WIREDGOV

The Met Office is leading a partnership that has won an EU funded contract to provide data and services aimed at protecting and saving lives at sea.

The new European North West Shelf (NWS) service includes a wide range of products supporting the day to day working life, safety and development of the marine environment. Products include data on currents, temperature, salinity, sea level, sea ice and biogeochemistry.

The NWS partnership brings together operational oceanography expertise with science excellence to provide a world-class service and follows a 5 year development and implementation phase. Met Office partners include Envitia, the  National Oceanography Centre and  Plymouth Marine Laboratory from the UK, the  Institute of Marine Research in Norway and the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency of Germany.

John Siddorn, Head of Ocean Forecasting at the Met Office and co-chair of the National Centre for Ocean Forecasting, said: "Securing the contract to provide core marine environmental monitoring services for our coastal waters is great news. Users, who range from large multinationals to individual researchers and leisure users, can continue to access the best available information about the marine environment every day, for free. It's also very exciting for me as a scientist, knowing that some of the great work we do is out there for all to use."

As well as providing services the partnership will continue to improve existing services and develop new services as required. The NWS service is contracted by Mercator Océan and the data they provide will be available free of charge.