Irish Sea Observatory

1
Irish Sea Observatory John Howarth
Measurements (real time) Numerical models Web
site http//coastobs.pol.ac.uk
2
Objectives
Discriminate between natural variability and
anthropogenic changes Ecosystem based approach to
marine management Water quality
(eutrophication, harmful algal blooms,
pollution) Shoreline (coastal flooding,
morphology) Impacts of climate change Scientific
challenges understanding and modelling Horizonta
l and vertical gradients Salinity and hence
residual circulation High turbulent, turbid,
nutrient, productivity Importance of shelf seas
in global carbon cycling How will Irish Sea
respond physically biologically to climate
change
3
Uses
4
Guiding principles

• Proof of concept (2001 - 2007 2012 )
• Pre-operational near real time
• Measurements test models
• Evolutionary
• Framework
• anyone can join
• process studies
• Basic data / model output free
• Data management by BODC
• Audience
• researchers, managers,
• general public, education
• Steering group

5
Irish Sea
m s-1
Total annual productivity
Mean spring depth- averaged currents
Range at Liverpool
Water masses
6
Winds (max 58 knots)
River flow - Mersey
2003
2005
Waves (max 5.4 m)
7
Integrated measurements
Measurements to test models Variety of space
and time scales Real time Multi-disciplinary
Forcing and response Long time series In situ
time series Sites A and B Spatial survey HF
Radar Ferry Satellite (weekly composite)
A
B
8
Surface mean spring tidal currents(Started
August 2005)
(m s-1)
9
Mean currents - density wind driven
Average currents (m s-1) Site B Site A HF
radar 0.060, 034º 0.050, 032º HF radar (no
wind) 0.048, 013º 0.041, 003º Near surface
0.041, 002º 0.027, 346º Near bed 0.025, 174º
0.039, 135º
10
Correlation between wind and current, site A
11
Residual currents
90, 95, 99, 99.9 percentiles
Residual spectra
12
Green radar blue wave buoy red ADCP21 January
- 5 February 2008
13
Significant height (m) 21 Jan - 5 Feb 2008
Buoy
Correlation 0.90
Radar
14
Six years CTD data, Mersey Bar (54 visits)
97
Depth-averaged Surface minus bed
10
15
2002 - 2007 compared with 1935 - 1961
Surface temperature (ºC)
Surface salinity
Max temp 21.3ºC Min temp 4.0ºC
16
6 years CTDs
Depth-averaged temperature amplitude of
seasonal cycle
Mean near bed salinity
A
B
17
Stratification
April July, 2006
18
SmartBuoy (CEFAS)
Surface (-1 m) Salinity, Temperature Chlorophyll T
urbidity Downwelling radiation, Dissolved
oxygen Nitrate concentration Daily water samples
(nutrients, phytoplankton composition) SeaBird
MicroCats for temperature, salinity at -5 and
-10m Miniloggers (temperature) at -7.5 and -15 m
www.cefas.co.uk/monitoring
19
Dissolved oxygen surface, bed
20
Dissolved oxygen
Fluorescence
Temperature
Salinity
Surface, bed
21
Results
Emmer Litt
Autumn and winter, Liverpool Bay is a potential
source of CO2 into the atmosphere controlled by
physical processes Spring and summer depicts a
potential weak CO2 sink into the surface waters
forced by biological factors Net DpCO2 in
Liverpool Bay 133.6 37.0 µatm
22
Liverpool Viking, Birkenhead - Belfast
Instruments CTD SeaBird SeaCat SBE /
FSI Turbidity Sea Point wiper Fluorimeter
Chelsea Minitracka II Oxygen Aanderaa
optode Intake 3m below surface Sample interval
30 seconds Data transmission Orbcomm Start
date December 2003
23
Comparison between ferry and SmartBuoy
Temp (all) Salinity Correlation 0.99
0.71 Mean difference (ferry-buoy) 0.08ºC -0.19 St
andard deviation of difference 0.56ºC 0.52
24
Data Assimilation (EnOI, Evensen 2004)
Satellite Ferry SST (Isabel Andreu-Burillo)

free simulation
SAFFB Observations on one day
SAF constrained
SAFFB constrained
25
Liverpool Bay ROFI from Space

• Monitoring the evolution of a stratified plume
  using remote sensing data
• Bolstering in-situ point measurements with
  synoptic images

Images courtesy of NEODAAS, Plymouth
26
Operational models for the Coastal Observatory
POLCOMS Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory
Coastal Ocean Modelling System

• run on POL cluster / Met Office (NCOF)
• FOAM 1/9 (?, T, S, Q)
• Daily nowcasts/forecasts of
• physics (?, u, v, T, S, waves),
• nutrients, biology, suspended sediments

Met forcing, mesoscale 12-km resolution (and 5
km soon)
AMM12 km
MRCS7 km
IRS1.8 km
LB200 m
ESEOO
27
May 2005
28
http//coastobs.pol.ac.uk
Measurements (real time) Models Data download
762 registered users Researchers 35 coastal
managers 10 commercial 8 teachers
15 general public 32
29
How are we doing?
Stratification Light penetration Bio measurement
ERSEM European Regional Seas Ecosystem Model
30
How are we doing?
Nearshore gradients Fluxes Scale
Wei Jun Cai (2008)
31
Plans

• Dissolved oxygen
• pCO2, pH, total alkalinity
• Light penetration (AC-S)
• Birkenhead Belfast ferry nutrients, water
  sampler, display
• Glider (CTD, O2, turbidity, chlorophyll, CDOM)
• Third in situ site in western Irish Sea
• Full suite of real time coupled hydrodynamic,
  wave and ecological models
• Expand to Irish Sea

32
Conclusions

• Time series 6 years data return 80
• Data sets good foundation for science
• Natural variability
• In time (Tides, events, seasonality,
  interannual)
• In space (Vertical and horizontal)
• Biofouling / turbidity
• Linking measurements to models
• Resource hungry people
• Demand to participate
• Research -gt Sustained

33
(No Transcript)
34
POLCOMS-ERSEM Shelf Seas Model
ERSEM - key features Carbon based process
model Functional group approach Resolves
microbial loop and POM/DOM dynamics Complex
suite of nutrients Includes benthic
system Explicit decoupled cycling of C, N, P, Si
and Chl. Adaptable DMS, CO2/pH, phytobenthos,
HABs.
Ecosystem
Forcing
Cloud Cover
Wind Stress
Irradiation
Heat Flux
Physics
0D
Rivers and boundaries
1D
3D
UK MO
GOTM POLCOMS