BALTIC OPERATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC SYSTEM BOOS E. Buch, J. Elken, J. Gajewski, B. Haakansson, K. Kahma and K. Soetje BOOS Steering Group, Copenhagen, Denmark E-mail: ebu@dmi.dk Abstract BOOS is a formal association of institutes from Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany and Denmark taking national responsibility for operational oceanographic services, which shall support the protection of lives and properties and the promotion of the development of society. Operational oceanography includes the routine collection, interpretation and presentation of data from the ocean and atmosphere to: give a reliable description of the actual conditions of the sea including its living resources provide prognoses for the future development of the conditions in the sea establish a marine database from which time series and statistical analysis can be obtained for descriptions of trends and changes in the marine environment, including consequences for the living conditions in, on and around the sea. BOOS focuses primarily on observations, analysis and model predictions for water level, waves, currents, temperature, salinity, sea ice, oxygen, nutrients, algae, and chlorophyll, and contributes thereby to improve efficiency of marine operations, reduce the risk of accidents, optimise the monitoring of the marine environment and climate, improve the assessment of fish stocks and improve the foundation of public marine management. Developments of new products and services are implemented through projects. At present the BOOS members are working closely together in the EU financed project PAPA, which will in a cost-effective manner integrate and further develop the present operational ocean monitoring, data management and modelling activities within the Baltic Sea with the purpose of producing data products and ocean forecasts of a higher quality to the benefit of the users. PAPA is considered by the partners to constitute a valuable advance towards the establishment of an effective operational oceanographic service for the Baltic Sea. 1. Present activities of BOOS The driving force in operational oceanography is the needs and requests from users of operational oceanographic services and products. It is therefore vitally important to have a good, open and positive running dialog with all potential users. The most important marine related areas which require operational oceanographic services in the Baltic are: Shipping - all kinds; Navigation in shallow areas and entrances to harbours; Rescue operations, drift forecasting; Military purposes; Storm surge warnings; Flood protection; Coastal protection; Transport calculations of water, substances and passive biological material, e.g. algae and fish eggs; Bottom water renewal, oxygenation; Environmental protection, impact assessment and management; Ecosystem assessment; Fisheries planning and management; Recreation purposes; Public warnings; Research. The production line in generating operational oceanographic services is: Observations Data Exchange Analysis Model Forecasts Verificatio Dissemination of products and services USERS User requests
BOOS is based on existing national observation programmes, which already are very extensive, but can be made more operational. At present the physical oceanographic observations such as water level, temperature, salinity, waves, currents, sea ice are the most operational in the sense that real-time or near real-time data delivery is implemented by most BOOS member organisations. BOOS is therefore in its present stage of development primarily focussing on the production of services related to physical parameters. One of the most important subject to address in order to create a operational oceanographic system is the establishment of an effective data exchange system. BOOS has built a simple but effective FTPbox system to exchange data. Members of the BOOS co-operation exchange data using a system of ftp-boxes. Each member institution puts the data, it wants to exchange with the other members, in its own ftp box, where it can be collected by the other partners. The system is protected by usernames and passwords The experience of BOOS is however that the most severe problem in establishing a data exchange system has not been the technical set-up but institutional and national rules and regulation regarding exchange and release of data. All the legal aspects concerning the data exchange i.e. the right to use data for institutional and commercial purposes is addressed with great care in the EuroGOOS data policy, which the members have agreed to follow. Despite of this agreement it is still not easy and takes some time for the individual BOOS members to achieve the necessary permissions to exchange their data in real-time. Several physical models are run in an operational mode by BOOS members forecasting water level, waves, temperature and salinity fields, currents, transports through sections, sea ice, drift patterns for various substances (oil, chemicals) and objects. Ecological models are in the development phase at several BOOS member institutions and some of these are at present run in a pre-operational mode. Taking into consideration the complexity of the marine ecosystems, including both processes and variability in time and space, it is part of the BOOS strategy that coupled 3 dimensional biogeochemical ocean models, should be part of a system for making an integrated assessment of environmental information available. Such a model system will be an important tool for planning and decision, e.g. within: environmental status in different areas; assessment of the spatial influence of polluting activities; calculating source apportionment from different areas; forecasts of pollutants (spatial and temporal) when the load is changed (floods, reduction scenarios); improved basis for causal relationships, e.g. algae blooms and oxygen deficiencies; monitoring and forecasting of the environmental now situation.
Oil drift Sea Ice distribution
Dissemination of the operational products and services are a crucial task which BOOS handles on different levels. BOOS has its own web page www.boos.org where real-time observations of water level and waves are displayed as well as weekly maps of SST. From the BOOS page there are links to the web page of the BOOS members, where additional products can be found such as prognoses for various parameters displayed either for the entire Baltic Sea or for national waters only. Additionally the individual BOOS members may deliver special products to specific users/costumers. 2. Projects The development of BOOS is done through projects and the BOOS members are at present working on the following projects: PAPA; Data exchange and homepage; Sea Surface Temperature; Transports; Waves; Optimising Baltic-sea Observational Networks (OBON); Baltic Sea Water Level Project; Harmful algae blooms project (HABWARN); Zooplankton. Detailed project descriptions are given in the Annex. 3. Summary The vision of BOOS is to provide an integrated service to marine users and policy makers in support of safe and efficient off-shore activities, environmental management, security, and sustainable use of marine resources. BOOS aims to develop a single system for operational monitoring and forecasting of the Baltic Sea and a co-ordinated network of coastal systems. The systems will merge and assimilate diverse data from space-borne sensors and in situ measurement networks in order to monitor the Baltic Sea physics, biogeochemistry and ecosystems and to provide forecasts on prediction time scales ranging from days to months. BOOS will develop and service marine applications which address the needs of both intermediate and end-users, whether institutional or from the private sector. Appendix BOOS Projects PAPA The PAPA project is sponsored under EU s 5 th Framework Thematic Network programme and will start November 1, 2002. PAPA will in a costeffective manner integrate and further develop the present operational ocean monitoring, data management and modelling activities within the Baltic Sea with the purpose of producing data products and ocean forecasts of a higher quality to the benefit of the users. PAPA is considered by the partners to constitute a valuable advance towards the establishment of an effective operational oceanographic service for the Baltic Sea. Examples of products and services generated BOOS and its member organisations. The objectives of PAPA is to: build the basin-wide network for ocean monitoring and forecasting, linking all the Baltic countries, broadening and strengthening the existing network of national institutions already established by PAPA partners; identify the gaps in the monitoring systems in the region and in the capability to measure, model and forecast the ecosystem, taking stock of current RTD projects and of the EuroGOOS and BOOS activities; build capacities for expertise in the setting up and running of observing platforms, in managing data, in modelling and forecasting the ecosystem; design an effective observing and forecasting system, inter-comparing experiences and standardising practices, towards the coordinated upgrading of the observing and forecasting capabilities in all Baltic countries; raise awareness on the benefits of ocean forecasting at local, regional and global scales, involving stakeholders and disseminate PAPA results and products. DATA EXCHANGE AND HOMEPAGE The objectives is design an information system that can: deliver a platform for operational interagency data exchange; deliver a platform for operational common product development including automatic production of value added oceanographic information; prepare platform for operational delivery of user-oriented products to the marine related society; All of the listed tasks are essential to: Improving services to the users Increasing quality of the products by better utilisation of existing data Providing more user-oriented products by means of more user-friendly product and data dissemination Decreasing production costs by sharing the workload
SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES The SST charts that are presently produced for the Baltic Sea are based on satellite data or a combination of satellite data and in situ measurements. The frequency at which these maps are produced is about 1-2 times a week. The situation today is characterized by the following shortcomings: Sparse data coverage; Highly non-uniform data coverage; Various frequencies at which observations are made; Various data format; Manually processed data in many cases. The aim of the project is to produce daily charts of sea surface temperature in the Baltic. To meet this goal a collaboration of the Baltic States is necessary since more real time data need to be available in order to improve the SST charts. The new product will be based on in situ as well as satellite data of sea surface temperature. Ice conditions will also be taken into account. An optimization of the SST algorithm used for satellite data will be carried out. All data will, furthermore, be subjected to an automatic quality control. The SST charts will be produced using the BSH system which is presently applied for the North Sea. TRANSPORTS Knowledge of the volume transports in and out of the Baltic Sea as well as between the open Baltic Sea and regional areas (bays, fjords) are essential to monitor and quantify transports of dissolved substances (nutrients, harmful chemicals), passive biological material (algae, fish eggs) etc. Using well calibrated 3D ocean models together with in situ observation on strategic localities for assimilation and verification purposes it is possible calculate the transports in and out of enclosed areas or through predefined sections. WAVES The size shape and coastline structure of the Baltic Sea makes the wave properties different from those in open ocean. Even so, in the area where the wave climate is most severe the waves in the Baltic Sea are high enough to be important for the safety at seas. Sea and swell play also significant role in the air-sea interaction processes (including gas exchange), surface layer mixing, surface drift (Stokes drift) and sediment erosion. The are several operational wave models run by the BOOS members. A coupled atmosphere-wave (HIRLAM-WAM) model has been operational in Finland since September 2001. The purpose of the wave project is to combine all wave forecasts of the partners. Together with the coupling project wave project has the following objectives: Plan and prepare a general coupling interface between atmospheric and ocean models; Plan and prepare a general interface between Baltic Sea models and local (coastal area) operational models; Make arrangements for real time data exhange for open boundaries in co-operation with the EuroGOOS North-West Shelf Task Team; Plan and prepare for introducing data assimilation; consider new aspects as a result of coupling. OPTIMISING BALTIC-SEA OBSERVATIONAL NETWORKS (OBON) Existing Baltic Sea observing networks contain local/regional systems from major marine and environmental institutes of Baltic countries (mostly BOOS members). Monitoring activities are designed in ad hoc and in an uncoordinated way. Technology used has not been optimised for basin-scale sampling and data delivery is still very slow. The purpose of OBON is to provide an optimal proposal to coordinate existing and planned monitoring activities, technology and resources in the Baltic Sea by conducting in-depth survey and test experiment. For monitoring technology, OBON will identify what kinds of existing and developing technology are potential cost-effective candidates for operational oceanography in Baltic Sea scale. For monitoring resources, OBON will explore possible resource sharing mechanisms in Baltic monitoring under BOOS. The synergy of the cost-effective technology and Baltic Sea monitoring resources may serve as a technical and management background for implementing next generation Baltic Sea observing system. BALTIC SEA WATER LEVEL PROJECT Operational water level-forecasting in the Baltic Sea is one instrument to ensure safety of life (coastal and flood protection, advice and information of water levels differing from normal values, storm surge warnings), the safety of navigation (navigation in shallow areas, harbour entrances and water ways), and to improve under commercial aspects the planning of cruises, cargo-planning, and the time tables of ETA / ETD. Presently only national or regional water level forecasting services are available. In order to improve these services in general there is a need for real-time observations and for frequently updated forecasts on a basin-wide scale. The essential goal of the project is to define a common basin wide reference datum. This datum needs to be put into well-defined relations to the already defined national reference datum and chart datum. A basis for this task is the establishment of a warehouse with all available water level observations and forecasts, so that every participant can use the appropriate and relevant data set for his investigations. Besides the observations, model
results will be used to assist in deriving at a reference plane. The project will propose a representation of actual water level observations in relation to the reference datum, together with national reference and sea chart datum. A similar representation will be used for water level forecasts, using the official national prognoses in combination with model results. HARMFUL ALGAE BLOOMS PROJECT (HABWARN) During last decade harmful algae blooms have become more frequent. Noxious effects of harmful algal blooms have been reported in the North Sea and Skagerrak (Chyrsochromulina polyleis and Chatonella aff. verruculosa) as well as in the Baltic, where annual blooms of blue-green algea (Nodularia spumigena) occur. Although much is already known about ecology and physiology of harmful algae, the understanding the initiation and controlling factors of the blooms are poorly understood. To obtain better knownledge of harmful algae blooms, the objectives of the HABWARN are: To improve the monitoring system including: ship of opportunity lines visual observations of coast guard pilots sampling using research vessels and helicopters use of satellite images in algal bloom monitoring sampling procedures to evaluate harmful blooms To improve the information systems: to specify initial conditions of harmful blooms ecology and special characteristics of potential harmful species mapping of harmful blooms ZOOPLANKTON Zooplankton monitoring by vertical net hauls at designated stations has been critisised because of poor temporal and spatial coverage. This problem has been known for a long time, and in order to overcome it, continuous plankton recorder (CPR) was developed in 1920es by Sir Alister Hardy. Today, Sir Alister Hardy Foundation of Ocean science (SAHFOS) carries out CPR survey in different sea areas around the world. In cooperation with SAHFOS, FIMR investigated applicability of CPR towed by ships of opportunity in Baltic in 1998-99. Shipping line Transfennica offered to undertake the tows and finance the acquisition of a CPR. The pilot study of 1998-99 showed that the CPR does enhance the temporal and spatiol zooplankton monitoring capability, but that the abundances are uncommonly low in samples. Further tests carriesd out onboard r/v Aranda by FIMR and SAHFOS scientists in 2001 showed, that the standard 280 µm gauze utilized by CPR is too large for Baltic zooplankton, which is generally much smaller that its oceanic counterpart. Also standard analysis method, on-silk analysis, is not suitable for Baltic species composition. Use of smaller mesh size nylon gauze, and washing the samples off the gauze resulted in abundance that were even one order of magnitude higher than standard CPR gauze on-silk samples. These samples were also found comparable to abundances found in WP-2 net samples. Hence it was concluded that standard CPR mechanism which can only use 280 µm silk is not suitable for the Baltic. Camtec industries and Chelsea Technologies have now completed a CPR which carries a filtering mechanism driven by electric motor, and capable of using all nylon gauze sizes. The unit is also equipped with flowmeter, which facilitates accurate abundance values. After preliminary trials onboard r/v Aranda, regular monthly CPR tows between Southern Baltic to Hanko in the Gulf of Finland are planned to commnece in spring/summer 2003. The only problem which is still uncovered financially is the salary of plankton analyst who would process the samples. Analysis of the samples is currently carried out by non-permanent staff on temporary assignment. We re currently trying to find financing for the analyst from domestic and international sources.