JRC - SAR Satellite Small Boat Detection Campaign – Portoroz - Slovenia

The European maritime area is one of Europe’s most important assets with regard to resources, security and ultimately prosperity of the Member States. A significant part of Europe’s economy relies directly or indirectly on it. It is not just the shipping or fisheries industries and their related activities. It is also shipbuilding and ports, marine equipment and offshore energy, maritime and coastal tourism, aquaculture, submarine telecommunications, blue biotech and the protection of the marine environment. The European maritime area faces several risks and threats posed by unlawful activities, such as drugs trafficking, smuggling, illegal immigration, organised crime and terrorism. Piracy in international waters also constitutes a threat to Europe since it can disrupt the maritime transport chain. These risks and threats can endanger human lives, marine resources and the environment, as well as significantly disrupt the transport chain and global and local security. It is anticipated that these risks and threats will endure in the mid and long run. In order to keep Europe as a world leader in the global maritime economy, an effective integrated/interoperable, sustainable maritime surveillance system and situational awareness are needed. A significant number of unlawful maritime activities, such as illegal immigration, drugs trafficking, smuggling, piracy and terrorism involve mainly small boats, because small boats are faster and more difficult to detect using conventional means. Hence, it is very important to find out the feasibility of using SAR Satellite images for small boat detection. Since 2008 the EC-JRC has carried out a number of SAR Small Boat detection experiments to assess the feasibility of using Spaceborne SAR for Small Boat detection. This report presents the results and conclusions of the Spaceborne SAR Small Boat detection campaign carried out by the EC-JRC on open sea in Portoroz – Slovenia in May and June 2010.JRC.G.4-Maritime affair

Historical Evolution of theWave Resource and Energy Production off the Chilean Coast over the 20th Century

The wave energy resource in the Chilean coast shows particularly profitable characteristics for wave energy production, with relatively high mean wave power and low inter-annual resource variability. This combination is as interesting as unusual, since high energetic locations are usually also highly variable, such as the west coast of Ireland. Long-term wave resource variations are also an important aspect when designing wave energy converters (WECs), which are often neglected in resource assessment. The present paper studies the long-term resource variability of the Chilean coast, dividing the 20th century into five do-decades and analysing the variations between the different do-decades. To that end, the ERA20C reanalysis of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts is calibrated versus the ERA-Interim reanalysis and validated against buoy measurements collected in different points of the Chilean coast. Historical resource variations off the Chilean coast are compared to resource variations off the west coast in Ireland, showing a significantly more consistent wave resource. In addition, the impact of historical wave resource variations on a realistic WEC, similar to the Corpower device, is studied, comparing the results to those obtained off the west coast of Ireland. The annual power production off the Chilean coast is demonstrated to be remarkably more regular over the 20th century, with variations of just 1% between the different do-decades.The authors with the Centre for Ocean Energy Research in Maynooth University are supported by Science Foundation Ireland under Grant No. 13/IA/1886. It is also supported by grant CGL2016-76561-R, MINECO/ERDF, UE. Additional funding was received from the University of Basque Country (UPV/EHU, GIU17/002)

Advanced Engineering Laboratory project summaries : 1995-1996

The Advanced Engineering Laboratory of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a development laboratory within the Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department. Its function is the development of oceanographic instrumentation to test developing theories in oceanography and to enhance current research projects in other disciplines within the community. This report summarizes recent and ongoing projects performed by members of this laboratory

Analysis of current intensification in the NorthWest Mediterranean Shelf

Flow intensification episodes lasting more than 12 h are observed occasionally at different locations along the Northwestern Mediterranean coast. In the last years, these pulses have hindered ship operations outside the Barcelona harbour, thus attracting the attention of the port authorities. In this paper, the strongest intensification events in the Barcelona coast area are quantified and characterized in order to identify the mechanisms which generate them. For this, current, sea level and meteorological measured and modelled data, at local and regional scale, are analysed. The results show that the flow accelerations are due to the combination of a narrow coastal shelf and the prevalence of a strong and sustained wind from the NE to SE. The synoptic atmospheric conditions that lead to this meteorological scenario are described. For one of the events, the presence and contribution to the current fluctuations of a coastal trapped wave, likely generated at the Eastern edge of the Gulf of Lions shelf, and other factors such as a freshwater discharge are also identified and discussed.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Wireless Sensor Networks for Oceanographic Monitoring: A Systematic Review

Monitoring of the marine environment has come to be a field of scientific interest in the last ten years. The instruments used in this work have ranged from small-scale sensor networks to complex observation systems. Among small-scale networks, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are a highly attractive solution in that they are easy to deploy, operate and dismantle and are relatively inexpensive. The aim of this paper is to identify, appraise, select and synthesize all high quality research evidence relevant to the use of WSNs in oceanographic monitoring. The literature is systematically reviewed to offer an overview of the present state of this field of study and identify the principal resources that have been used to implement networks of this kind. Finally, this article details the challenges and difficulties that have to be overcome if these networks are to be successfully deployed

Advanced Engineering Lab project summaries 1991

The Advanced Engineering Laboratory of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a development laboratory within the Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department. Its function is the development of oceanographic instrumentation to test developing theories in oceanography, and to enhance current research projects in other disciplines within the community. This report summarizes recent and ongoing projects performed by members of this laboratory

Environmental monitoring of Galway Bay: fusing data from remote and in-situ sources

Changes in sea surface temperature can be used as an indicator of water quality. In-situ sensors are being used for continuous autonomous monitoring. However these sensors have limited spatial resolution as they are in effect single point sensors. Satellite remote sensing can be used to provide better spatial coverage at good temporal scales. However in-situ sensors have a richer temporal scale for a particular point of interest. Work carried out in Galway Bay has combined data from multiple satellite sources and in-situ sensors and investigated the benefits and drawbacks of using multiple sensing modalities for monitoring a marine location

Investigating the Effects of a Southward Flow in the Southeastern Florida Shelf Using Robotic Instruments

We deployed a Slocum G3 glider fitted with an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP), a Conductivity-Temperature-Depth sensor (CTD), optics sensor channels, and a propeller on the Southeastern Florida shelf. The ADCP and CTD provide continuous measurements of Northern and Eastern current velocity components, salinity, temperature, and density, throughout the water column in a high-current environment. The optics sensor channels are able to provide measurements of chlorophyll concentrations, colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM), and backscatter particle counts. Additionally, for one of the glider deployments, we deployed a Wirewalker wave-powered profiling platform system also fitted with an ADCP and a CTD in the vicinity of the glider’s area for intercalibration of the devices. As the glider’s velocity profiles are analyzed through time and space we saw evidence of an intermittent southward flow (SWF) opposite to the overlying northward Florida Current (FC) that was previously described by Soloviev et al. (2017). Meandering and strength of this SWF was influenced by the presence or absence of the Gulf Stream close to the shore, persisting in time spans of at least a few hours. Although specific mechanisms that influence the SWF’s behavior are still unknown, our results show that its attachment to the shore along the continental slope was associated with the presence of eddy features in some sort of coupled system with possible implications on turbulent mixing. CTD results show that the SWF appears as either an undercurrent or a countercurrent depending on the strength of the water column stratification. Optical channel results show that the SWF assists in the southwards transport of particulate matter and biological material at depth, with possible implications on nutrient transport and biological activity. Richardson number results for analysis of turbulent flow were inconclusive as to how much turbulence is actually created by the SWF, but it does show evidence of increased turbulent activity at the interface between the SWF and the FC during some deployments. Analysis of the relationship between the northern component of velocity and the eastern component revealed a possible mechanism that would provide the optimal conditions for upwelling events to take place. 23 deployments have been done so far, with more planned for the future. More research is needed to accurately assess the effect the SWF has on velocities and transport of pollution and biological material along and across the shelf against the FC

Flowbec

publication-status: UnpublishedThis document provides an overview of the resources available for the description of the natural environment at the Wave Hub site, and surrounding region. It aims to provide the reader with an understanding of the mechanisms that have led to the collection of the data resources, and details on how to access them. Detailed information for key research areas is then presented. The document does not aim to provide results of the data collection and analysis, and the reader is referred to the data sources reviewed.NERC FLOWBE

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