Transcript Doug Wallace

NATIONAL NETWORK
hosted by Dalhousie University in Halifax
$25M Federal funding (2012-2017)
renewable twice; additional funding from partners
brings together Canadian researchers, stakeholders and users in a
multisectoral partnership to better understand and predict the impact of
marine hazards on human activities and ecosystems….
AND IMPROVE RESPONSE.
Facing Galway: Some Atlantic Canadian realities…
Small population / tax-base (c. 2.5 million inhabitants)
Political / economic “influence“ of region is limited
Federal government science capacity is decreasing....
No new funding mechanisms comparable to Horizon 2020
→ A diverse and changing funding landscape for ocean
observation… and changing priorities…
Government
Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Environment Canada
Defence Research and Development Canada
Natural Resources Canada
Canada Space Agency
Academic
esp. NSERC
Individual projects
and larger networks
(OTN, MEOPAR,
ONC, ArcticNet, etc.
Industry
Oil and gas
Transportation
Aquaculture
Fishing
MEOPAR may help to build a joined-up Canadian effort…
Initial efforts include:
Montreal Community Workshops. March 2014
Established “Ocean Gliders Canada”
Develop shared operational support
Inventory Canadian capabilities and activities
Share information and activities via a web portal
Coordinate training opportunities
and emergency response capabilities
Created a “Canadian Community of Practice for Ocean Data Management”:
Explore how to inventory current ocean data holdings
Examine how to build a national structure that builds on local and regional strengths
Identify, share and make use of code and distributed expertise
Coordinate links to international data infrastructures (IOOS, Copernicus, etc.)
COMING UP, May 2014
Smart Ocean / Smart Industries Canada: An International Workshop to Advance IndustryScience Collaboration and Ocean Industry Data Collection in Canada
….will set the stage for an initial Canadian Atlantic pilot project on ocean observations by
industry, in support of Canada’s commitment to trans-Atlantic research under the “Galway
Statement on Atlantic Ocean Cooperation,” with potential for future expansion to the Pacific
and Arctic Oceans.
27-29 May 2014, Montreal, QC, Canada
Observing System Strategy:
Agree on principles
Identify needs, opportunities, allies: set priorities, avoid over-reach
Mobilise and align multiple, multisectoral funding sources*
*(incl. international partnerships)
→Draft Strategy Paper:
Towards a Canadian Contribution to an
Integrated Atlantic Ocean Observing System
Principles
• Use the 4 M’s *
• Science-led (but involve people!)
• Flexible, interoperable, relocatable
• Concentrate on data sharing/ access
• Plan for sustainability
• Build on what exists (i.e. has survived)
• Identify and promote RAD’s
• Encourage international involvement
• Explicit links to operational models
• Explicit links to remote sensing
* Multidisciplinary, multisectoral,
multipurpose, multinational
New Infrastructure Opportunities?
→ Possibilities for INTERNATIONAL shared planning and funding of “Arctic and
Marine” infrastructure through Canada Foundation for Innovation.
Identify and promote RAD’s
Researcher Aggregating Devices:
Focus infrastructure, observations AND projects spatially
Ideally where science and user needs intersect
Requires discipline and compromise
Regions must be carefully chosen: enough science for all?
International and open
4 RADs and Their Motivations:
Baffin Bay / Davis Strait:
GreenEdge project; Ice-cover and
ecosystems; Arctic /freshwater
transport; air-sea exchange
Labrador Sea:
VITALS, OSNAP
Deep-water formation, freshwater
impacts, MOC, CO2, O2, acidification
Flemish Pass:
Fish Aggregating Device (FAD)
MOC, heat flux, CO2 flux,
biodiversity, deepwater oil
Scotian Shelf/Slope:
MOC, acidification, deep circulation,
biodiversity, deepwater oil; air-sea
Horizon 2020 Topics arising from Galwaye, of high
relevance to MEOPAR include:
EU 3.5 million
EU 15-20 million
EU 6 million
Transatlantic Research School
Ocean System Science & Technology
CAN$3.2 million
Halifax
EUR€1.8 million
Kiel
Cape
Verde
Goal:
Convey technical and research skills in
ocean science and advanced
technologies, and promote informed
management of deep sea and open
ocean environments.
Outcome #3: two, new, bilateral Graduate Schools...
Germany: Uni. Bremen + AWI
Canada: Univ. Quebec a Montreal + 8 other Canadian Universities
Ecosystem Hotspots; Ocean Dynamics; Seafloor Structures
NSERC CREATE: Transatlantic Ocean System
Science and Technology
Helmholtz Research School Ocean System
Science and Technology
Germany: GEOMAR + Uni. Kiel
Canada: Dalhousie University and Halifax Marine Research Institute
Climatological Mean Air-Sea CO2 Flux
(Takahashi et al, 2009)
Accuracy of Basin-Wide pCO2 Maps
Seasonal mean RMS error (μatm)
Large mapping errors in the Labrador Sea and around the Grand Banks … can be
seen as a consequence of the lack of training data in this area.
The extension of monitoring pCO2 is highly recommended as our results
indicate a significant improvement in the basin-scale pCO2 maps… more
observations would be particularly useful in the Labrador Sea and the NAC area.
Friedrich, T., and A. Oschlies (2009), Neural network-based estimates of North Atlantic surface pCO2 from satellite
data: A methodological study, J. Geophys. Res., 114, C03020, doi:10.1029/2007JC004646