INTER-AGENCY COMMITTEE ON MARINE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (IACMST) |
National Marine Environmental Data (MED) Co-ordinator |
ANNUAL REPORT 2001 - SUMMARY |
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Introduction |
This summary of the Annual Report covers the fifth full year of activities of the National Marine Environmental Data (MED) Co-ordinator and associated Action Group. The MED co-ordination activity is a partnership between Government departments and agencies with an interest in marine environmental data. It is currently co-funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA, previously MAFF and DETR), the Fisheries Research Services of the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department (FRS/SEERAD), the Environment Agency (EA), the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO), the Met. Office and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL, previously DERA). The project operates in the form of a distributed network between the marine environmental data managers in the various agencies and user groups. The focus is provided by the MED Co-ordinator assisted by a second full-time post. Progress against the 2001 Action List items is summarised below (the Action List and Milestones are in the main report). |
Climate of UK Waters at the Millennium - Status and Trends Report |
This report was published by IACMST in its Information Document series in July. Copies of the printed report were distributed at the ICES Symposium "Hydrobiological Variability in the ICES Area, 1990-1999" in August, where a poster outlining the main conclusions was displayed. The report concentrated on the following parameters: temperature, salinity, sea level, waves, weather and climate, and plankton, with some representative samples of nutrient data. This has been a good example of the MED and GOOS Action Groups working together, and a good example of a collaborative venture with many organisations contributing, including government departments/agencies, university departments and commercial companies. |
Coastal data activities |
The MED Action Group has taken a special interest in the coastal zone over the last two years. Discussions have been held with DEFRA and the EA to investigate the possibility of further funding for a coastal co-ordinator. Web pages relating to the coastal zone were set up as a new section of the OceanNET web pages. In addition, a consultant was employed to search out information on coastal zone data sets. This, together with the descriptions of coastal data sets already in the UK Directory of Marine Environmental Data Sets, has resulted in the setting up of a coastal data directory. Some organisations not yet included in the directory have promised information and these will be followed up again. A joint bid to the Treasury’s Invest to Save fund to set up an Integrated Coastal Zone Map (ICZMap) was successful. This project was being jointly set up by the UKHO, Ordnance Survey and the British Geological Survey. A Project Board has been established, chaired by the MED Action Group Chair, Prof. Mike Cowling. The MED Co-ordinator also sits on the Project Board. |
Raising the visibility of MED activities |
A consultant has been employed to assist with publicity. Activities so far have included providing news items to a wide variety of newsletters (traditional and electronic) and designing a new MED brochure. Articles describing the MED activity have also appeared in the SAMS Newsletter, the Scottish Coastal Forum Newsletter and International Ocean Systems. A further article has been submitted to Ocean Challenge. Plans are also well underway for an IACMST stand at Oceanology International 2002. The MED Action Group is collaborating with the EA, Met. Office and UKHO in this venture. |
Developing and maintaining data inventories |
One of the key requirements for providing an overview of marine environmental data is the production of data catalogues. Work has been completed on the present update of the UK Directory of Marine Environmental Data Sets. All the new information received has been entered into the database, edited and checked. Information on coastal zone data sets has been incorporated. The web interface has also upgraded to allow selection via a map showing sea areas. The UK Cruise Inventory now includes electronically scanned cruise track charts. This is also available as a searchable directory on the web; searching can also be carried out by selecting sea areas from a map. New material, primarily from CEFAS, FRS and NERC, continues to be added to the database as it is received. Information relating to cruises undertaken by DARD(NI) over the past 10 years has also been added to the database. The bid to Framework V to set up a European Directory of the Initial Observing System (EDIOS) for EuroGOOS was successful and began at the start of October. A draft database schema is now in place. BODC is responsible for designing the database to hold this information for EDIOS, and also for loading (and checking) the information from all of the project partners. The UK Inventory of Marine Monitoring Observations forms the UK contribution to this Directory. |
Mechanisms to facilitate data exchange |
Further progress has been made over the year in quality controlling and forwarding temperature and salinity data from 95 NERC and CEFAS cruises to WDC-Oceanography (Silver Spring). Data from 43 cruises have been supplied to ICES. The annual supply of these data from FRS and CEFAS cruises to BODC continues. |
A proposed Action and Milestone List for 2002 is included in the main report. |
The emphasis in the coming year will be on continuing to raise the visibility of the network; continuing to develop the inventories of marine environmental data, with a particular emphasis on data collected in the coastal region; and supplying data to the world data centre system for inclusion in global data sets. In addition, more funding is being sought for expanding the coastal data activities. The prototype web-based time series atlas, based on the Climate of UK Waters report, will be expanded into a comprehensive time series atlas for UK waters. A feasibility study has been carried out investigating the possibility of producing a moored current meter data product (either web-based or on CD-ROM). Work will begin on this soon. |
Lesley J. Rickards |