The IOCS meeting advances new capabilities for global ocean colour observations
The International Ocean Colour Science meeting advances new capabilities for global ocean colour observations in the Copernicus era
The third international ocean colour science meeting convened by the International Ocean Colour Coordinating Group (IOCCG) in partnership with EUMETSAT, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission opened today in Lisbon, Portugal.
02 November 2020
15 May 2017
Under the theme “Exploring new capabilities for global ocean colour observations”, the ocean colour science community and space agencies will discuss the emerging applications and first scientific results of ocean colour observations delivered by the new Copernicus Sentinel-3A and -2A satellites respectively operated by EUMETSAT and ESA on behalf of the European Union in support to Copernicus, the European Earth Observation programme.
In particular the Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) on board the Sentinel-3A satellite allows for tailored applications. Phenomena like harmful algae blooms and changes in marine ecosystems can now be monitored on an operational basis and on a global scale from space, creating new opportunities for the management of marine resources, fisheries and for understanding and quantifying the role of the ocean in the carbon cycle in our changing climate.
A dedicated Copernicus session will showcase the benefits of the new European ocean colour data streams available from Sentinel missions and the information services delivered by the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS).
Ewa Kwiatkowska, ocean colour scientist at EUMETSAT said: “Since we took over operations of the Copernicus Sentinel-3A satellite on behalf of the EU, ocean colour has been added to our portfolio of ocean products and we now offer a full real-time ocean data service integrating products from EUMETSAT, Copernicus and international partners’ missions”.
To stimulate user uptake, EUMETSAT will organise a one-day training workshop on 19 May on how to access and explore the Copernicus and other marine data Streams provided by EUMETSAT.
