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| MyOcean | |
|---|---|
| Name | MyOcean |
| Status | Completed |
| Launch | 2009 |
| Country | European Union |
| Discipline | Oceanography |
MyOcean
MyOcean was a pan-European initiative delivering operational oceanography services combining observations, modeling, and information for the European Commission, European Space Agency, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, National Oceanography Centre, and other stakeholders. It integrated satellite missions such as Envisat, Sentinel-3, and Jason-2 with in situ networks including Argo (array), Global Drifter Program, and Tropical Atmosphere Ocean project to supply analysis and forecasts to users across the North Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and high-latitude waters. The project interfaced with policy frameworks like the Maritime Policy of the European Union and environmental directives including the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
MyOcean provided operational services for ocean monitoring and forecasting, producing routine analyses, reanalyses, and forecasts of physical, biogeochemical, and sea ice variables. It linked major research and operational institutions such as Mercator Ocean International, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Ifremer, and Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale to establish a distributed service infrastructure. Outputs supported initiatives including Copernicus Programme activities and informed stakeholders from European Environment Agency assessments to maritime industries like Maersk Line and Royal Dutch Shell. The programme contributed to international coordination with bodies such as the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and the World Meteorological Organization.
MyOcean grew from earlier research efforts including projects funded under the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development and built upon operational precedents set by the European Marine Observation and Data Network and national forecasting centers like Met Office and Météo-France. Initiated in 2009, the project released successive phases that expanded spatial coverage, added biogeochemical capabilities in collaboration with ICES partners, and aligned data streams with satellite missions from European Space Agency and agencies such as NASA cooperating on missions like Jason-3. Key milestones included integration with the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service transition and publication of multi-year reanalysis datasets used by research entities such as Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
MyOcean aimed to deliver routine ocean state information to support maritime safety, marine resource management, and climate monitoring. Core services provided near-real-time sea surface temperature, sea level anomaly, currents, salinity, sea ice concentration, and primary productivity, interfacing with platforms such as Argo (array), SeaBASS, and Global Ocean Observing System. Service-oriented deliverables targeted users spanning regulatory bodies like European Chemicals Agency through pollution monitoring, aquaculture operators exemplified by companies tied to AquaBounty, and search-and-rescue coordination with agencies such as European Maritime Safety Agency. The project emphasized Quality Control aligned to standards used by International Hydrographic Organization and Group on Earth Observations.
MyOcean built a distributed computing and data infrastructure leveraging models run on supercomputing facilities operated by partners including Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici and CINECA. Numerical systems incorporated models such as Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean-derived implementations and data assimilation schemes akin to those used at European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Observation streams merged satellite altimetry from Jason-2 and Sentinel-3 with in situ sensors from Argo (array) floats and moorings of the OGS. Data services adopted interoperability protocols informed by Open Geospatial Consortium standards and metadata practices consistent with INSPIRE Directive requirements. Quality-assured datasets were disseminated through portals coordinated with Copernicus Programme infrastructure.
The consortium model comprised national agencies, research institutes, and private contractors coordinated by lead entities such as Mercator Ocean International and national operators like Météo-France and Met Office. Formal partnerships extended to space agencies European Space Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and regional actors like Plymouth Marine Laboratory and Institute of Marine Research (Norway). Collaborative frameworks involved scientific advisory boards that included experts affiliated with GEOMAR, Ifremer, and University of Southampton. The partnership network enabled cross-border sharing of computing resources and observational assets, integrating data policies compatible with European Commission open data initiatives.
Users ranged from international organizations like United Nations Environment Programme and NATO to national coast guards and commercial shipping firms including CMA CGM. Scientific users included research centers such as Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory and universities like University of Oxford and University of Bergen that used reanalyses for climate studies and ecosystem assessments. Operational applications included oil-spill trajectory prediction for firms and responders coordinated by European Maritime Safety Agency, fisheries management used by International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), and renewable energy siting for companies such as Ørsted.
Financing originated from European Commission research and operational funding instruments, notably grants under the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development and subsequent consolidation into Copernicus Programme operational services. Governance combined consortium agreements among national agencies and oversight by steering committees with representation from European Commission directorates, national ministries such as Ministry of Environment (France), and science institutions including CNRS. Transition pathways were negotiated with stakeholders to ensure service continuity into successor operational frameworks managed by entities like Mercator Ocean International and the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service.
Category:Oceanography projects