Newsletter December 2023 | Volume 3
The three-year HORIZON EUROPE EuroGO-SHIP seeks to enable the European community conducting ship-based hydrographic observations at sea to provide higher quality and more sustainable data flows to a broad range of end users, more effectively. The project is funded under the call HORIZON-INFRA-2022-DEV-01-01: Research infrastructure concept development.
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A Welcome Note from Elaine McDonagh
Welcome to Volume 3 of the EuroGO-SHIP Newsletter
The end of 2023 marks the completion of EuroGO-SHIP’s first year. In some regards it feels like just yesterday when we kicked-off the project, and it seems impossible that a whole year has passed. On the other hand, I’m impressed by all we have achieved in the first 12 months of the project. From commencing our formal activities to hosting our first annual meeting in Constanta; from conducting a range of interviews and information gathering with key stakeholders, to a wide range of occasions where EuroGO-SHIP has been presented in conferences, meetings and workshops; from submitting the first nine deliverables in the project (particularly including the Initial Scope of New Services and Access Opportunities for EuroGO-SHIP Deliverable) to successfully achieving our first 10 milestones—it has been a productive year that sets us up for an equally fruitful second and third year of the project ahead of us.
In this newsletter, we put a spotlight on our findings from the first six RI Consultations and a map of where EuroGO-SHIP cruise activity has taken place. We are also pleased to provide a summary of milestones that have been recently met, in addition to presenting highlights from outreach activities, the first science blog in a planned series of success stories making a case for the importance of ship-based hydrography, and an informative interview from our Postcards from the Sea series.
We look forward to providing you with quarterly updates throughout 2024, starting in March with the next Newsletter. In the meantime, please stay tuned to the EuroGO-SHIP website News Section for regular updates. And get in touch with any feedback or questions. We are interested in hearing from you and welcome any comments. Please write to us here.
As the holiday season is now approaching, I want to take this opportunity to wish you season’s greetings!
Dr. Elaine McDonagh
EuroGO-SHIP Project Coordinator
NORCE, Bergen, Norway
Consultations with Existing Research Infrastructures
As we wrap up the first year of the EuroGO-SHIP project, six individual RI meetings have taken place with Eurofleets+, Groom, EURO ARGO ERIC, ICOS ERIC, EMSO ERIC and JERICO. Each consultation has provided a platform for open discussion to explore the history, current status and the future ambitions of each RI, with a view to establishing where EuroGO-SHIP will sit in the landscape.
EuroGO-SHIP has successfully achieved 9 deliverables and 10 milestones in its first year. Below is a list of the six most recently completed milestones along with a short summary of the reports, which represents a lot of excellent work and collaboration from within the Consortium and with EuroGO-SHIP stakeholders.
Mapping of Data Streams: This report focuses on real-time data delivery from research cruises into the data systems from which users can access the data.
Best Practices Overview: This milestone reports the preparations for the design of a “Best Practice” Strategy for a future EuroGO-SHIP Research Infrastructure.
Summary of Cruises: This report presents the summary of the cruises that were conducted in the first year of the EuroGO-SHIP project. It highlights the successes, challenges, and opportunities encountered during the fieldwork activities, and outlines recommendations for optimizing future cruise operations. The map below offers a glimpse of where EuroGO-SHIP activity took place around European waters.
First Consultation with Regional Networks: Ocean observation is pivotal for comprehending and managing the marine environment and supporting socio-economic activities. Hydrographic data, fundamental for weather forecasting, shipping, and ocean climate research, faces challenges in coordination, standardisation, and accessibility. This report presents initial outcomes of consultations with stakeholders, focusing on the needs and expectations of data originators and regional networks.
Overview of the recent and current European-wide oceanic observing funding landscape: This report is in support of mapping governmental and funding agencies requirements and discusses consultations with governmental ministries and funding agencies.
First Consultation with End-users: This milestone reports on the exchanges between Euro GO-SHIP scientists with ship operators and the Marine Forecast Centres in support of to promoting the implementation of near-real time oceanographic data feeds from research vessels with end-users.
The Ocean Uptake of Anthropogenic Carbon: A Case Study for the Importance of Hydrography.
Richard Sanders (NORCE) reflects on the role the ocean plays in mitigating climate change and the important contributions ship-based observations make to our understanding, and in supporting other instruments and methods of ocean observation.
Read the blog here and stay tuned for more success stories in this series of scientific blogs focusing on how ship-based hydrography strengthens the marine value chain.
And watch the related video vignette with Richard Sanders explaining what the future of ocean observation will be like.
Postcards from the Sea
In our series of personal stories, Emil Jeansson (NORCE) discusses the concept of how scientists can calculate the age of a water sample and the importance of EuroGO-SHIP’s shared facility aims in a blog titled, The Age of Water and the Importance of Shared Facilities. Treat yourself to an insightful read and gain an overview of this specialised form of analysis.
EuroGO-SHIP Outreach Activities
The EuroGO-SHIP project was well received at the MonGOOS Annual Meeting and Workshop in Tangier, Morocco (November 14th) when engagement took place with ocean observers in the Mediterranean.
Elaine McDonagh (NORCE) virtually presented the EuroGO-SHIP objectives and vision, highlighting the need to gain a better understanding of the requirements of the European hydrographic community to effectively shape a new research infrastructure. In addition, Katrin Schroeder (CNR) led an interactive Slido exercise with the MonGOOS participants to gather first-hand information on these requirements, covering a variety of areas including data gathering, processing and analysis, data management and data access. The results of the Slido demonstrate a strong interest in the EuroGO-SHIP project.
Joint European Ocean Observing System (EOOS) Resource Forum/Operations Committee Meeting
Nov 23rd Brussels, Belgium, facilitated by JPI Oceans
Richard Sanders (NORCE) discussed the need for long-term financial security and sound collaborations on the provision of sustained ship-based observations, both at national and European levels during his presentation, leading to a fruitful dialogue with stakeholders in attendance on the necessity of ship-based observing, and the justification for the cost of this activity.
For more information related to this justification, please read Richard’s blog, The Ocean Uptake of Anthropogenic Carbon: A Case Study for the Importance of Hydrography
As 2024 brings us into the second project year, we will build on our engagement with the MonGOOS and EOOS joint committees meetings, to pinpoint next steps in mapping the requirements of our stakeholders to guide EuroGO-SHIP toward making the best contributions to the collective efforts of the European and global ship-based observing communities.
Poster on Display
EuroGO-SHIP’s aim to improve the flow and speed of higher quality (real-time) data to European marine data aggregators and service providers was a strong fit with the
EMODnet Open Conference theme of innovation in data products.
The poster appeared in the virtual exhibition. See if you can locate it in this interactive space.
AAORA
Meanwhile in Cape Town, a printed version of the poster appeared at the All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Alliance Forum in November, a forum focused on the commitment to advance solution-based and impact-focused ocean science, notably for the benefit of communities throughout the Atlantic Ocean basin
Presentation of the Cruise BOCATS-OVIDE 202
Pascale Lherminier (Ifremer) raised awareness for the EuroGO-SHIP project when she gave a presentation about the BOBCATS-OVIDE cruise at the Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer, France.
February 2024
Kick-off of EuroGO-SHIP Webinar Series
April 10, 2024
2024 Ocean Decade Conference
Barcelona International Convention Centre
April 14-18, 2024
EGU
Vienna, Austria
June 2024
2nd EuroGO-SHIP Annual Meeting will be hosted by CNR in Venice, Italy