L3 - Marine Science Organisations

Question 1

What are the 2 types of Research and how do they differ?

Answer 1

1. Systematic
2. Opportunity

Systematic is a planned survey with a research vessel which is mobbed and de-mobbed whereas an opportunistic survey is only semi-planned and often conducted on commercial or leisure vessels.

Question 2

Give an example of an opportunistic survey?

Answer 2

Guiding Light collecting data for the UK Met Office

Question 3

What are Voluntary Observing Fleets?

Answer 3

Merchant ships with trained observers on-board that are provided with instrumentation by their national met offices in order to collect data

Question 4

Who is responsible for the data from a Voluntary Observing Fleets?

Answer 4

The Flag State

Question 5

How many Voluntary Observing Fleets are their globally and in the UK?

Answer 5

Globally – 4000 ships

UK – 500 ships/rigs

Question 6

How many observations does the US’s NCDC receive from VoF?

Answer 6

100,000

Question 7

Under Voluntary Observing Fleets what else do nations have responsibility for?

Answer 7

To comply with SOLAS

Question 8

What is the WMO?

Answer 8

World Metrological Organisation (a full UN Body)

Question 9

When was the WMO set up?

Answer 9

1947

Question 10

What 6 things does the WMO facilitate?

Answer 10

1. Standardisation
2. Data Exchange and Telecommunications
3. Research
4. The World Climate Research Programme (WCRP)
5. Marine Meteorology and Oceanography Programme (MMOP)
6. Links with SOLAS and GMDSS

Question 11

What is the IOC?

Answer 11

Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (an agency of UNESCO)

Question 12

When was the IOC set up?

Answer 12

1960

Question 13

What does the IOC promote?

Answer 13

Marine scientific investigations and related ocean services with a view to learning more about the nature and resources of the ocean

Question 14

Give 4 areas of work that the IOC does

Answer 14

1. Develop, promote & facilitate research
2. Plans for operational ocean observing system
3. Ensures ocean data is widely and efficiency available
4. Environmental Management (New Work Here)

Question 15

What is GOOS?

Answer 15

The Global Ocean Observing Network – an IOC initiative

Question 16

What is IODE?

Answer 16

International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange Project

Question 17

Give 4 joint IOC/WMO initiatives

Answer 17

1. WCRP: World Climate Research Programme
2. WOCE: World Ocean Circulation Experiment (now ended)
3. CLIVAR: Climate Variation Programme
4. JCOMM: Joint Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology

Question 18

Give 3 areas where Coastal Observatories are used?

Answer 18

1. Liverpool Bay
2. Western English Channel
3. UK Waters through the Smart Wave Rider Buoys (CEFAS)

Question 19

What do Deep Ocean Observatories aim to do?

Answer 19

Collect data below 45cm

Question 20

What is metadata?

Answer 20

Data that provides information about other data

Question 21

Give 5 issues associated with databasing

Answer 21

1. Are we all measuring the same thing? (Standardisation)
2. Reliability of stations (short & long term)
3. Time standards? - is UTC used?
4. Breaks in the Data Sets
5. Data vs. no data? (only data you have?!)

Question 22

Give 5 databases

Answer 22

1. BODC
2. BADC
3. NODV via NOAA (USA)
4. UK marine environmental data network
5. ECMWF: european centre for mean range weather forecasting

Question 23

Give 2 UK companies with archives

Answer 23

1. Met Office

2. UKHO

Question 24

What is data assimilation?

Answer 24

The use of available data for modelling

Question 25

What is parametrisation?

Answer 25

Modelling without actual data

Question 26

Where is there a lack of data?

Answer 26

In the upper air

Question 27

What is the 3D ocean issue?

Answer 27

We primarily focus on the surface

Question 28

What does the UKCP09 do?

Answer 28

Provide up-to-date climatic trends, predictions to 2100 and emission scenarios at Low, Medium and High Levels for the UK

Question 29

Give 3 trends that have recently been established by the UKCP09

Answer 29

1. UK Sea Level is increasing by 1mm/year in the 20th Century 2. There have been increases in winter precipitation 3. More storms in the last 20 years

Question 30

Give 7 applications/uses of marine data

Answer 30

1. Aviation 2. Shipping (SOLAS) & GMDSS 3. Civil Hydrography Programme 4. Renewable Energy 5. Marine Management & Conservation 6. UKCP09 Predictions 7. Salvage Operatios (e.g. Costa Concordia)