News
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Nov 2019
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A team of NOC scientists and technicians were in Belize in October to deploy two NOC-developed sensors designed to monitor changes in ocean acidity across the barrier reef. This work will help inform evidence-based policy aimed at balancing the tensions between activities in the coastal zone and the conservation of vital ecosystems. The sensors use microfluidic lab-on-chip technology to measure pH, and are among the first of there kind to employ microfluidic techniques for autonomous... |
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Nov 2019
Scientists and engineers from the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) were in Belize in October conducting research as part of an ongoing programme of collaborative multi-disciplinary fieldwork that aims to help understand the impacts of climate change and human activities on coastal environments.
This work is part of a research campaign funded by the UK Government’s Commonwealth Marine Economies (CME) Programme, that involves NOC scientists working alongside colleagues from the... |
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Oct 2019
A month long fieldwork campaign has begun in Belizean coastal waters which will enhance understanding of the sensitivities of these fragile environments to the impacts of both human activities and climate change.
Dr Christopher Pearce, programme lead for the NOC, said “Belizean coastal environments are some of the most fragile in the world, and are facing a combination of challenges from both human and climate change factors.
In collaboration with our Belizean colleagues we will be... |
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Sep 2019
A study led by National Oceanography Centre (NOC) scientists, recently published in Frontiers in Marine Science, presents the first ever images of animals living below 4000 metres within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Republic of Kiribati, a remote island group in the Pacific.
Industry-collected seabed photos revealed a high diversity, but low abundance, of complex animals. The majority of the observed seabed life was single-celled giant forams. This is comparable to similar... |
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Apr 2019
Two University of Belize scientists have recently completed an intensive two-week programme of training in the UK, to enhance the capability of the University of Belize to study the aquatic environment.
This training forms part of the Commonwealth Marine Economies (CME) Programme, which aims to help Commonwealth Small Island Developing States make the most of their natural maritime advantages, to enable sustainable economic growth and alleviate poverty.
Some of the intended outcomes of this... |
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Apr 2019
This week at the European Geophysical Union (EGU) conference, NOC scientists presented a new automated process of quality control for high-frequency tide gauge data. This process could greatly improve the data available for scientists researching high frequency sea-level variations, such as wind waves and tsunamis.
There are many tide gauges around the world that don’t produce research-quality data, and manual quality control has traditionally been too labour intensive. As part of... |
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Apr 2019
NOC Southampton hosted a week of workshops and meetings (25 – 29 March) to discuss progress and plan future collaboration with partners and stakeholders from Belize. The event was attended by representatives from Belize’s Coastal Zone Management Institute and Authority (CZMAI), Port Authority, the University of Belize (UB), and the Turneffe Atoll Sustainability Association (TASA), as well as from the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO), the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), the Centre... |
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Feb 2019
A 3-day Conference and Technical Workshop on ‘Monitoring and Modelling for Coastal Zone Management’ was held in Kingstown, at the Grenadine House Hotel, on 16-18 Jan 2019. This workshop was a follow-on from the Stakeholder Engagement workshop in March 2018, and many of the original participants attended. It was planned to be a more technical, hands-on workshop, with training and demos in various software packages, using datasets from St Vincent and the Grenadines. The training was provided... |
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Feb 2019
The second deployment of a Nortek AWAC (Acoustic Waves and Currents) gauge for a two month period (Jan-Mar 2019) has taken place. The device, purchased for St Vincent and the Grenadines through the CME programme, was deployed by a team from Coastal Dynamics Ltd, based in Trinidad and Tobago.
Before the deployment, the team provided a briefing on the setup of the instrument, at the Serenity Dive Shop in Calliaqua, which provided a boat and divers for the deployment. The briefing was attended by... |
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Feb 2019
This month Dr Wolf and Dr Jevrejeva completed visits to various government departments in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, including the Meteorological Services, National Parks Authority and the Maritime Administration (MARAD).
On 14 of January the team visited the Met Office at the Argyle International Airport (AIA), meeting with the Manager, who talked about the Met Service activity. The team presented the Ocean Modelling and Monitoring for Small Island Developing States project, which... |
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Jan 2019
Just before the end of 2018 NOC scientists visited the University of the West Indies, in Jamaica, to discuss potential collaborations on projects aimed at understanding the impact of climate change and sea-level rise on Small Island Developing States. The group also discussed potential collaborations on the use of nature-based coastal defences, such mangroves and coral reefs.
This forms part of the Commonwealth Marine Economies (CME) Programme, which aims to enable safe and sustainable... |
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Jan 2019
This week NOC scientists Dr Daniel Jones and Dr Erik Simon-Lledó have been working with the Kiribati government to improve capacity and information in deep-sea assessment.
They have just run a week’s workshop and training event in Kiribati for staff of the government ministries charged with managing the marine environment. The event was a great success, introducing the government staff to the wonderful diversity of life in their deep seas and providing detailed training in the tools required... |
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Nov 2018
On 29 October 2018, scientists from the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) began a multi-disciplinary program of fieldwork in Belize that aims to help characterise the impacts of changes in land-use management on coastal environments.
This is a collaborative research program funded by the Commonwealth Marine Economies (CME) Programme, that will see NOC scientists working alongside those in the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute (CZMAI) in Belize, the University of Belize, and the... |
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Aug 2017
Marine data specialists were in St Lucia running a Data Management Workshop for environmental organisations across the Caribbean region.
Participants are now equipped to improve current data collection processes in their respective organisations and facilitate the efficient use of marine data across a range of sectors, thereby enhancing the economic return of the investment in data collection.
This two-day workshop, hosted by the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Commission,... |
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Aug 2017
The NOC's Dr Socratis Loucaides spent time in Fiji training staff and students at the University of the South Pacific on how to use their new NOC-developed ocean acidification and nutrient monitoring sensors ahead of the sensors' two- month deployment.
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