Task T2.5 description from Annex I

Activity description (Annex I 6.1)

T2.5 - Establish a pan-EU data base for river run-off

Hackett Bruce (MET-NO) - AZTI-Tecnalia, BSH, MET-NO, MHI, RIKZ, SMHI

Objectives: Establish a framework for integrating and harmonising observations of river runoff to the European coastal seas and providing them to coastal and shelf seas monitoring and forecasting services.

Description: This Task will facilitate access to runoff data for use in the ECOOP observing and forecasting system. The activities are: identifying the relevant data sources and their providers (catalogue), establishing effective methods for getting data from the providers to the ECOOP users and putting into effect actual data streams for the major sources. This work is necessary for ECOOP because fresh water fluxes to the coastal seas, and the accompanying nutrient and pollutant loads, are important for accurate monitoring and forecasting the coastal zone ecosystem, pollutant fate as well as for coastal flood management. Observing systems are fragmented, even within nations, and the data are difficult to access, especially in near-real-time (NRT). Efforts towards integrating observations have been mainly focused on hydrology and river flooding, not coastal monitoring. Consequently, predictive coastal ocean models usually rely on simple approximations of river runoff, such as climatologies. Integration is necessary since fresh water effects on the coastal seas are intrinsically trans-boundary.

Given the fragmented state of the European river observing system, this task will work through the five EuroGOOS regional associations: BOOS, NOOS, IBI-ROOS, MedGOOS and Black Sea GOOS. It will be most efficient to exploit the national contact networks represented by the association memberships. The task team therefore includes a key member from each regional association plus a task leader. Each regional partner will liaise closely with their association membership in carrying out the Work. This will ensure that the resulting data provision system is properly tuned to the needs of the regional users and that it will optimally benefit those users. This approach builds on early initiatives within some of the associations, e.g., a project with similar objectives has been started in NOOS as a “best endeavours” activity. The Task will cover both archived and on-line data, volume flux, nutrient and pollutant loads, but the focus will be on implementing a NRT data access to fresh water volume flux, since this is the basic time-critical data stream.

S2.5.1: Assessment of existing river run-off data

Objectives: To gain an overview of available data and to select an initial set of data for use in ECOOP.

Description: River runoff data will include volume transport and nutrient/pollutant loads, suitable for use in coastal and shelf seas monitoring and forecasting. Both archived time series and data sources with near-real-time (NRT) availability will be sought. The Global Runoff Data Centre (GRDC) will be an important source of information. The partners will obtain additional information from the regional association memberships. The information will be collated into catalogues, regional and pan-European?, that will be available to coastal users. From the catalogue entries, an optimal list of observation stations for rivers influencing the coastal and regional seas will be made (ECOOP River Station Lists). From the optimal list, the initial NRT data sets for the “ECOOP Data Management System“ will be identified; these include the major rivers in each region for which there are NRT data readily available.

S2.5.2: Interfacing to ECOOP Data Management system

Objectives: Define and test procedures for acquiring river runoff data from providers and making them available through the ECOOP data management systems.

Description: This subtask must: 1) clarify data policy issues within the various regions; 2) define data transfer procedures from data providers to the EDMS; 3) comply with data formats and procedures defined for the ECOOP Data Management system; 4) accommodate specific data exchange requirements in the regional associations; 5) test the data flow procedures on representative sources in each region. This subtask will co-ordinate closely with WP2.1 (EDMS). It will also take into account relevant European marine data management experience, such as MERSEA, SeaDataNet.

S2.5.3: Implementation of initial data sets in ECOOP Data Management System

Objectives: Provide river runoff data in each region to users through the ECOOP Data Management System

Description: This subtask will focus on provision of NRT data, based on the lists from Task 2.5.1 and utilizing the procedures developed in Task 2.5.2. The main activity will be effectuating the contacts with data providers and putting data acquisition procedures into operation. Access to the initial NRT data sets will be implemented for each region by the end of the project. Access to representative elements of the initial NRT data sets will be demonstrated during the TOP. Critique of the data provision will be solicited from ECOOP partners and other member users in each regional association, as input to an assessment and recommendations for improvements.

Work Package Description (Annex I 8.5)

T2.5 - Establish a pan-EU data base for river run-off

Hackett Bruce (MET-NO) - AZTI-Tecnalia, BSH, MET-NO, MHI, RIKZ, SMHI

Evaluate the river runoff data, regional and pan-European, including volume transport and nutrient/pollutant loads.

Investigate the availability of both archived time series and data sources with near-real-time (NRT).

Use as an important source of information the Global Runoff Data Centre (GRDC). Add additional information from the regional association memberships.

Catalogue the information to be available to coastal users.

Establish an optimal list of observation stations for rivers influencing the coastal and regional seas (ECOOP River Station Lists).

Define an optimal list of the initial NRT data sets for the “ECOOP Data Management System” .

Clarify data policy issues within the various regions;

Define data transfer procedures from data providers to the ECOOP DMS;

Adopt data formats and procedures defined for the ECOOP DMS;

Clarify data exchange requirements in the regional associations;

Initial tests of the data flow procedures on representative sources in each region.

Contact identified data providers, both directly and through national members of the regional EuroGOOS associations, and initiate data delivery to the EDMS under the agreed terms.

Identify a test provider able to provide NRT data early in the project period. Test the data acquisition and interfacing procedures (cf. subtask 2.5.2) on this data stream.

S2.5.1 - Assessment of existing river run-off data

Evaluate the river runoff data, regional and pan-European, including volume transport and nutrient/pollutant loads.

Investigate the availability of both archived time series and data sources with near-real-time (NRT).

Use as an important source of information the Global Runoff Data Centre (GRDC). Add additional information from the regional association memberships.

Catalogue the information to be available to coastal users.

Establish an optimal list of observation stations for rivers influencing the coastal and regional seas (ECOOP River Station Lists).

Define an optimal list of the initial NRT data sets for the “ECOOP Data Management System”.