UK to join EU ocean monitoring scheme and share more data
The planned participation in OceanEye will expand data-sharing with the EU and Canada, as the scheme works to strengthen ocean observation and improve extreme weather forecasting.
The UK is set to join OceanEye, an EU-led ocean monitoring programme, and share more data from the Met Office and other agencies with the EU and Canada. Environment Secretary Angela Eagle is expected to announce the plan at a meeting at UN headquarters in New York.
The scheme aims to improve ocean observation and forecasting of extreme weather and climate events. The UK’s data-sharing terms and the start date for its participation have not been specified.
Launched by the EU in June with €92 million in funding, OceanEye includes an international alliance with Canada. The programme plans to develop a digital model of the ocean by 2030, drawing on satellite, sensor and other data.
The Global Ocean Observing System has gaps in monitoring the poles, deep ocean and biological measurements. Ocean observations also support marine protection, security and global trade, as well as weather and climate forecasting.
The Guardian reports that the United States provides more than half of the world’s ocean-observing platforms and much of its technology. Although a proposed cut to funding for one US ocean-observation initiative was reversed after scientific backlash, cuts to other US ocean agencies have left the global system vulnerable to shifting priorities.
