Operational Oceanography is a relatively new branch of oceanography that now has a number of established programmes and services in different countries around the world. Norway is among the leading countries in this field in Europe together with France, UK and Italy. Targeting this emerging field, the PECO2 project aims to develop education, training and coordination in operational oceanography and marine services while strengthening international partnerships. The PECO2 project is funded through the Research Council of Norway's INTPART programme, which has the overall goal to strengthen and advance development in world-class research and education. PECO2 supports this and the Norwegian Government’s Panorama Strategy for cooperation on higher education and research. In each participating country the PECO2 project will also become an important building block in support to the growing need for routine production and delivery of coastal and ocean information with societal benefit, notably in sectors such as: maritime safety, marine environment, marine resources and climate change. Alongside this the PECO2 project supports the UN ́s Sustainable Development Goals, in particular goals 4, 13, 14 and 17.
The project has a duration of three years and is coordinated and managed by the Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Centre (NERSC) in Bergen, Norway and includes the following partners: Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen (Norway); Nansen Environmental Research Centre-India (NERCI); Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), India; Nansen-Zhu International Research Centre (NZU), China; Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAP), China; CSIR Smart Places, South Africa; Nansen-Tutu Center/University of Cape Town, South Africa; and Centre d'Enseignement et de Recherche sur l'Environnement Atmosphérique (CEREA) France.
Work Plan
Work Package 1: Scoping phase: Review needs and opportunities for research cooperation & training
Task 1-1: Identify key elements in the framework for operational oceanography and marine services (ref schematic Figure 1) that should be prioritized and strengthened.
Task 1-2: Assess the potential for new research collaborations in operational oceanography among the consortium partner countries to strengthen these areas.
Task 1-3: Identify key areas where we need to build competency and review how existing education/training serves those needs and where gaps remain.
Task 1-4: Provide recommendations for dedicated training and capacity building in operational oceanography.
Work Package 2: Undertake training programmes in operational oceanography
Task 2-1: Run a planning workshop on the development of training opportunities for operational oceanography, to include the contents of the summer school.
Task 2-2: Organise the logistics for the summer school, including booking venues, developing a website and registration, inviting lecturers, arranging accommodation, arranging support for student participation, etc. Added logistical tasks of planning the summer school with Statsraad Lehmkuhl.
Task 2-3: Preparation of lectures and practicals for hands on training for summer school participants for the 3 parts of the summer school. Running of the summer school in 2023.
Task 2-4: Plan and run a data assimilation “crash course” in Bergen. 1st course taking place online in May 2021.
Task 2-5: Plan and organize exchange visits/mobility stays (COVID dependent).
Work Package 3: Development of curriculum in operational oceanography
Task 3-1: Share summer school material online and identify wider users for promotion.
Task 3-2: Beijing workshop (COVID dependent - could move online) on the advances from relevant ongoing projects among partners and subsequent updates to training programme material.
Task 3-3: Assess added benefit and work required to develop a full curriculum.
Task 3-4: Review the training material to see how much could be adapted for industry focused audiences in the maritime sector.