The recent advances of the Moana Project presented this week at the Ocean Sciences Meeting 2020
This week MetOcean scientists João Souza and Julie Jakoboski are at the Ocean Sciences Meeting 2020 in San Diego, CA. They will be presenting the recent advances of the Moana Project related to the New Zealand Operational Ocean Forecast System, the New Zealand Ocean Observing System and crowd-sourcing ocean data through the seafood industry with the use of the Tiro Moana sensor.
The Ocean Sciences Meeting (OSM) is one of the most important conferences for the ocean sciences and the larger ocean-connected community. It comprises discussions in all areas of ocean sciences, from theoretical physics to fish behaviour to management and sustainability. The global scientific community gathers every two years with the ultimate goal of ‘raising awareness of the truly global dimension of the ocean, addressing environmental challenges, and setting forth on a path towards a resilient planet.’
The full abstracts of the three studies are presented below. João presented a poster today, and Julie will do a talk tomorrow afternoon (San Diego time).
If you happen to be in San Diego for the OSM2020 and are interested in ocean forecast and ocean observation, come and have a chat with them! More details about the studies can be accessed through the links below.
Authors: Brett Beamsley1, Julie Jakoboski1, Moninya Roughan2, Joao Marcos Azevedo Correia de Souza1, John Radford3
1 New Zealand Meteorological Service - MetOcean
2 University of New South Wales, Australia
3 Zebra-Tech Ltd, New Zealand
New Zealand (NZ) derives wealth and wellbeing from the ocean, including a seafood sector worth $4.18B annually, and yet, their oceans are poorly understood. Ocean circulation drives the transport of larvae, determines population connectivity and impacts fisheries recruitment and abundance, all of which are being impacted by ocean warming and changes in circulation patterns. The Moana Project aims to develop an integrated ocean observing and modelling program with the goal of improving NZ’s ability to comprehensively measure, observe or predict the state of their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) by working with ocean data holders, ocean stakeholders, and developing a new ocean sensor.
There is a vast amount of ocean observation data that is owned by a wide range of organizations throughout NZ, yet there is a need for a single database where this data can be catalogued and accessed. The Moana Project will connect these organizations with the New Zealand Ocean Data Portal (NZODN) and provide a pathway for collecting NZ’s historical ocean observations into an open access database that will benefit both ocean data holders and stakeholders in NZ.
Embracing crowdsourcing concept, we are developing a low-cost smart ocean temperature sensor to be deployed throughout NZ’s EEZ by the seafood sector. With support of industry partners, indigenous and recreational fishing communities, we will revolutionize ocean data collection in NZ. Temperature profile data will be returned in near real time via the cell phone or satellite network and ingested into data assimilating ocean prediction models, leading to an open-access nationwide Ocean Analysis and Prediction System, delivered by the NZ Meteorological Service.
We will greatly increase the number of coastal sub-surface temperature observations available for data assimilation, thereby increasing model accuracy and predictability. We show the benefit of partnering with end users to collect and return research quality datasets that are relevant for industry needs. This project will provide a more complete picture of ocean temperatures, circulation and dynamics, and the relationships with fishery recruitment variability, aiding prediction and underpinning economic growth for NZ’s seafood sector ensuring long-term sustainability.
Authors: Moninya Roughan2, Joao Marcos Azevedo Correia de Souza1, Julie Jakoboski1
1 New Zealand Meteorological Service - MetOcean
2 University of New South Wales, Australia
New Zealand is an island nation at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. It derives wealth and wellbeing from the ocean, including a seafood sector worth $4.18B annually, and yet, their vast ocean estate is poorly understood. NZ lags other developed nations that have integrated ocean observing and prediction programmes, and thus cannot comprehensively measure, observe or predict the state of their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Ocean circulation drives the transport of larvae, determines population connectivity and impacts fisheries recruitment and abundance, all of which are being impacted by ocean warming and changes in circulation patterns.
Embracing ‘the Internet of Things’ concepts, we are developing a low-cost smart ocean sensor to be deployed throughout NZ’s EEZ by the seafood sector. By crowd sourcing ocean data collection with the support of seafood industry partners, iwi (indigenous) and recreational fishing communities, we will revolutionise ocean data collection, in what is a data poor region of the Pacific Ocean. The temperature profile data is returned in near real time via the cell phone network (or satellite) and prepared for ingestion into data assimilating ocean prediction models. Supported by these new data streams the NZ Meteorological Service is developing an open-access nationwide Ocean Analysis and Prediction System. The models and data are delivered to the community through smart tools.
This disruptive technology approach is an exemplar for other marine nations with strong seafood sectors and under investment in the marine observing and modelling space. We show the benefit of partnering with end users to collect and return research quality datasets, and integration with ocean models that are relevant for industry needs.
This project will underpin operational efficiencies, biosecurity protection, risk mitigation and economic growth for NZ’s seafood sector ensuring long-term sustainability.
New Developments in the New Zealand Ocean Operational Forecast System – The Moana Project
Authors: Joao Marcos Azevedo Correia de Souza1, Phellipe Couto1, Moninya Roughan2
1 New Zealand Meteorological Service - MetOcean
2 University of New South Wales, Australia
New Zealand’s maritime domain is one of the largest on the planet, with an exclusive economic zone of approximately 4,300,000 km2. MetService is the institution responsible for providing a national ocean forecast system to respond to such demand. To accomplish this, a comprehensive system of different ocean models and information endpoint delivery mechanisms has been developed. Downscaling from global ocean models presents a problem due to the lack of key phenomena important for local users and common misrepresentation of the local dynamics not focused on the global simulations. Through the Moana Project, the largest initiative in oceanographic research in New Zealand to date, we are bringing the operational ocean forecast system to the state-of-the-art by including recent developments in the model physics and developing the Data Assimilation (DA) capability. This includes the generation of an open-access high-resolution 25 year ocean hindcast product, presently being used for research and consulting purposes, a new approach for a coastal ocean forecast including important coastal physical processes usually missing in global simulations, the generation of a reanalysis of the ocean using a 4DVar data assimilation scheme, and the operationalization of the DA to provide optimal initial conditions for the forecast cycles.
A general description of the operational forecast system with its unique architecture is presented, including recent developments in ocean circulation modeling and future plans. The focus is on the impact of the inclusion of coastal physical phenomena and the assimilation of ocean observations. The steps taken in the design and implementation of this system are discussed. This effort is part of the Moana Project – a national collaborative research project including all the main oceanographic institutes in New Zealand.
FEBRUARY 20, 2020