be able to evolve with timeas members or partners increase.

3.3.1 Circulation modelsThe objectives of the Mercator1 system are toforecast the global ocean circulation and dynamics,for climate, research, marine security, naturalhazards or other end-user oriented applications. Itsaim is also to provide initial and boundary condi-tions to open ocean forecasts and to higherresolution regional or coastal systems. The system,using OPA code, has been developed at global andbasin (North Atlantic) scale and is going to bedeveloped at the regional scale, covering the IBI-ROOS area, to improve the circulation near to thecoast. At the moment, Mercator runs an operationalsystem of the North Atlantic (9°N to 70°N) and theMediterranean sea including assimilation ofsatellite and in situ data (Figure 9). This system hasbeen operational since January 2003 and is runevery week to forecast the circulation of thecomplete area for the following 14 days.

Figure 9 Mercator North Atlantic operational system.

Figure 10 Atlantic domain (ESEOAT) of the opera-tional ESEOO project.

The main objective of the Spanish national projectESEOO2 is to promote operational oceanography inSpain, with special focus on oil spill pollutionforecasting at any place along the Spanish coastwhere an accident might occur. This project isconcerned with observation, data management andmodelling in an area corresponding to the Spanishwaters, i.e. surrounding the Iberian Peninsula onboth Atlantic and Mediterranean sides and theCanary Islands. The modelling system is dividedinto 3 domains to be run in operational mode. TheESEOAT domain, (Figure 10) using POLCOMScode, covering the Western Iberian coast and shelf

1. Mercator is the French sustained programme on operationaloceanography led by Mercator Océan, a consortiumcompany composed of 6 members: CNES, CNRS,IFREMER, IRD, Météo-France and SHOM.

2. ESEOO is a 3-year project (2004–2006) composed of 14Spanish and 4 international partners and coordinated byPuertos del Estado. After the end of the project, a continu-ation is planned as a consortium company (referredhereafter as ESEOO-II).


(15°W–0.5°W, 32°N–48°N) and the ESEOCANdomain of the Canary Islands are both included inthe IBI-ROOS area.

One of the objectives of the operational coastaloceanographic system PREVIMER coordinated byIFREMER is to have routine information on thestate of the marine coastal and local environmentfor the entire French coast. This informationconcerns various ecosystem applications stronglylinked to the circulation in the area. Applicationsvary with respect to the end-users:

• the public (recreational areas: bathing, diving,fishing, yachting)

• professional users (shellfish farming, HABs,fishing, eggs and larval cruises, turbidity)

• coastal managers (water quality against micro-biological or chemical discharges)

• environmental businesses (hindcasts forstrengthening impact studies)

• intermediate users such as scientists (halieuticresearch, climatic research, interest inhindcasting).

Based upon experimental data and numericalmodelling (MARS code), the relevant processesidentified range from space scales including theBay of Biscay, the Channel or the north-westernMediterranean down to the estuaries or littoralbays. Therefore the models used are embeddedusing AGRIF with the possibility of two-wayzooming, and the whole system will evolve with agreater ability to zoom over areas that can beselected for an urgent need (e.g. accidental spills).Ecosystem applications can be studied eitherdirectly or by coupling with ecological, wave andsediment transport models. Time scales concernedwith these various applications encompass the tidalcycle up to a decade for describing annual varia-bility.

PREVIMER, the current operational systemrunning in the IBI-ROOS area, gives a 2-dayforecast. It consists of 4 embedded models (Figure11) with a mesh resolution range from 5 km downto 200 m and tidal flats for coastal and localdomains. Over the Iroise sea, a daily forecastdisplays both hydrodynamic circulation and seastate.

The Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) addressescoastal and local applications — both recreational(bathing) and ecological (fisheries, shellfishfarming) in the estuary and the coastal region offresh water influence of the river Tagus. The veryhigh resolution circulation MOHID system is used,

including tides, run-offs and tidal flats necessary tocorrectly represent this area of very small depth (afew metres) and the exchanges of Tagus waterbetween the estuary and the coastal sea (Figure 12).The system is operational with a few days forecast.

Figure 12 IST operational system for the Tagus estuary and the coastal area of fresh water influence.

Several other Portuguese institutes have strongmodelling and data assimilation activities off thePortuguese coast with various objectives:

• Mediterranean Water outflow dynamics(IOFCUL3)

• Dynamics of the Iberian coastal current system(IOFCUL, IST, UA-CESAM4, IH5)

• Dynamics of internal waves off Iberia(IOFCUL, IST, IH)

• Regions of Fresh Water Influence (IOFCUL,IST, UA-CESAM).

3. IOFCUL: Instituto de Oceanografia, Faculdade de Ciênciasde Universidade de Lisboa

4. UA-CESAM: Ocean modelling group of the Aveiro University5. IH: Instituto Hidrográfico

Figure 11 Operational PREVIMER system: 4 embedded models running simultaneously.


These teams and subjects are a good basis for theimplementation and validation of a future opera-tional coastal circulation system for the Portuguesecoast. It would be natural to implement coastal highresolution hydrodynamic models and to nest themin regional scale systems like ESEOO-II andMERCATOR.

The motivation for the modelling effort of the IrishMarine Institute (IMI) falls into 3 main areas:Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) modelling, larvalrecruitment and salmon migration on a domain ofinterest extending to the Rockall Bank in the westto the southern North Sea in the east and from theBay of Biscay to the Shetlands in the north (Figure13).

Figure 13 The Irish Marine Institute shelf domain.

The IMI has been engaged in numerical modellingfor 2 years and all of the IMI’s models can beclassified as scientific at present. Currently the IMIruns ROMS for this large hydrodynamic modeldomain where some smaller sub-domains arenested for bays on the west coast of Ireland:Galway Bay and Clew Bay. There are short termplans to nest other bays, which have commercialaquaculture and fisheries interests. Bio-modellingcan be added when necessary to the hydrodynamicmodelling to study specific plankton species. TheIMI also runs QUODDY, a Finite Element Meshnumerical ocean circulation model for the NEAtlantic region, and the SWAN wave model forsmall domains of interest to groups conductingexperiments with wave energy.

AZTI has 3 years of experience in modelling withROMS and the Cantabrian coastal system is nowworking in operational mode with meteorologicaldata provided by MeteoGalicia. ROMS outputs arealso used to run an IBM pelagic model for thedispersion of anchovy eggs and larvae.

In order to set up a fast-response operational systemin the Galician area and the estuaries, the hydrody-

namic model MOHID is run by MeteoGalicia in a3D barotropic version forced by atmosphericpressure, tides and wind. The forecast horizon is 72hours. A similar system was successfully usedduring the Prestige accident (Carracedo et al.,2005). Together with Vigo University, Intecmarand IST/Maretec, MeteoGalicia plans to preventand forecast ecological events such as algal bloomsin estuaries where shellfish farming is important.

The IEO aims to provide answers to end users —managers, scientists and the general public —concerning interaction between circulation andecosystems linked, among others, to fisheries(larval transport, stock management) and HABmonitoring. The area of interest is the Galician andCantabrian shelf and slope as well as the adjacentocean. A high resolution system (using ROMScode) solving shelf and slope dynamics with highresolution forcing and full physics that correctlyrepresents freshwater plumes, upwelling fronts,internal tides and internal waves is under devel-opment (see Figure 14 and Ruiz-Villarreal, 2006)and coupling to an ecosystem model is one of themain aims.

Figure 14 Variability of river plumes and the slope current in NW Iberia (subset of the IEO coastal domain)

in the days leading up to the Prestige oil spill on the Galician coast.

3.3.2 Storm surge modellingThe Storm Surge forecast system (Nivmar) is agroup of applications designed to provide a forecastof the sea level in the Bay of Biscay, IberianPeninsula and Canary Islands. The system (Figure15), created in 1998, is based on the ocean circu-lation HAMSOM model and on the harmonicprediction of tides computed from data measuredby the Puertos del Estado tidal gauge networkREDMAR. It is executed twice a day using theresults from the short-range weather forecastingprogramme HIRLAM provided by the InstitutoNacional de Meteorología (INM). Moreover,REDMAR data are assimilated, allowing thesystem to correct systematic errors in the mean sea


level due to physicals processes which are notincluded in the ocean model (i.e. steric height). Theforecast period is 72 hours.

3.3.3 Wave modellingThe Puertos del Estado Wave Forecast System(Sistema de Predicción de Oleaje — SPO) wasdeveloped in 1995. It was initially created to fulfilthe requirement of the Port Authorities to have aplanning and management system for their portactivities. The system is based on a version of theWAM code with a possibility of two-way nestingdeveloped at Puertos del Estado. High resolutionnested applications based on WaveWatch andSWAN codes are also operational in severalregions (Figure 16). Data from the REDMARnetwork of buoys are used for real-time validation.Nowadays, any user can freely access this servicethrough the INM web page. This institute is respon-sible for keeping the system operational andsupport Puertos del Estado in the technical devel-opment of the SPO.

MeteoGalicia runs the WaveWatch III wave modelevery day in an operational mode applied to 3nested grid levels — North Atlantic, Iberian coastand the Galician area — in order to obtain anumerical forecast of sea state. At the same time,for smaller scales, the SWAN wave model is used

to downscale the waves to the estuaries in north-western Spain (Figure 17).

WWIII and SWAN wave models are also nestedinto the SHOM and IFREMER contribution to thePREVIMER system. This provides a well-validatedsea-state forecast over the Iroise Sea, taking intoaccount the barotropic currents and the predictedtidal level (and drying banks) for a betterdescription of the wave propagation processes inthe shallow coastal waters.

Figure 17 SWAN model used for the Artabro gulf (NW Spain) by MeteoGalicia.

Figure 15 Sea level residuals computed from the Nivmar Storm Surge forecasting system.

Figure 16 The wave forecasting system of Puertos del Estado. Nested models from Atlantic scale to Harbour

agitation model.

Future Plans24

4.1 Requirements for IBI-ROOSThe applications targeted by IBI-ROOS requirelong term observations and commitments as well asinternational co-operation which can only berealised through involvement from governmentsand governmental institutions.

The key issue for the establishment of an opera-tional oceanographic observing system in the IBIarea is integration and further development of theexisting observational systems and data sets. Theobjective is to maximise their utility for the specificpurpose for which they have been originallydesigned and, by combining data sets with furtherstages of modelling and forecasting, to make themavailable for other relevant purposes and usergroups. The combination of data types into a singlesystem will enable a higher resolution in models,more rapid delivery of products, and longerforecast horizons.

The existing observation systems should adapt andintegrate new technologies to make observationsmore complete, more efficient and more affordable,and the data infrastructure and management systemshould be complementary to existing systems andattuned to multiple sources of data and theirmultiple uses as well as quality assurance proce-dures. Ocean observations in the IBI area requiremore effective co-ordination between institutes andcountries.

The establishment of an oceanographic operationalobserving system in the IBI area will also berelevant for the work of intergovernmental councilssuch as

• IOC (Intergovernmental OceanographicCommission)

• ICES (International Council for the Explorationof the Sea)

• Contributions to GMES (Global Monitoring forEnvironment and Security)

• EMSA (European Marine Safety Agency)• EEA (European Environment Agency)• OSPAR Convention for the protection of the

marine environment of the North-East Atlantic • IHO (International Hydrographic Organisation)• IMO (International Maritime Organisation)

• WMO (World Meteorological Organization)• Development of the European Marine Strategy

for the sustainable use of the coastal seasThe data collected should fulfil operational needsas well as temporary and long-term demands suchas scientific research, national policy on sustainableuse of coastal regions and disaster prevention (e.g.Erika and Prestige). Because of the scale of thephenomena it is obvious that these activities anddemands cannot be restricted to a national conti-nental shelf: waves, currents, storms, and pollutantsmove freely across political boundaries. Thereforeto meet user requirements we need:

a) More co-operation between the coastal countriesin their ship-based programmes and fixedmonitoring activities

b) A better geographical coverage of the samplingprogrammes

c) Regular products on different levels of dataaggregation covering the entire geographicalregion.

A complete operational oceanographic serviceshould be focused on observations, analysis andmodel predictions of water level, waves, currents,temperature, salinity, oxygen, nutrients, algae,chlorophyll, zooplankton and fish populations.

A well-functioning operational system will require:

• An up-to-date observation system that canprovide data with a quality satisfying interna-tional standards, combined with an internationalinfrastructure for the capture, exchange andprocessing of oceanographic and hydrographic(river discharge) data that is capable ofsupporting real-time or near real-time services.

• A data analysis system that can provide adescription of the actual state of the sea andgenerate input data to operational models.Additionally the analysis system should be ableto create statistics and homogeneous time-seriesof state variables.

• Access to meteorological forcing data andboundary conditions from Atlantic models.

• Operational forecasting models providingforecasts of conditions for the maximumforward look which is achievable by determin-istic modelling and statistical forecast ofexpected conditions for longer periods.

4 Future Plans


• A presentation and information system specifi-cally targeted to deliver the state and forecastsof the IBI marine environment designed to meetthe exact requirements of the user at the sitewhere the work is carried out.

In addition to integration and further developmentof the existing observational systems and data sets,a key issue for the establishment of an operationaloceanographic system in the Bay of Biscay is toimprove the speed of data transmission and create asupra-national network connecting marine dataarchives.

4.2 A coordinated observing systemThe review of existing monitoring systems inchapter 3 mainly shows three weak or missingcomponents:

• Access to river runoff data with sufficienttemporal resolution in near real time: freshwater fluxes to the coastal seas, and the accom-panying nutrient and pollutant loads, areimportant for accurate monitoring andforecasting the coastal zone ecosystem,pollutant fate as well as for coastal floodmanagement. Observing systems arefragmented, even within nations, and the dataare difficult to access, especially in near-real-time (NRT). The IBI-ROOS partners will worktowards a more efficient network for the IBI-ROOS area.

• Improved synoptic information for the IBI-ROOS area, especially T,S variables but also theentire set of biogeochemical parameters relatedto the water column from surface to bottom.This information is requested with a time frameof a day (even an hour or shorter whenprocesses such as tide are involved) with aspatial resolution depending on the variability ofthe hydrological processes at a specific location.This can be achieved by different means:- start deploying continental shelf lagrangian

TS profilers (Pagode), first in a limitedarea—a test case will be defined togetherwith modellers

- set up experiments to test the feasibility andusefulness of new technologies such asgliders or AUVs

- take initiatives to install and run measuringsystems on supports of opportunity such asferries, coastal fishing fleet, merchant ships

sailing on regular coastal lines, fixed struc-tures (islands, offshore oil and gas platforms)and animals (seals, dolphins)

- set up experiments with surface drifters (e.g.SURDRIFT floats)

• Improve high resolution bathymetry which iscritical for model accuracy especially in shallowwaters (<5 m). IBI-ROOS partners will worktogether in order to improve the bathymetryinformation available in the area.

• The use of other techniques such as undulatingtowed fish during scientific cruises or bottomstations could provide good complementaryinformation for applications in specific areas(high variability, point source of pollution, etc.).The deployment of coastal HF radars where themorphology of the shore is favourable will beencouraged and the expertise shared betweenIBI-ROOS participants.

Improving the reliability of surface moorings(buoys and long-term autonomous instruments) aswell as sensors and instruments devoted tobiological parameters is considered to be of utmostimportance. Partners agree to consider these issuesas some of the conditions for future progress.

Finally, IBI-ROOS partners will collaborate toproduce advanced remote sensing products for dataassimilation in models and a better description ofthe IBI-ROOS area. Such advanced operationalproducts will be constructed on the basis of theR&D remote sensing results, such as improvedalgorithms, in situ/remote sensing data merging,etc. The new satellite products specialised for thedata assimilation in IBI-ROOS models include:

• SST merged with remote sensing/in situproducts

• Altimetry merged with remote sensing with tidegauges and mean dynamic topography

• Ocean Colour merged with remote sensing/insitu products

• Use of SAR data for high resolution winds,waves and surface currents should also bestrongly developed, as well as tools for trackingspills and illegal discharges.

4.3 From regional to coastal modellingCollaboration will enable the IBI-ROOS modellinggroup to explore the existing different workingstrategies and, at the same time, to minimise theredundancy between teams. Studies on different

Future Plans26

scales (regional, coastal and local) complementeach other, as the physical processes are differentas well as the objectives. At regional scales, themain interest is on large scale and slope circulation,while for coastal scales it is on slope and shelfcirculation, river run-off, high frequency processes,tides and upwelling. At local scales, waves, intensecirculation patterns associated with estuarine andcoastal lagoons mouths, flooding/drying processesand swell are particularly relevant. Another benefitexpected from coordinated modelling within IBI-ROOS is that the expertise of several groups will beused to develop comprehensive applications. Thesimulation of an algal bloom event, for example,could be followed by the different coastal systemsof the IBI domain and could in addition be studiedin detail by local systems implemented in relevantareas.

The objective of the modelling team is to have acomplete and validated pre-operational systemfrom regional to coastal and local scales through adownscaling strategy.

The regional system will extend over the wholeIBI-ROOS area, from Ireland to Morocco and fromthe open sea to the coast. The coastal systems willdeal with subdomains of national interest and willtogether cover the entire IBI-ROOS coastal area(Figure 18). Local systems will be implemented atstrategic places directly linked to ecological eventsand harbour activities. Systems will be developedand run by different IBI-ROOS partners who usedifferent codes. Mercator Océan and ESEOO-II(the continuation of the operational Spanishoceanographic project ESEOO) plan to collaboratein the development of a regional system whichincludes the IBI area (based on the OPA model).The Irish coast and shelf system is developed andrun by the Irish Marine Institute (IMI) and uses theROMS model. The French coastal system whichincludes the Channel and the Bay of Biscay ismodelled by IFREMER (using MARS code). TheNorth and North Western Spanish system is run bythe Instituto Español de Oceanografia (IEO) withthe ROMS model. Finally, the Western Iberiancoastal system is studied by both the InstitutoSuperior Técnico (IST) and MeteoGalicia usingMOHID code.

Local systems will evolve following needs forapplications, such as the circulation inside harbourswhich is an important water quality issue or theestuaries and coastal lagoons where the main urbanand power plant discharges are located. Localsystems have been planned or are under devel-opment for Galway Bay and Clew Bay (Western

Ireland) by IMI, Iroise Sea (Western Brittany),Arcachon lagoon and other local bays byIFREMER, Galician Rias (North Western Spain)by MeteoGalicia and Tagus estuary (PortugueseWest coast) by IST.

Figure 18 The IBI-ROOS modelling system.

Systems with different scales will be linked throughdownscaling. The regional system will provide datato initialise and force the IBI area coastal systems atopen boundaries. These hindcast and forecast datawill either be provided on the regional system gridor interpolated/extrapolated with divergenceminimisation on the coastal system grid. Moreovera library containing tools and descriptions oftechniques for interpolation, extrapolation andoptimisation of data used by the different IBI-ROOS modelling teams could be developed andwould probably also involve teams other than IBI-ROOS partners that have made important develop-ments on this subject. This library would allowknowledge exchange between teams and, therefore,improvements on the difficult task related to initial-isation and forcings. The use of this library wouldhave to follow specific rules (to be defined), forexample data format and conventions.

The IBI modelling system including all scalesystems will be carefully validated for the differentprocesses described in section 2.1 “Oceanographiccharacteristics”. Some concern the entire area suchas the thermal content or a high frequencyphenomena, while others are more local, such asthe impact of fresh water from rivers. Finallycharacteristics such as currents and upwellings are


linked to the synoptic variability and concern boththe regional and the coastal scale. Beyond showingthe realism and the limits of the representation ofthe IBI area circulation, the validation will focus onusing a higher horizontal resolution in local andcoastal systems in comparison with coastal andregional ones, respectively. Moreover, the workwith model validation will support the regionaldesign of the future observing network which willbe mainly used as a model validation tool.

By following this common strategy, teams andinstitutes will be able to focus their resources onspecific objectives that are more strongly linked toparticular ecological events or problems. Theseinclude issues related to algal bloom forecastepisodes (MeteoGalicia, Ifremer, IMI, IEO), waterquality (IST, Puertos del Estado), bathing water(IST, Ifremer), aquaculture industry (IMI, Ifremer),support to ecosystem-based approaches forfisheries (IEO) and eutrophication (Ifremer, IST).

4.4 Fisheries and their impactsThe impact of different environmental conditionson fish populations and fisheries has been studiedextensively. Events such as depletion or increase inabundance of fish species suggest large-scaleclimate forcing. In addition to large scale forcing,there may be local or regional events such ascoastal upwelling or low-range thermohaline-forced currents which can largely contribute torecruitment variability. Most pelagic fish speciesinhabit areas in which turbulence dominates theirenvironment because it acts on the advection andretention of larvae and so affects recruitmentsuccess. These environmental conditions can berepresented by indices of upwelling, turbulence, seatemperature, winds or oceanic large or mesoscalecirculation as well as atmospheric factors. Opera-tional oceanography activities and products providescientists and managers with a number of environ-mental variables and parameters that could help tounderstand their influence in the distribution of fishspawning, retention areas, production in food webs,and hence availability of food to larval and juvenilefish. Nowadays these operational oceanographyproducts are not in routine use in fisheriesassessment and management systems.

Operational fisheries assessment and managementis currently performed at annual time scales (atleast in ICES waters), and this is likely to be thescale at which operational oceanography productswill be of greatest value. In addition, operationalproducts need to be available over multi-decadal

time-scales so that they can be compared tohistorical biological series (e.g. recruitment).Whilst long-term indices of ocean climate aregenerally based on large scale features (e.g. NAO),process understanding of fish response to theenvironment is generally more obvious at themesoscale (10–100 km, days–weeks) whereoceanographic features such as fronts, plumes,upwelling or eddies occur. An understanding offish response to climate, compatible with processunderstanding, requires mesoscale oceanic featuresto be detected and tracked over long periods oftime.

The major trend in the Celtic Sea ecosystem is thesteady warming of the area, particularly in thecontext of the slope current (ICES WGRED). TheRockall trough waters have been warming steadilyfor several years and have reached an all-time high.The general and continuing reduction of copepodabundance is also of major concern given the majorrole of these organisms in the food web. Both thesefactors are likely to have an impact on the lifehistories of many species, but particularly on themigratory pelagic species—mackerel, horsemackerel and blue whiting.

Both mackerel and horse mackerel migrations areclosely associated with the slope current. Mackerelmigration is known to be modulated by temper-ature. Continued warming of the slope current islikely to affect the timing of this migration. Thetiming and location of spawning by all thesespecies is also likely to be affected by warming.The impact on recruitment is difficult to assess, asmackerel generally recruits well, and the horsemackerel stock depends on very rare massiverecruitments. No ecosystem link has been identifiedfor either species.

The widespread and sudden increase in occurrenceof non-commercial species such as Capros aper,particularly after 1990, might indicate some changein environmental conditions but mechanisms andconsequences are poorly understood.

Exploitation of living marine resources in the Bayof Biscay includes a wide range of organisms, fromseaweed to shellfish (i.e. Norway lobster, cepha-lopods), fish (i.e. mackerel, hake, anchovy, sole)and whales. Indeed, it has been reported thatmolluscs were exploited in the bay as early as thePalaeolithic period and whales in the middle ages(Valdés and Lavín, 2002). The study of the exploi-tation of some pelagic fish in the Bay of Biscaystarted in the middle of the last century under theauspices of ICES (International Council for theExploration of the Sea). The economic and social

Future Plans28

importance of these and other fisheries and theobjective of obtaining appropriate yields led to thedevelopment of studies to explain the variability offish abundance and to predict the strength ofincoming recruitment. In this way, important devel-opments have been made in research fields relatedto marine primary production, ichthyoplankton,zooplankton and applied oceanography. Many ofthe exploited resources in the Bay of Biscay aremanaged as a particular unit or stock. In spite of theamount of information about the biology of thesespecies, there is still much ignorance on speciesinteractions, including man, and in their relation-ships with the variable environment.

In spite of the effort devoted to the description ofthe marine communities, there are many difficultiesin explaining why some species extend and contracttheir spatial distribution and how their abundanceincreases and decreases. This is due to thecomplexity of relationships among abiotic andbiotic properties of the ecosystem, which aresubjected to different sources of variability (bothnatural and anthropogenic).

The IBI-ROOS region is populated by a largenumber of commercial and non-commercial fishspecies. The fisheries exploit demersal and pelagicfish species, crustaceans and cephalopods.Different kinds of Spanish and Portuguese fleetsoperate in this area. The main pelagic species in theIberian Peninsula are sardine and anchovy (smallpelagic) and mackerel and horse mackerel (middle-size pelagic). These species form the basis ofimportant fisheries in the Iberian Peninsula and inthe Bay of Biscay, which represent an importantsource of income for local economies. The Spanishand Portuguese fleets operating in the AtlanticIberian Peninsula shelf also catch a variety ofspecies: hake, white and black anglerfish, megrimand four spot megrim, Norway lobster and bluewhiting.

In the Iberian waters, upwelling is the mainenvironmental event that affects fisheries, mainly atthe pelagic early stages. Climatic variability of theupwelling and slope current over the IBI-ROOSarea will provide information and previews thatwill benefit the fisheries management, as well asthe international cooperation in solving orpreventing common problems.

To generate products in the form of easy-to-useindexes, which can be easily transferred to thecommunity of fisheries scientists that relate fishstocks to ocean processes in order to improve theecosystem management, is of the utmost impor-tance.

4.5 Plan for accidental pollutionOver the last decades there has been a continuousincrease in human habitation and industrial andrecreational activities in the ocean and the coastalzone, as well as a substantial acceleration inmaritime transport and the economic and strategicvalue of the merchandise transported. This impliesan increase in socioeconomic and environmentalimpacts, sometimes with catastrophic conse-quences.

The total volume of pollution due to spillage anddumping (associated mostly to human pressureupon the coastline) is substantially larger than thevolume from accidental spills. These represent alocalised and added impact; their effects, for bothshorter and longer time-scales, are relevant anddifficult to evaluate. Following the diversepollution accidents which have occurred in recentyears, a number of areas have been directlyidentified, in which substantial improvements needto be developed in order to advise on pollutionimpacts and, in case of accidents, to describe thephysics and biochemistry of a polluted scenario.Data concerning the local hydrodynamics anddetailed chemical composition and properties of thespilled material have to be gathered and combinedin order to prepare the best management advice.

1. Prevention of accidents: risk and dangeranalysis, prevention measurements,monitoring and prediction- Prepare complete and realistic inventories of

areas sensitive to pollution (areas of naturalresources, natural beauty, etc.)

- Investigate pollution monitoring andprediction systems, i.e. efficient systems forthe measurement of parameters, withmodelling oriented to forecasting.

- Establish and develop databases of infor-mation relevant to common shippingroutes—most frequent substances carriedand their physico-chemical characteristics,experts and necessary resources for anti-pollution operations, etc.

- Design surveillance plans and carry outinspections for the fulfilment of regional,national or international laws.

- Develop and train personnel for local andharbour emergency plans, including bothregional and trans-national emergency plans.


- Identify shipping routes that are secure forboth the marine environment and for ships.

2. Systems of operational forecasting: gener-ation of products and services oriented toemergency event managers and decision-makers- Maintain networks of stations for the

measurement of environmental parameters,using different instrumentation systems,including airborne sensors that cover areaswith high potential risk of suffering pollutionaccidents, or that comprise areas under risk.

- Establish monitoring and pollutionforecasting protocols for use duringemergency events.

- Develop new systems for the detection ofmarine pollution including systems of‘dissuasive surveillance’ for routine spillsfrom ships.

- Optimise and install hydrodynamic andparticle dispersion models, with high-resolution and reasonable computationalcosts, working in an operational way andrendering forecasts in real-time.

- Update, validate and calibrate installedmodels, using registered databases,supported by information available from thedifferent types of instrumentation systems.

3. Management of information: advance the useof new technologies for the evaluation of riskevents, data distribution and informationgeneration

- Circulate data freely and efficiently betweenmanagers and administrators involved in theanti-pollution fight.

- Improve information channels betweenmanagers and the media, relating to the anti-pollution operational tasks and themanagement decisions adopted during thecourse of the crises.

- Disseminate information and improvecommunication. Exploit visual communi-cation tools, sharing opinions on data andprevious experiences.

4. Anti-pollution operations: retrieval andmanagement of residues- Update inventories of available material

means, both at a national and internationallevel. Design operational plans, and describelogistics and distribution of means,depending on priorities.

- Advance the design of new systems for theretrieval of pollution from the sea.

- Train those sectors related to the sea (profes-sional and sport fishermen, merchantshipping, etc.) for combating pollution.Establish security and health plans for peopleinvolved in anti-pollution operational tasks.

- Define plans of action to deal with/dispose ofthe retrieved residue.

5. Impact analysis: evaluation of environmentaland economic impact

Figure 19 Retrieval of oil following the Prestige accident.

Future Plans30

- Improve the knowledge of base level marinepollutants, especially in the biologicalsubstrate.

- Establish standards for environmental impactstudies and derive socio-economicindicators.

- Establish protection measures for publichealth, with banning and/or closed seasonsfor commercial fisheries in affected areas.

- Define plans of action for the restoration ofthe environment.

6. Follow-up of the impact: networks ofmeasurements and plans- Define pollution monitoring plans- Establish restoration plans, considering

different aspects (biological, industrial,tourist, etc.)

- Maintain permanent marine environmentobservatories.

The services and products provided by operationaloceanography will reduce the possibility of theoccurrence of an accident in the sea and, if one doesoccur, enhance the capability of the system toundertake its analysis, monitoring and restorationin a satisfactory and efficient way; as well asminimise the socio-economic and environmentalimpacts.

4.6 Oceanographic control of HAB eventsBlooms of toxigenic microalgae (Dinophysis spp.,Gymnodinium catenatum) that render shellfishunsuitable for human consumption, and of ichthyo-toxic species (Karenia mikimotoi) that cause massmortality of caged fish and benthic resources,constitute the most serious natural hazard for thedevelopment and sustainability of aquaculturewithin the IBI-ROOS region. Contamination offarmed shellfish with lipophylic shellfish toxins(DSP, pectenotoxins) above regulation levels andproduced by dinoflagellates of the genusDinophysis, is responsible for the longest periods ofshellfish harvesting closures.

Information from years of traditional watersampling reveals that proliferations of these speciesrespond to common patterns of physical forcingand to species-specific physical-biological interac-tions. Another important characteristic is that, withthe exception of some Karenia blooms, they do notreach high biomasses, and cannot be tracked with

ocean colour detection systems. Nevertheless, wecan trace the temperature of the water masses theyare associated with.

Over the past few years, development of instru-ments capable of detecting fine structures of thewater column have shown that Dinophysis spp.,Karenia mikimotoi and other HAB species oftengrow and/or aggregate in high cell densities (105–106 cells L–1) in sub-surface thin layers. Investi-gation on the formation and persistence of theselayers, often located in the pycnocline, through thestudy of interactions between fine scale physicaldiffusion and net growth, is extremely important,because they can act as retention zones and betransported from shelf waters to coastal areas.Other microscale physical structures, such asanticyclonic gyres, may also serve as retentionareas and act as incubators of harmful microalgae.Thus, predictive schemes of D. acuminata events insouthern Brittany are directly related to the estab-lishment of temporary retentive structures at mid-depth and to their subsequent advection to the coast(Xie et al., 2006); and in the southwest coasts ofIreland, D. acuta blooms have been related totransport by bottom fronts. The study of theseretention areas constitute the main topic of anongoing European project, Harmful Algal Bloomsin Thin Layers (HABIT), focused on Dinophysisspp. in the Bay of Biscay, the Galician coasts andthe west coasts of Ireland.

On a larger scale, observations on mesoscale distri-bution of Dinophysis acuta (southwest and westcoasts of Ireland, Galicia and northern Portugal),and Gymnodinium catenatum (Iberian coast)blooms can be justified by latitudinal differences inthe onset of thermal stratification, but also byphysical transport (of the conditions, the popula-tions or both) mechanisms that include along-shoretransport, cross-shelf transport, bottom fronts, andpopulations entrained in river plumes after theupwelling season. The offshore boundary of theblooms may be associated with the increased turbu-lence levels due to internal wave activity.

Monitoring programmes for harmful phytoplanktonand phycotoxins established in all EU countriesprotect public health and control food quality, butincreasing demands from fisheries managers andshellfish growers stress the need to improve thepredictive capabilities of the toxic outbreaks.Further, monitoring programmes mostly focus onthe coastal embayments where shellfish resourcesare grown and thus provide patchy information onprocesses that need to be investigated at a largerspatial scale, with the implication of countries that


suffer a common problem, and with a multidisci-plinary approach.

Different approaches have attempted to predict theonset of HAB populations in coastal areas,including artificial neural network analyses, fuzzylogic and hydrodynamic modelling. Given the largeinfluence of the oceanic climate on the IBI-ROOSregion coastlines, the belief is that the most appro-priate approach would be that based on the conceptof operational oceanography.

The ultimate goal is to develop coupled physical-biological models for the main species that causeintoxication in the IBI-ROOS region, especially forthose such as Dinophysis acuta and Gymnodiniumcatenatum, which seem to be subject to mesoscalealong-shore transport and exhibit large inter-annualvariability. This is a very ambitious goal requiring asound knowledge of the physical factors affectingdifferent life history stages (cysts, overwinteringpopulations, vegetative cells) of the species ofinterest. A preliminary effort should be devoted tothe identification of specific HAB situations,parametrisation of the physical and biologicalprocesses, and validation of simple species-specificmodels.

To achieve an operational tool that serves thepurpose of HAB prediction, a downscaling ofexisting models, such as MERCATOR, MOHID,MARS and ROMS to the critical scales at whichthe physics and the biological processes interact isneeded. These scales are of the order of a few tensof centimetres to several metres on the vertical axis,and of a few kilometres to a few hundred on thehorizontal axis. Existing or down-scaled physical

models can then be used to test situations, such asformation and persistence of gyres and otherretention areas, the transport of shelf populations toestuaries during relaxation and downwellingevents, and as a consequence, the onset of HABevents at the coast.

The IBI-ROOS region has the appropriate charac-teristics to fulfil the necessary complementation ofexpertise and the geographic extent to studyphysical-biological interactions of HAB species inorder to improve prediction of these events.Coordination to carry out simultaneous observa-tions at sea, applying the same techniques, repre-sents an added value. Networking activities,exchange of data and thematic workshops wouldallow a comparative approach to the study ofcommon problem species, and improved analysesand exploitation of results, through fluid andcontinuous dialogues between the physicists,modellers and biologists about their respectiveneeds.

The following list of deliverables would encourageinteraction between physicists and biologists,networking activity and coordination:

• Construction of HAB species datasets (e.g.Dinophysis acuta, Dinophysis acuminata,Karenia mikimotoi, Gymnodinium catenatum,Pseudonitzschia spp. and Lingulodiniumpolyedrum) from monitoring stations andoceanographic cruises carried out in the IBI-ROOS area

• Compilation of other relevant data (temperature,salinity, upwelling indices, stratification, species

Figure 20 Total number of harvest closure days, for French basins, for the period 1984–2003, showing that Dinophysis is the main cause of closure.

Future Plans32

growth rates, current measurements, satelliteimages, etc.)

• Identification of specific HAB situations to beused for modelling purposes

• Identification of specific circulation patternsfavouring bloom initiation, development anddispersion; retention areas, fronts, etc.

• Development of coupled physical-biologicalmodels for the main species that cause toxicityin Irish, French and Galician-Portugueseshellfish, especially for those — such asDinophysis acuta, Karenia mikimotoi andGymnodinium catenatum — that seem to besubject to along-shore mesoscale transport andexhibit large interannual variability.

The overall product would be improved predictiveskills of HAB initiation, development anddispersion based on understanding the physicalforces underlying the areas of bloom development.

4.7 Water quality servicesDuring the last few decades, human intensified useof water has led to a progressive decrease of waterquality in aquifers and interior, transitional andcoastal waters. The coastal waters support a veryrich environment from the ecological point of viewwhich are, at the same time, located downstream ofall the main regions of water use (e.g. agriculture,urban and industrial discharges).

In order to identify and understand the majority ofwater quality problems, it is necessary to haveaccess to data that can contribute to an appropriatedescription of the carbon, oxygen, nitrogen,phosphorus and silica in the different mineral andorganic forms.

The ecological and chemical status must bemonitored in continuum and compared with areference scenario considered to be a “goodecological and chemical status”.

The main barriers to overcome in relation to opera-tional water quality services in coastal areas can bebe referred to gaps in:

1. Legislation: The integrated approach derivedfrom the new Water Framework Directive isgoing to increase the level of commitment ofwater users, legislators and the scientificcommunity. This new approach will demandgreater exchange of information between allpartners.

2. Monitoring: The definition and monitoring ofthe good ecological and chemical status of each

system will demand a huge effort. The existingmonitoring programmes need to optimiseclassical field campaigns with automatic dataacquisition systems, remote sensing andmodelling.

3. In situ sensors: New and cheaper sensors needto be deployed to automatically measurerelevant water quality parameters such asnutrients, pathogen indicators and planktonstructure.

4. Remote sensing: New products derived fromSST and ocean colour can be developed toassess water quality in coastal and transitionalwaters.

5. Modelling: The number of approaches tosimulate biogeochemical processes is verydiverse and the level of complexity can change alot. Present data assimilation methodologiesapplied to biogeochemical models tend to becomputationally burdensome; new and morecomputationally-efficient techniques must bepromoted.

6. Land interface: The land inputs can be dividedinto urban and industrial discharges and riverdischarges. All all these inputs must bemonitored in a proper way as the intercon-nection of the ocean and land water qualityobserving systems is a critical issue.

IBI-ROOS will be an additional platform of debatein the implementation of the WFD. Work towards awater quality forecast system in the IBI-ROOS areawill optimise the definition of the ocean boundarycondition for any type of local water qualityservices.

4.8 Plan for sea level applicationToday, sea level operational applications aremainly based on the use of real-time tide gauges toprovide the current sea level situation, combinedwith numerical models to create forecasts. Severalnetworks and forecast systems are available in theIBI-ROOS area, but they work without any kind ofinter-communication or connection.

One of the aspects where the lack of co-ordinationis more evident is the total absence of real-time dataexchange, which affects the service provided. Agood example is the sea level forecast systems.Numerical models make use of real-time data bymeans of data assimilation. Existing systems couldand should take advantage of all the data available.This is not the case due to the absence of amechanism to exchange data in real-time. This


problem has been recently addressed by ESEAS atEuropean level, but a contribution is clearlyexpected from IBI-ROOS.

The GLOSS strategy is trying to change theconcept of a tide gauge station from the classicalview of a device able to study tides, storm surgesand trends to a fully multi-hazard study system,with the ability to monitor phenomena such asseiches and Tsunamis. The tide gauge networks inthe IBI-ROOS area use different measuringprinciples, which hampers the capability of creatingstations ready for multi-hazard studies.

Finally, the storm surge operational systems in theregion are completely unlinked. This situation isclearly deficient and could lead to serious problemsin the case of a severe discrepancy betweenforecasts.

One of the activities to be carried out in IBI-ROOSis the real-time data exchange of oceanographicdata, including sea-level. This work will be done inco-ordination with other European level initiativessuch as ESEAS and SEPRISE. Additionally, thesesteps can also be understood as an advance towardsthe tide gauge component of an IBI-Tsunamiwarning system. Tide gauges are a criticalcomponent of a future Tsunami and storm surgewarning system and it is mandatory to developsystems for the real-time transmission and dissemi-nation of sea level high frequency data at Europeanlevel.

In the field of sea level forecasting systems, actionwill be taken in order to create a super-ensembleforecast system for the IBI-ROOS area. In order todo so, atmospheric model data will be sharedbetween the IBI-ROOS partners in order to performsimulations. Results from the different oceanmodels will be additionally presented in anintegrated way, giving the user an estimation of thelevel of dispersion and confidence of the forecast.This work will be done in full co-ordination withthe existing plans derived from the ECOOP project.

The activity derived from IBI-ROOS with respectto sea-level can be understood as one of thenecessary steps towards a truly European sea levelservice, always in co-ordination with other initia-tives such as ESEAS.

4.9 Data management and exchangeA number of systems for managing, archiving, anddistributing data already exist in the IBI-ROOS

area but they are handled at national or institutelevel with poor coordination between institutes,especially for coastal and real-time applications.Moreover, in situ, satellite and model data are oftenprocessed, archived and distributed throughseparate non-interoperable means, which does nothelp the development of value-added applications.

IBI-ROOS will take advantage of these systems tocreate a “system of systems” which will provideoceanographic and environmental information to awide range of users. This “system of systems” willbe built on existing components and networks; itwill be based on MERSEA developments and theSEADATANET initiative funded by the 6th ECFramework Programme. The aim is for users to beable to access information stored at differentlocations from a ‘one-stop’ shopping point, whichwould also make the link with global networks.

To meet the requirements of this wide range ofusers, IBI-ROOS needs to:

• Make an inventory of all the existing data andproducts that are available for the IBI-ROOSarea

• Implement advanced quality control andvalidation systems taking into account the largevolume of collected data

• Ensure the long-term storage and safeguardingof the data and metadata, built on existingarchiving systems

• Move towards a common data policy which willfollow the EuroGOOS data policy, implyingfree exchange of data among IBI-ROOSpartners

• Define a common strategy to offer services andcommon standards for sharing of data andmetadata. This common strategy shouldimprove mutual cohesion, cooperation, dataexchange, harmonisation of data quality andharmonisation of protocols for data access andvisualisation.

The plan would ease data sharing between thedifferent contributors, extending existing servicesto lead to an integrated data and product service forthe IBI-ROOS community. For this we will buildthe IBI-ROOS box in Figure 21 that will make thelink between the global system — underconstruction within the MERSEA IntegratedProject and GMES Marine Core Service — andexisting local/coastal systems that are in directconnection with the coastal application users atgovernmental and commercial level.

Future Plans34

Figure 21 THE IBI-ROOS Ocean Forecasting System.


5.1 Strategic developmentThe strategic development of IBI-ROOS activitiescan be organised along the following five keyareas:

1. Organisation of the cooperation between thedifferent partnersThe EuroGOOS Agreement provides a generalframework and set of objectives for operationaloceanography in the European areas of interest,which can be supplemented by more detailedand binding documents and agreements whereMembers commit themselves to deliveringservices or resources on a regular basis. For theIberia Biscay Ireland region, a Memorandum ofUnderstanding will be prepared, setting out thepractical methods of collaboration, and the typesof commitment which are needed to develop andrun collaborative operational systems.

2. Improve data exchange at IBI-ROOS levelThis will be done in collaboration with theEuroGOOS Data Exchange Working Group(DATA-MEQ), and European projects such asSeaDataNet and ECOOP following internationalrecommendations from JCOMM or IODE. Freeexchange of data will be promoted within IBI-ROOS. The initial focus will be on real-timeneeds followed by delayed mode exchange.

3. Define the IBI-ROOS basic monitoringnetwork (VOS, Argo, Mooring, Satellite SST,SSH and Colour)This is achievable by networking activitiesbetween the different countries surrounding theregion to improve sampling by avoiding dupli-cations. Moreover special efforts will be placedon improving the collection of river runoffinformation, and implementing emergingtechnologies such as gliders or shelf lagrangianprofilers. The improvement of satellite productsin coastal areas will also be studied.

4. Ease the development of a complete pre-operational system from regional to coastaland local scales through a downscalingstrategyThe regional system will cover the Atlantic frontfrom Ireland to Morocco and will be used toforce coastal systems distributed all along theSouth Eastern European coastline. Some of

these coastal models will themselves force localareas with a specific end user interest. Regionalsystems will include modelling and assimi-lation, with a difference between regional andcoastal models. This will be done in collabo-ration with the MERSEA and ECOOP projects.

5. Improve inputs to downstream services forthe five applications that we have identified ascritical in the IBI-ROOS region.

5.2 Priority projects for IBI-ROOS (2007-2009)Data Exchange: The need to exchange databetween operational agencies and end users hasnever been more acute. IBI-ROOS will establish adata exchange project that will consider:

• Data management• Data quality• Data exchange between partners.The work will be done in collaboration with theEuroGOOS DATA-MEQ working group, firstfocusing on real-time data exchange, homogenisingquality control for core parameters and thendelayed mode data exchange for re-analysispurposes.

Model downscaling: Ocean processes within theIBI-ROOS region are governed by local processes(e.g. wind stress, surface heating, river inputs) andby large scale processes within the wider northeastAtlantic Ocean. To ensure that local area modelsare realistic the IBI-ROOS partners propose todownscale from basin scale models (e.g.MERCATOR, FOAM) through regional models tolocal high resolution models at the coast. A modeldownscaling project is envisaged for early devel-opment and implementation within IBI-ROOS.

River discharges: There is a growing recognitionof the role than river discharges play in governingthe physical, chemical and biological character-istics of the IBI-ROOS region and other shelfregions. Accurately measuring these fluxes andprescribing them in models is critical to success-fully forecasting coastal dynamics of the region.IBI-ROOS will initiate a project on near real-timeand delayed mode delivery of river discharge data

5 Action Plan for IBI-ROOS

Action Plan for IBI-ROOS36

sets so that these data can be included in modelsimulations of the area.

Observing system design: With national andEuropean requirements to optimise and in somecases rationalise observing system platforms, IBI-ROOS will have a dedicated programme of workexamining the current observing system assetswithin the region (buoys, tide gauges, gliders, etc.)and examining ways in which the system can beenhanced to provide a high quality integrated dataset at a reasonable cost. Ferrybox systems and newtechnologies will be considered in this context forthe IBI-ROOS region.

Coastal contamination: IBI-ROOS will examineissues of concern with respect to contamination ofcoastal waters, principally:

• Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) dynamics• Oil spill events.These types of events are common in the IBI-ROOS region and require detailed understanding ifthey are ultimately to be predicted and mitigated.

The IBI-ROOS partners will produce indicativetime-lines and milestones for achieving the objec-tives of these projects in early 2007.


ASP Amnesic Shellfish PoisoningDSP Diarrheic Shellfish Poisoning ECOOP European COastal-shelf sea OPerational observing and forecasting systemEcoQOs OSPAR Ecological Quality ObjectivesESEOO Establecimiento Español de un Sistema de Oceanografía Operacional www.eseoo.orgESONIM European Seafloor Observatory Network Implementation Model

www.oceanlab.abdn.ac.uk/esonet/esonim.shtmlGODAE The Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment www.bom.gov.au/GODAEGCOS Global Climate Observing System www.wmo.ch/web/gcosGLOSS Global Sea Level Observing System pol.ac.uk/psmsl/programmes/gloss.info.htmlGMES Global Monitoring for Environment and Security www.gmes.infoGOOS Global Ocean Observing System www.ioc-goos.orgHAB Harmful Algal BloomsICES International Council for the Exploration of the Sea www.ices.dkIMO International Maritime Organization www.imo.orgIOC Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission ioc.unesco.orgIODE International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange www.iode.orgJCOMM Joint WMO-IOC Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology

ioc.unesco.org/jcommMarCoast A GMES Services Project marcoast.infoMERSEA Marine Environment and Security for the European Area www.mersea.eu.orgOSPAR

ConventionThe Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlanticwww.ospar.org

PSP Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning ROSES Real-time Ocean Services for Environment and Security roses.cls.frSeaDataNet Pan-European infrastructure for Ocean & Marine Data Management www.seadatanet.orgSEPRISE Sustained, Efficient Production of Required Information and Services within Europe

www.eurogoos.org/sepriseTAC Total Allowable Catches WFD Water Framework Directive www.euwfd.com

6 Glossary

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Contributors42

Pablo Abaunza, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Spain

Enrique Alvarez Fanjul, Puertos del Estado, Spain

Fatima Borges, IPIMAR, Portugal

José Manuel Cabanas, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Spain

Thierry Carval, IFREMER, France

Paulo Chambel Leitão, IST/MARETEC, Portugal

Marcel Cure, Marine Institute, Ireland

Hans Dahlin, EuroGOOS, Sweden

Yann-Hervé De Roeck, IFREMER, France

Luís Fernandes, Instituto Superior Técnico, Portugal

Michèle Fichaut, IFREMER, France

Manuel González Pérez, AZTI Tecnalia, Spain

Patrick Gentien, IFREMER, France

Alicia Lavín, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Spain

Pascal Lazure, IFREMER, France

Jacques Legrand, IFREMER, France

Philippe Marchand, IFREMER, France

Pedro Montero Vilar, INTECMAR, Spain

Glenn Nolan, Marine Institute, Ireland

Dominique Obaton, Mercator-Ocean, France

Gregorio Parrilla, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Spain

Vicente Pérez-Muñuzuri, MeteoGalicia, Spain

Siân Petersson, EuroGOOS, Sweden

Benjamin Planque, IFREMER, France

Carmela Porteiro, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Spain

Sylvie Pouliquen, IFREMER, France

Beatriz Reguera, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Spain

Manuel Ruiz Villarreal, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Spain

A. Miguel Santos, IPIMAR, Portugal

Adolfo Uriarte, AZTI Tecnalia, Spain

Luis Valdés, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Spain

Begoña Villamor, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Spain

8 Contributors


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Annex 1: Existing Observations in the IBI-ROOS Area44

15A

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19S

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Inst

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21S

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ry d

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22S

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who

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day

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S, A

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23S

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sens

ing:

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atte

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eter

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e w

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a is

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eve

ry d

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sens

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e re

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over

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AT,

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e re

gion

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very

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27S

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sens

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of S

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g O

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owse

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ater

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3 tr

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icia

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anta

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n an

d ha

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sta

tions

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C

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1995

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MA

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w

ww

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pani

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ater

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Annex 1: Existing Observations in the IBI-ROOS Area46

44N

atio

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stat

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and

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rmfu

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coa

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sta

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AB

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stat

ions

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tam

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ts

and

haza

rdou

s su

bsta

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Stat

ions

at b

each

es a

long

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tugu

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w

ater

qua

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plin

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days

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bath

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seas

on a

nd is

wee

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bi-w

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mon

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endi

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con

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wat

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min

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alo

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mou

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and

wat

ers,

Sp

ring

and

Aut

umn

surv

eys

sinc

e 19

84IC

ES

Pel

agic

fish

erie

s,

IPIM

AR

59R

egul

ar re

sear

ch v

esse

l cr

uise

s: p

hysi

cal &

bio

logi

cal,

incl

udin

g fis

h st

ocks

usi

ng

botto

m tr

awl

Con

tinen

tal s

helf

and

slop

e of

Por

tugu

ese

mai

nlan

d w

ater

s, S

prin

g an

d A

utum

n su

rvey

s si

nce

1979

ICE

S D

emer

sal f

ishe

ries,

IP

IMA

R

60Fi

sher

ies

crui

ses;

her

ring

acou

stic

, blu

e w

hitin

g,

grou

ndfis

h, n

ephr

ops

Year

ly

Mar

ine

Inst

itute

ww

w.m

arin

e.ie

61M

acke

rel e

gg

Tri-y

early

Mar

ine

Inst

itute

ww

w.m

arin

e.ie

62M

eteo

rolo

gica

l aut

omat

ic

stat

ions

: air

tem

pera

ture

, pr

essu

re, w

ind,

hum

idity

, pr

ecip

itatio

n an

d s

un ra

diat

ion

Gal

icia

(NW

Spa

in),

ever

y 10

min

sin

ce 2

000.

M

eteo

Gal

icia

, Con

selle

ria d

e M

edio

Am

bien

te, X

unta

de

Gal

icia

.

ww

w.m

eteo

galic

ia.e

s

63Fi

xed

stru

ctur

es: M

eteo

ro-

logi

cal d

ata

23 c

oast

al m

eteo

rolo

gica

l sta

tions

15 a

utom

atic

sta

tions

at c

oast

Nat

iona

l Met

eoro

logi

cal

Stat

ions

Net

wor

k, IM

64C

oast

al m

eteo

rolo

gica

l st

atio

ns6

stat

ions

; Dub

lin R

ossl

are

Vale

ntia

, Mal

in, R

oche

s po

int,

Bel

lmul

let h

ourly

dat

a M

et E

irean

nw

ww

.met

.ie

Plat

form

/Obs

erva

tion

Spat

ial a

nd te

mpo

ral r

esol

utio

nPr

ogra

mm

e, In

stitu

teW

eb S

ites

Annex 2: Existing Models48

Inst

itute

and

cou

ntry

Cha

ract

eris

tics/

area

of

inte

rest

Mod

el n

ame

Type

Sy

stem

resu

lts w

eb

page

Res

olut

ion

ME

RC

ATO

RFr

ance

3D c

ircul

atio

n sy

stem

/ N

orth

Atla

ntic

OPA

Ope

ratio

nal:

2 w

eeks

fore

cast

ww

w.m

erca

tor.e

u.or

g1/

12°

(5–7

km

)

ES

EO

O (P

uerto

s de

l E

stad

o)Sp

ain

3D c

ircul

atio

n sy

stem

/ Fr

ench

and

Spa

nish

co

asts

and

she

lves

(E

SE

OAT

)

PO

LCO

MS

Ope

ratio

nal:

72h

fore

cast

w

ww

.ese

oo.o

rg5

km

IMI

Irela

nd3D

circ

ulat

ion

syst

em/

Irish

she

lves

RO

MS

Sci

entif

ic s

yste

m

up to

now

1 km

IST

Por

tuga

l3D

circ

ulat

ion

syst

em/

Tagu

s es

tuar

y an

d ar

ea o

f fre

sh w

ater

influ

ence

MO

HID

Pre

-ope

ratio

nal

300

m

IST

Por

tuga

l2D

circ

ulat

ion

syst

em/

Wes

t Ibe

rian

coas

tM

OH

IDP

re-o

pera

tiona

l2

km

Met

eoG

alic

iaSp

ain

2D ti

dal c

ircul

atio

n/

Gal

icia

n co

ast

MO

HID

Ope

ratio

nal

ww

w.m

eteo

galic

ia.e

s

IFR

EM

ER

Fran

ce2D

and

3D

circ

ulat

ion

syst

ems/

Fr

ench

coa

st

MA

RS

Ope

ratio

nal a

nd

pre-

oper

atio

nal:

9 m

odel

s al

ong

the

coas

t. H

indc

ast t

o 1

wee

k fo

reca

st

ww

w.p

revi

mer

.org

5 km

to 2

00 m

IEO

Spai

n3D

circ

ulat

ion

syst

ems/

G

alic

ian

and

Can

tabr

ian

shel

f and

slo

pe

RO

MS

Pre

-ope

ratio

nal.

ww

w.ie

o.es

1.8

km

Pue

rtos

del E

stad

oSp

ain

Niv

mar

sto

rm s

urge

fo

reca

stin

g sy

stem

HA

MS

OM

Ope

ratio

nal:

72h

fore

cast

ww

w.p

uerto

s.es

18 k

m

Pue

rtos

del E

stad

o-IN

MSp

ain

Wav

e fo

reca

stin

g sy

stem

WA

M/ W

aveW

atch

III

/SW

AN

Ope

ratio

nal:

72h

fore

cast

ww

w.in

m.e

sVa

riabl

e w

ith

dow

nsca

lling

Met

eoG

alic

iaSp

ain

Wav

e fo

reca

stin

g sy

stem

/ N

orth

Atla

ntic

to S

pani

sh

coas

t

Wav

eWat

ch II

I/ S

WA

NO

pera

tiona

l: 72

h fo

reca

stw

ww

.met

eoga

licia

.es

Varia

ble

with

do

wns

calli

ng

Ann

ex 2

: Exi

stin

g M

odel

s

IBI-ROOS Plan: Iberia Biscay Ireland Regional Operational … · 2010. 1. 15. · Martin Holt Met...

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Transcript of IBI-ROOS Plan: Iberia Biscay Ireland Regional Operational … · 2010. 1. 15. · Martin Holt Met...