Ocean currents and water temperatures

The sea is home to an incredible number of animal species, it provides us with food and energy, serves as a transport route and has a major impact on the climate of the globe. Two important factors that influence what happens in the ocean are ocean currents and temperature.

We use several methods to research the conditions in the sea. Measurements and models are used to study the transport of heat, salt, nutrients, gases, and various types of pollution. The Nansen Center is responsible for the northernmost part of the marine services for the EU’s Earth observation program Copernicus. Through our data assimilation and ocean modelling services, we contribute to the safest possible information about the state of the ocean right now, and in the near future, regarding ocean circulation, waves, and sea ice.

In the sea, eddies occur, which are currents that rotate and reach deep into the water masses. Using models and satellite data, we investigate how the eddies affect marine ecosystems and the interaction between the air and the sea. The results are important in climate research. Another way to investigate the conditions below the sea surface is to use so-called Argo buoys, a measuring instrument that moves up and down in the water column. Data from the buoys is used to improve reconstructions and forecasts about the state of the ocean and ecosystem. We are also developing new methods for information acquisition via satellite. Precise information about ocean currents increases safety for marine traffic and other activities along the coast.

For more information, contact research leader Antonio Bonaduce.

News

Products and services

Data products from satellitesWe develop advanced methods and tools that extract new information from satellite observations, and which compile and visualize the results. The products can provide information on ocean currents, sea surface temperature and sea level, as well as the amount and type of sea ice.
Data products from rigs and buoysThe conditions in the sea and sea ice affect the development of climate and environmental conditions. Observations of the conditions in the sea and sea ice can be obtained via measuring instruments on board boats, mounted on rigs in the sea, and on surface buoys that drift freely in the ice or in the sea.
Ocean modelsAt the Nansen Center, we are developing the data assimilation system TOPAZ which is based on the ocean model HYCOM, the ecosystem model ECOSMO, the sea-ice model CICE, and our own developed data assimilation method Ensamble Kalman Filter.

Projects

Client: Research Council of Norway
Project owner: Nansen Center
Project leader at the Nansen Center: Yiguo Wang
Client: Research Council of Norway
Project owner: Institute for Marine Research
Project leader at the Nansen Center: Johnny A. Johannessen
Client: European Space Agency
Project owner: OceanDataLab
Project leader at the Nansen Center: Johnny A. Johannessen
Client: Research Council of Norway
Project owner: University of Bergen
Project leader at the Nansen Center: Yanchun He