Wind and waves

Wind and waves can pose a great danger to human activity linked to the sea. Reducing the risk is of great importance to marine actors. We analyse events with extreme winds over the sea and use, among other things, data from satellites, and calculation models with high resolution. With the help of better observations and more accurate calculations, we can strengthen many professional fields. Planning and optimisation of energy production in new offshore wind farms will benefit from such analyses. Information on the frequency and probability of extreme wind situations is also of interest to the insurance sector. And by calculating how wind and wave conditions will develop, we can contribute to better management of our fisheries resources. The calculations we make are part of the EU’s Earth observation program Copernicus, and have a number of users and application areas.

For more information, contact research leader Antonio Bonaduce.

Analysing and forecasting the impact of waves on sea ice in a changing Arctic

Improving information on ocean surface currents observed from space

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.

Client: European Space Agency

Project owner: IFREMER

Project leader at the Nansen Center: Johnny A. Johannessen