Projects

A resource listing a number of links to oceanographic projects, current and past.

Sites 53

Agulhas and Somali Current Large Marine Ecosystems (ASCLME) Aims to gather information on oceanographic conditions and how they interact with and influence the climate, biodiversity and economies of the western Indian Ocean region, ultimately leading to regional management of the marine resources.
Adriatic Dolphin Project (ADP) Research and conservation of bottlenose dolphins in the Adriatic Sea, and protecting whole marine environment through research, conservation and education activities.
Tropical Atmosphere Ocean Project (TAO) The TAO Array of moored buoys measures oceanographic and surface meteorological variables critical for improved detection, understanding and prediction of seasonal-to-interannual climate variations originating in the tropics, most notably those related to the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) "An International Partnership in Geological Oceanography" -- Texas A&M University
Ocean Colour for the Determination of Water Column Biological Processes (BIOCOLOR) The aim of this study is relate changes in the properties of the water column and associated successions in the phytoplankton with changes in optical properties and ocean colour. Models based on these relationships will be developed and validated. These models will facilitate the interpretation of measurements of ocean colour (remote or in-situ) in terms of the temporal and spatial structures of phytoplankton communities.
Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) GRACE will be able to map the Earth's gravity fields by making accurate measurements of the distance between two satellites, using GPS and a microwave ranging system. It will provide scientists with a way to map the Earth's gravity fields. The results from this mission will yield information about the distribution and flow of mass within the Earth and its oceans and surroundings.
Black Sea Ecosystem Processes and Forecasting/Operational Database Management System Project started in 1999 as co-operation between major regional marine research institutions with support of NATO Science for Peace Programme to explore, quantify and predict ecosystem variability of the Black Sea
Argo Project Global array of free-drifting profiling floats that will measure the temperature and salinity of the upper 2000 m of the ocean in or near real-time.
Hydrothermal Vent Program (VENTS) Established in 1984, conducts research on the impacts and consequences of submarine volcanoes and hydrothermal venting on the global ocean.
Soviet / American Gas and Aerosol Expedition II (SAGA II) The overall goal of SAGA II was to evaluate the sources, distributions, and fates of climatically significant trace species in the remote, marine environment.
Integrated Coastal Zone Management in France, Norway and Greece (COASTMAN) Comparative analysis of institutional arrangement experiences and needs for Integrated Coastal Zone Management in France, Norway and Greece.
Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) A new international partnership of scientists and research institutions organized to explore Earth's structure and history through scientific ocean drilling. The research program will start in October 2003.
Global Ocean Data Analysis Project (GLODAP) Cooperative effort to generate a unified data set and to determine the global distribution and inventories of inorganic nutrients, both natural and anthropogenic carbon species and natural and bomb-produced radiocarbon from data acquired from several projects such as WOCE, JGOFS, OACES.
North Pacific Marine Research Program (NPMR) NPMR is dedicated to scientific research in the Bering Sea and adjacent waters, with the goal of better understanding the oceanic and ecological systems.
Eurosion Project commissioned by the General Directorate Environment of the European Commission, which will result in policy recommendations on how to manage coastal erosion in Europe in the most sustainable way.
U.S. Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (U.S. JGOFS) The US national component of the international Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS) and an integral part of global climate change research. Supported primarily by the U.S. National Science Foundation in collaboration with the NOAA, NASA and the Department of Energy and the Office of Naval Research.
Marine Biodiversity and Climate Change (MarClim) Uses novel syntheses of existing long-term data on temperature-sensitive, readily observed intertidal climate indicator species to make predictions on changes in coastal diversity that may result from global warming.
Copepod-Diatom Relations in Dabob Bay Copepod - Diatom relations research by the University of Washington's School of Oceanography.
UK Marine Special Areas of Conservation The vast coastline and seas around the UK have a remarkable marine natural heritage and provide rich resources for both work and recreation. These are treasures that need to be safeguarded and the UK Marine SACs Project is playing a major role in achieving this.
NEPTUNE Canada The NorthEast Pacific Time-Series Undersea Networked Experiments project is a regional-scale ocean observatory for interactive, real-time, long term ocean and earth studies and is led in Canada by the University of Victoria.
NEPTUNE US Project to establish a regional-scale ocean observatory in the northeast Pacific Ocean. The Project's 3,000-km network of fiber-optic/power cables will encircle and cross the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate in the northeast Pacific Ocean, an area roughly 500 km by 1,000 km in size. The project office is located at the University of Washington in Seattle.
Seasearch UK project for volunteer sports divers who have an interest in what they're seeing under water, want to learn more and want to help protect the marine environment. The main aim is to map out the various types of sea bed found in the near-shore zone, up to about 5 miles off the coast or 30m depth around the whole of the British Isles.
Louisiana-Texas Shelf Physical Oceanography Program (LATEX) A six-year research initiative that has as its principal objective the identification of processes governing the circulation, transport, and cross-shelf mixing of the waters on the Texas-Louisiana shelf.
Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean (ECCO) A consortium formed by a group of scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) with the technical goal of the sustained production and evaluation of continuing three-dimensional estimates of the global state of the ocean in near-real time in support programs such as GODAE and CLIVAR.
MAss Transfer and Ecosystem Response (MTP II-MATER) The overall objective of the MTP II MATER is to study and to quantify the triggering and controlling mechanisms of mass and energy transfer between the different compartments (land - sea, sea - atmosphere, water - sediment, living - non living, pelagos - benthos), in contrasting trophic environments (from eutrophic to oligotrophic) of the Mediterranean Sea and to investigate the ecosystem response to such a transfer.
Atmospheric Deposition and Impact (ADIOS) Created to study the impact of the atmosphere pollutants and natural substances affects the biochemistry of the Mediterranean Sea. Page includes current problems, approach methods and objectives of the study.
Cornell Morocco Project Cooperative research between Cornell University, Morocco and Spain to study the geodynamics of the western Mediterranean (Alboran) region. Page includes current projects and completed research summaries.
Monitoring the Atlantic Inflow Toward the Arctic (MAIA) Developing a system based on coastal sea-level data for monitoring the inflows of Atlantic Water to the northern seas.
RAPID Meridional Overturning Circulation data (RAPIDMOC) Near real time data from key moorings, deployed as part of a monitoring array at 26.5°N to measure the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Part of the NERC Rapid Climate Change programme.
Coastal Observatory, Liverpool Bay (COBS) Coastal Observatory built on real-time measurements and model predictions with particular focus on the Irish Sea and Liverpool Bay hosted by the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory.
Acoustic Thermometry of Ocean Climate (ATOC) Summary of research of experiments to record temperatures in the ocean in order to verify existing climate models by using sound. An additional study was conducted to see what impact the underwater noise had on marine animals.
Coriolis French project for operational oceanography with the objective of developing automatic and permanent observation networks. Find project description, news and contacts.
Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) Project intended to be a permanent global system for observations, modeling and analysis of variables needed to support operational ocean services worldwide. Find project description, articles, calendar, contacts and staff profiles.
Significance of Anthropogenic Nitrogen for Central Baltic Sea N-cycling (SIGNAL) Addresses the question of eutrophication sources and what impact additional nitrogen has on the productivity in remote regions. Find project objectives, methods, results and photos.
Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS) GLOSS aims at the establishment of high quality global and regional sea level networks for application to climate, oceanographic and coastal sea level research. The programme became known as GLOSS as it provides data for deriving the 'Global Level of the Sea Surface'.
Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS) An international programme to assess more accurately, and understand better the processes controlling, regional to global and seasonal to interannual fluxes of carbon between the atmosphere, surface ocean and ocean interior, and their sensitivity to climate changes.
Baltic Sea Experiment (BALTEX) A cage experiment to assess the total heat and water flux divergence of the BALTEX area. The basic BALTEX programme elements include numerical modelling, data assimilation, experimental and numerical process studies, re-analysis of existing data sets, and application of remote sensing.
General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) Consists of an international group of experts who work on the development of a range of publicly-available bathymetric data sets and seafloor topography products. View data and products and learn of the available training opportunities.
Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean NEMO is a modeling framework for oceanographic research and operational oceanography. It allows ocean related components (ocean dynamics, ice, biogeochemisty) to work together and to be interfaced with the component of the earth system.
Oceans 2025 Strategic marine science programme, bringing marine researchers together to increase people's knowledge of the marine environment so that they are better able to protect it for future generations.
Living with the Sea Project addressing the impact of sea level rise and the UK flood and coastal defence response on the internationally important habitats protected by the UK Habitats and Birds Directive.
Marine Research Aquarium Information on the building of a marine aquarium for propagation of coral. Site also tells how to collect specimens and create a chemical/biological/physical environment conducive to coral growth in an automated artificial environment.
Ocean Observing and Climate Research Group Undertakes research into the role of the ocean in changing climate.
ArcticNet Collaborative effort joins Canadian university researchers and government officials with scientists from Japan, Europe, Russia and the US to study the impacts of climate change in the coastal Canadian Arctic.
Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS) A new international research initiative which has as its goal: 'To achieve quantitative understanding of the key biogeochemical-physical interactions and feedbacks between the ocean and the atmosphere, and how this coupled system affects and is affected by climate and environmental change'.
The Carlsberg Ridge Cruise Discusses the trip of the research ship RRS Charles Darwin took to go study the undersea ridge located between eastern Africa and the Seychelle Islands. Purpose of the study was too look at the magma rising up from beneath the ocean floor. Page includes geology background of the area, onboard equipment, an introduction to the science team, and photo gallery.
Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) Activities focus on promoting international cooperation in planning and conducting oceanographic research, and solving methodological and conceptual problems that hinder research. Scientists from thirty-six SCOR member nations participate in SCOR working groups and steering committees.
Guinea Current Large Marine Ecosystem (GCLME) Aims to assist countries adjacent to the Guinea Current ecosystem to achieve environmental and resource sustainability.
Climate and Cryosphere Concentrating on the understanding of Arctic Ocean variability and change including sea ice processes.
Continuous Plankton Recorder Survey (CPR) Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science runs the Continuous Plankton Recorder survey, a long term plankton survey in the North Atlantic and North Sea. The database is online.
Alfred Wegener Institute: Marine, Coastal and Polar Systems The PACES project aims to identify the role of processes at high latitudes on past, current and future changes of the Earth system.
Future Earth Coasts The LOICZ Project focuses on the area of the earth's surface where land, ocean and atmosphere meet and interact. The overall goal of this project is to determine at regional and global scales: the nature of that dynamic interaction; how changes in various components of the Earth system are affecting coastal zones and altering their role in global cycles; to assess how future changes in these areas will affect their use by people; to provide a sound scientific basis for future integrated management of coastal areas on a sustainable basis.
New Millennium Observatory Network (NeMO NeT) Hydrothermal vent monitoring - links instruments and a camera located within the caldera of a submarine volcano to the Internet.