international Collaborations
Mercator Ocean builds strong partnerships with key national and international operational oceanography projects. This collaborative approach has been essential since the beginning, bringing together diverse expertise and skills from various organisations to enhance the impact of operational oceanography worldwide.
International Scientific Teams
OceanPredict/ForeSea
The OceanPredict program is an international research and development network focused on advancing the science of ocean prediction by supporting the development of global and regional ocean analysis and forecasting systems. The main goal of OceanPredict is to work with international and intergovernmental partners to accelerate the improvement and exploitation of these ocean prediction systems for research, business, decision making and societal benefit. OceanPredict, through the exchange of knowledge, fosters the development of new capabilities and enhances collaboration within the wider operational oceanography community by organizing regular events (thematic meetings, workshops, symposiums, summer schools). OceanPredict also contributes to all coordination efforts for the development of ocean prediction (Ocean Prediction DCC, Coastpredict ) or the implementation of collaborative research projects (eg: SynObs, MER-EP). In this perspective, OceanPredict aims to develop a common vision for the future of ocean prediction and operational oceanography, motivate integrated international community projects, enhance end-user awareness of current ocean prediction capabilities, and provide collaborative outputs to engage end-users.
OceanPredict has initiated the ForeSea programme, endorsed by the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), to provide societal benefits by supporting a sustainable blue economy and enhancing resilience. ForeSea is therefore specifically designed to improve the science, capacity, efficacy, use, and impact of ocean prediction systems and to contribute to a seamless ocean information value chain, from observations to end users, for economic and societal benefit, making ocean prediction science more impactful and relevant.
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Ocean Surface Topography Science Team (OST/ST)
The joint NASA/CNES Ocean Surface Topography Science Team (OSTST) supports basic research and analysis activities associated with joint satellite altimetry missions (TOPEX/Poseidon (TP), Jason-1, and Ocean Surface Topography Mission) and other ocean altimetry data sets. This solicitation calls for U.S. and non-European proposals for the Science Team.
The OST-ST is composed by PI (Principal Investigators). Mercator Ocean is a PI since 2007. AVISO is managing the website with an historic of all the conferences from SWT and OST-ST.The OST-ST is composed by PI (Principal Investigators). Mercator Ocean is a PI since 2007. AVISO is managing the website with an historic of all the conferences from SWT and OST-ST.
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Ssalto/Duacs
This CNES/ESA program, operated by CLS, processes, validates, and disseminates altimetric data (from Jason-1, Envisat, GFO, Topex/Poseidon) for the oceanographic community. This centre serves as a portal for altimetric data, providing Mercator Ocean with all available datasets in real-time (updated weekly) for operational prototypes and in delayed time for ocean model validation.The OST-ST is composed by PI (Principal Investigators). Mercator Ocean is a PI since 2007. AVISO is managing the website with an historic of all the conferences from SWT and OST-ST.
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Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean (NEMO)
The NEMO team coordinates and implements maintenance and development of a numerical model (of ocean dynamics, marine and sea ice bio-geochemistry, adjoint model and tangent-linear model).
The NEMO team coordinates and implements maintenance and development of a sophisticated computer model that simulates various aspects of the ocean. This model includes Ocean dynamics, marine and sea ice biogeochemistry, adjoint and tangent-linear models. Mercator Ocean uses a customised version of the NEMO system, tailoring it to suit their specific needs. They’ve adapted the source code for Ocean dynamics and sea ice (using a component called LIM) to create five different setups. These setups, or configurations, cover both regional and global areas: MNATL, PAM, ORCA2, ORCA025 et ORCA025-LIM.
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Drakkar
DRAKKAR is a scientific and technical collaborative project between French research teams (LEGI-Grenoble, LOPS-Brest, LOCEAN-Paris), Mercator Ocean, NOC Southampton, IFM-Geomar Kiel, and other European and Canadian teams. Its main goal is to create, run, and share advanced computer simulations of the world’s Ocean and sea ice using the NEMO platform. These simulations cover long time periods, typically 50 years or more, and aim to improve our understanding of Ocean behaviour and changes over time. DRAKKAR’s work helps answer important questions about Ocean variability, water mass movements, and how small-scale processes affect larger Ocean patterns. By developing increasingly detailed global Ocean models, DRAKKAR contributes to the creation of more accurate Earth system models, which are crucial for understanding and predicting climate change.
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SWOT
Mercator Ocean International has been a key member of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) Science Team since the project’s inception. The team focuses on preparing for SWOT data assimilation into Mercator Ocean and Copernicus Marine models. This NASA and CNES collaborative mission aims to provide unprecedented global surface water surveys with high-resolution altimetry data. Mercator Ocean’s involvement centers on developing Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs), preparing analysis and forecasting systems for SWOT data integration, and evaluating potential model performance improvements. Preliminary simulations suggest up to 30% enhancement in Ocean current predictions when incorporating SWOT data. By participating in the Science Team, Mercator Ocean plays a crucial role in leveraging SWOT’s revolutionary capabilities to advance understanding of fine-scale Ocean dynamics and improve marine forecasting technologies.
Bilateral Partnerships
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)
The partnership between Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and Mercator Ocean International (MOi), in collaboration with the Canadian Department for Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), has started over the past decade, significantly enhancing scientific cooperation. This alliance has established a strong alignment in scientific objectives and operational marine services, leading to improved understanding of changing Ocean conditions on both global and Arctic scales. Together, they have advanced global and regional Ocean modeling through the implementation of sophisticated data assimilation techniques and cross-validation of information. This collaboration plays a vital role in addressing pressing Ocean-related challenges, promoting sustainable management of marine resources, and enhancing the resilience of Ocean ecosystems in the face of climate change.
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China NNEFC
The National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center (NMEFC) in China has formed a robust partnership with Mercator Ocean International to enhance ocean forecasting capabilities. This collaboration began with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 2014 and expanded with a second MOU in 2018, focusing on advanced modeling and data assimilation. NMEFC’s involvement in the GODAE community since 2013 has established it as a leading center for ocean forecasting, particularly through its Chinese Global Ocean Forecasting System (CGOFS). The partnership includes annual workshops for discussing research directions and collaborative projects, allowing NMEFC scientists to engage in research stays in Toulouse. This relationship not only improves NMEFC’s forecasting systems but also supports regional maritime safety and environmental management.
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