ANNUAL REPORT ON NATIONAL GOOS ACTIVITIES

 

 

 

 

1.       COUNTRY

 

Netherlands, The

 

2. PRINCIPAL NATIONAL CONTACT FOR GOOS

 

Prof. dr. J.H. Stel, of the Earth and Life Sciences Council of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (ALW/NWO) represents the Netherlands within the IOC of UNESCO on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.

Dr. K. Verbeek of The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) is national GCOS coordinator. Coordination of the climate module of GOOS is done jointly by ALW and KNMI.

 

3. MECHANISM FOR NATIONAL COORDINATION OF GOOS

 

On a national level, an informal coordinating committee for EuroGOOS , an informal association of national organizations (authorities, agencies, institutes) for European co-operation in the GOOS framework, has been set up. The membership is a mix of scientific institutes, governmental organizations and industry. Such a mix is highly successful within the EUREKA Programme Euromar. The National Committee is chaired by the National Institute of Coastal and Marine Management (RIKZ) of the Ministry of Traffic, Transport and Public Works, which is also taking care of the Secretariat.

 

However, this committee does not yet see itself as a national GOOS committee. So the actual coordination is done on an ad-hoc basis.

 

4. MEMBERSHIP OF REGIONAL GOOS BODIES

 

ALW/NWO, KNMI and RIKZ are members of EUROGOOS.

RIKZ is providing the chairman of EuroGOOS, Ir. D. Tromp, and has seconded Mr. W. Behrens to the EuroGOOS Project Office for the year 2001.

 

5. NATIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS  TO GOOS IMPLEMENTATION

In sections 5.1 through 5.4, below, please (i) differentiate between actual (present) and future (planned) contributions; (ii) indicate the agencies involved in each activity; (iii) list the web link URL for the activity, if there is one.

 

5.1    CONTRIBUTIONS TO ELEMENTS OF THE GOOS INITIAL OBSERVING SYSTEM

(Note: this excludes (i) contributions to pilot projects, which go under 5.2, below; (ii) research in support of GOOS, eg from research satellites or by other means, which goes under 5.3, below; (iii) other national contributions, which go under 5.4, below; and contributions to capacity  building, which go under 6, below).

 

·         KNMI plays an active role in the Voluntary Observing Ship (VOS) network of the WMO

 

·         KNMI contributes to the fixed and drifting buoy programme through EGOS/EUCOS as a regional contribution to the activities coordinated by the Data Buoy Cooperation Panel (DBCP).

·         KNMI  is contemplating its roll and position of being active in JCOMM and its subsidiary panels.

 

·         KNMI contributes to the continuation of OWS station MIKE.

 

·         RIKZ is involved in the ESEAS project in relation to GLOSS.

 

 

·         There are plans for a Dutch contribution to a buoy network in the North Atlantic; KNMI also intends to contribute to a network of flux reference stations

 

 

5.2 CONTRIBUTIONS TO GOOS PILOT PROJECTS

 

Under discussion

 

5.3    CONTRIBUTIONS TO ACTIVITIES OF REGIONAL GOOS BODIES

 

EuroGOOS regional projects

Northwest Shelf Project ESODAE, NOOS (North-West Shelf Operational Oceanographic System), North West Shelf Task Team, and SEANET. Within the SEANET-SNDI ( data-interface) project a real-time connection is realized between most of the NW European shelf countries around the North Sea.

 

 

5.4    GOOS-RELATED RESEARCH

(this means topics not already mentioned above; eg satellite remote sensing carried out through research programmes; etc)

 

At KNMI research is done on the assimilation of satellite and upper-ocean observations in OGCM's. This work is carried out in close collaboration with ECMWF, and is potentially relevant for GODAE.

 

NIOZ is actively involved in a number of research programs which contribute to the GOOS objectives.

Monitoring of ocean currents and properties is performed in the framework of the Dutch contribution to CLIVAR. These activities are funded partly by ALW/NWO and are carried out in close collaboration with Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research of the University of Utrecht and KNMI. Present activities include:

·         The Clivarnet Atlantic Monitoring Program (CAMP) in which a former WOCE hydrographic section  (AR7E, Ireland – Greenland) is monitored bi-annually (2000, 2002, 2004) by NIOZ. Observations include various ‘standard’ properties like salinity, temperature, nutrients, oxygen, CO2.

·         The Mixing of Agulhas Rings Experiment (MARE) in which the hydrographic properties of an Agulhas Ring was monitored 3 times in 2000 and 2001. This ocean-going study focuses on the inter-basin exchange between the Indian and Atlantic ocean.

·         The Agulhas Current Source Experiment (ACSEX) which includes an array of current meter moorings in Mozambique Channel for two years (2000-2001) and hydrographic observations in the ocean around Madagascar in 2000 and 2001.

 

Apart from these ocean-going observational programs NIOZ performs long term observations in the Dutch coastal zone and the Wadden Sea which contribute to the GOOS objectives. These long-term time series include:

·         Temperature and salinity observations in Marsdiep tidal inlet, since 1860

·         Currents in Marsdiep tidal inlet, ferry observations since 1998

·         Macrofauna on tidal flats in the Wadden Sea, yearly since 1970

·         Phytoplankton in Marsdiep tidal inlet, weekly since 1970

 

 

5.5    OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GOOS

Buoys, hydrographic lines, and other observations that are not yet included in the GOOS Initial Observing System (eg Tide Gauges other than GLOSS); ocean and or weather and climate modeling activities/centres;

 

·         As a national climate centre KNMI carries out research on the role of the ocean and air/sea interaction in climate variability

 

6. CAPACITY BUILDING IN SUPPORT OF GOOS OR GOOS-RELATED RESEARCH

 

See 8

 

7. MECHANISM FOR COMMUNICATING NATIONAL ACTIVITIES

Newsletters, brochures, web site address, other

 

Under discussion

 

8. INDICATIONS OF FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION TO GOOS

 

The Netherlands has contributed some US $ 100,000 to the GOOS Trust Fund in order to stimulate cooperation between the GOOS and LOICZ project offices, to stimulate the Dutch involvement in the development of the Coastal Module and to support some capacity building activities in relation to the development of GOOS. Next year a contribution of some US $ 22,000  will be given as the final donation of a commitment totaling f 300,000.

 

8.1 INVESTMENT IN NATIONAL ACTIVITIES

 

Under discussion

 

8.2 INVESTMENT IN NATIONAL COORDINATION

 

Under discussion

 

8.3 INVESTMENT (REAL OR POTENTIAL) IN INTERNATIONAL COORDINATION

 

see 8

 

9. SUGGESTIONS FOR WAYS TO IMPROVE GOOS