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National Oceanography Centre News

22 Dec 2022

Babcock Wins £45 Million Contract to Maintain UK Research Vessels

RRS Sir David Attenborough (Photo: British Antarctic Survey)

The U.K. has awarded Babcock International’s Rosyth shipyard a £45 million (approx. US$56.6 million) contract to maintain its fleet of three scientific research vessels.The initial three-year contract, announced by U.K. Industry and Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani earlier this month, will see the large oceanographic and polar research vessels RRS Sir David Attenborough, RRS Discovery and RRS James Cook dock at Babcock’s state-of-the-art facilities in Rosyth, Scotland, for programmed maintenance and upgrade work.

09 May 2022

Lloyd’s Register Foundation Names Boumphrey CEO

Dr. Ruth Boumphrey (Photo: Lloyd’s Register Foundation)

Lloyd’s Register Foundation announced the appointment of a new CEO to take the charity into its second decade.Dr. Ruth Boumphrey will take over from outgoing CEO Professor Richard Clegg following his retirement June 30, 2022. Professor Clegg was the charity’s first CEO and led the organization for 10 years.Dr. Boumphrey is currently Director of Research and Strategic Programs at Lloyd’s Register Foundation, the owner of Lloyd’s Register Group, where she leads its work on some…

07 Jul 2021

‘Boaty McBoatface’ Robotic Submarine to Visit End-of-life Oil and Gas Fields

Credit: NOC

The UK National Oceanography Centre (NOC) has secured funding from the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), which will take robot submarine ‘Boaty McBoatface’ around end-of-life oil and gas fields. The Autonomous Techniques for infraStructure Ecological Assessment (AT-SEA) project, led by the NOC will trial the concept of using submarines like Boaty for high-tech, low-impact monitoring to pick up any potential environmental impacts at these sites, NOC said.The NOC has received £670…

01 May 2020

SCIENCE: Seafloor Microplastic Hotspots Controlled by Deep-sea Currents

Simplified graphic showing how seafloor currents create microplastics hotspots in the deep-sea. Image Courtesy NOCS

New research has revealed the highest levels of microplastic yet recorded on the seafloor, with up to 1.9 million pieces in an area of just one square metre.Published this week in the journal Science, this study shows how deep-sea currents act as conveyor belts, transporting tiny plastic fragments and fibers across the seafloor. These currents can concentrate microplastics within huge sediment accumulations, which the authors of the research term ‘microplastic hotspots’. These…

27 Mar 2020

MBARI Works at Unlocking Ocean Biology

MBARI researchers head out into Monterey Bay to deploy a long-range autonomous underwater vehicle (LR-AUV), an underwater robot that is programmed at the surface and then travels underwater for hundreds of miles, measuring water chemistry and collecting water samples as it goes.  Credit: Brian Kieft (c) 2015 MBARI

Greater understanding of what goes on in the ocean is starting to become a reality – thanks to growing use of unmanned surface and underwater vehicles and developments in biological sensing. Elaine Maslin takes a look at what a team at MBARI has been doing.Gathering biological data from the oceans remains a significant challenge for oceanographers. Now, an increasing range of unmanned vehicles that are able to work together is becoming available, as is an ability to collect biological data using them.It sounds straight forward…

09 Jun 2019

BMT CEO Sarah Kenny Appointed OBE

BMT Group Ltd (previously British Maritime Technology) said that Sarah Kenny, Chief Executive of BMT has been appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours.The accolade, for services to the Maritime Industry, and Diversity, reflects her long-standing commitment and contribution to supporting and promoting the United Kingdom’s maritime industries, in addition to her work on STEM and promoting the importance and value of diversity in the sector.Sir John Hood, Chairman of BMT Group, said: “On behalf of the board of BMT, may I say we are thrilled that our Chief Executive, Sarah Kenny, has been honoured by the Queen for her services to the Maritime Industries and Diversity.

23 Nov 2018

UKHO Shares Marine Geospatial Data with Guyana

The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has officially handed over marine geospatial data to the Guyanese Government after a campaign of hydrographic surveying.Delegates from the UKHO presented the data to government officials at a special event to celebrate the completion of the survey. Two workshops were held to brief ministers and provide technical support for applications of the data, which will help Guyana support the development of its marine economy.The data, which was collected over a period of four months between 2016 and 2017, will initially be used to update nautical charts of the Demerara River. This will enable ships to confidently reduce under-keel clearance and maximise cargo-carrying capacity…

22 May 2018

Mappers Look to Chart World's Ocean Floor by 2030

Photo courtesy of Nippon Foundation and GEBCO

Using data collected from underwater drones, merchant ships, fishing boats and even explorers, a new scientific project aims to map the ocean floor by 2030 and solve one of the world’s enduring mysteries.With 190 million square km (73 million square miles) of water - or about 93 percent of the world's oceans with a depth of over 200 meters (650 feet) - yet to be charted, the initiative is ambitious.Satinder Bindra, director of the Seabed 2030 project, said the work can be completed within the period and will shed light on everything from tsunami wave patterns to pollution…

26 Jan 2018

How Sanchi's Spill Could Spread

The worst tanker oil spill in decades is unfolding across hundreds of miles of the East China Sea after an Iranian oil tanker carrying more than 100,000 tonnes of toxic oil collided with a freighter and exploded, killing all 32 crew onboard. The ship burned, spewing its cargo, for more than a week before sinking in the waters between China, Japan and South Korea. The Panama-registered Sanchi was carrying the equivalent of nearly 1 million barrels of ultra-light crude, plus its own fuel, to South Korea. According to the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation, the collision led to the worst tanker spill in 35 years. Authorities have had trouble pinning down how big the spill is, as it changes by the day amid strong ocean currents.

04 Jul 2017

The Impact of Future Global Tides on Energy

The first comprehensive study of the impact of global sea-level rise on tides has implications for future coastal flood risk, harbour management, and the long term planning of tidal energy sites. This research, published in Continental Shelf Research by scientists at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), University of Southampton and Deltares, shows that sea-level rise can significantly alter tides across the world in many different ways in both space and time. The change will be most pronounced in shelf seas on the east coast of the Americas, northwest Europe, north coast of Russia, across Asia and Australasia. This study was conducted by feeding a range of ‘plausible’ estimates of global sea level rise…

07 Mar 2017

Bleak Outlook for World's Oceans

Global warming will disrupt four-fifths of the world's oceans by 2050 if greenhouse gas emissions keep rising, Reuter's quoted scientists as saying. The situation is threatening fish that are the main source of food for a billion people. Curbs on man-made emissions, however, would give marine life more time to adapt to warming conditions or for marine life from algae to cod to shift to cooler waters nearer the poles, they said. "By 2050 around four-fifths of the ocean surface will be affected by ocean acidification and ocean warming," lead author Stephanie Henson, of the British National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, told Reuters of the findings. Carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, forms a weak acid in water.

17 Jun 2016

Unmanned Surface Vessels: From Concept to Service

BAE Systems Unmanned RHIB with ASV Technology. (Credit: BAE Systems)

Over the next decade the maritime sector is likely to see one of the largest changes since sail gave way to steam. Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV) are now being considered for various marine roles and the drivers for rapid development are significant. Unmanned or autonomous vessels have passed through the trial and evaluation stage and are now being adopted for civilian and military applications. The maritime sector now has the opportunity to shape technology developments from legislative and end-user standpoints.

17 Feb 2016

Arctic Shipping Routes May Open by 2080 -NOC

Photo: NOC

Commercial summer shipping across the North Pole may be possible by the end of the century, with the first potential crossings feasible for ice-strengthened ships around 2040. According to this study, by scientists at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), Arctic shipping could potentially account for as much as 10 percent of all cargo transported between Europe and the Pacific. It will help supply communities and industries along the coasts of Siberia and Canada. A simulation…

16 Sep 2015

Robots Help Map England’s Deepwater Canyons

(Image: codemap2015)

The first true three-dimensional picture of submarine canyon habitats has been produced using a combination of marine robotics and ship-based measurements. The information captured in this new set of maps ranges in scale from the 200km canyon down to the size of an individual cold-water coral polyp, and will be used to inform the management of the only English Marine Conservation Zone in deep water. This ‘nested map’ is the result of a recent scientific expedition to the Whittard Canyon in the Bay of Biscay, led by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC).

21 Jul 2015

Autonomous Systems Competition Enters Final Phase

Photo: NOC

The final phase of a competition to develop novel adaptive autonomous ocean sampling network (AAOSN) management systems for the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) is now underway. Two UK consortia will move forward to develop systems capable of coordinating a suite of marine autonomous vehicles gathering data from the ocean over periods of months, and tracking and sampling dynamic features. The two-phase competition was launched last September by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) in partnership with the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) and Innovate UK…

27 May 2015

New Launches, Demonstrations Set for Seawork

Europe’s commercial marine and workboat exhibition held in a working port, Seawork International, has released its plans for demonstrations, launches and conferences. Organizers say Voith will announce a new marine propulsion system that produces more thrust, reduces noise and vibration, while cutting operating costs. The Smart Surfaces’ Duplex fouling from Tudor Streamline Surfaces will debut at Seawork, which is expected to attract considerable interest from commercial boat operators having been initially developed by the U.S.

07 Apr 2015

DOF Subsea to Launch AUV Service

Sean Halpin (Photo: DOF Subsea)

Integrated subsea services provider DOF Subsea will stage the European launch of a new addition to its suite of services next week. During the Ocean Business event at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, U.K. from April 14-16, the company will showcase its newest service, utilizing three Slocum Gliders, named the DOF Skandi Explorers, a technology which has previously only been seen in academic and defense circles. The new glider equipment is described as a cornerstone of the company’s Ocean Observation System (OOS) due to its ultra-efficient…

02 Mar 2015

Royal Navy Data Provide Insights for Arctic Science

The researchers at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) have investigated the nature of turbulence in the ocean beneath the Arctic sea-ice using recently released Royal Navy submarine data reports Science Daily. This meeting of oceanography and military intelligence has seen declassified data from the 1990s analyzed to gain insights into how diminished ice cover affects turbulence in arctic waters. Recent decreases in Arctic sea ice may have a big impact on the circulation, chemistry and biology of the Arctic Ocean, due to ice-free waters becoming more turbulent. By revealing more about how these turbulent motions distribute energy within the ocean, the findings from this study provide information important for accurate predictions of the future of the Arctic Ocean.

05 Mar 2015

Arctic on Thin Ice

Arctic sea ice - the ice that freezes and floats on Arctic waters - is thinning at a steadier and faster rate than researchers previously thought, a new study finds. Using modern and historic measurements, the researchers got an extensive view of how the thickness of Arctic sea ice has changed over the past few decades. According to measurements from multiple sources, the ice in the central Arctic Ocean thinned 65 percent between 1975 and 2012, from 11.7 feet (3.59 meters) to 4.1 feet (1.25 m). The results of studies conducted by University of Washington researchers show a thinning in the central Arctic Ocean of 65 percent between 1975 and 2012. September ice thickness, when the ice cover is at a minimum, is 85 percent thinner for the same 37-year stretch.

25 Mar 2015

ASV Wins Maritime Autonomy R&D Funding

ASV Ltd, in partnership with nine other commercial and research organisations, have been awarded funding by Innovate UK to undertake in excess of £3million worth of research and development for Maritime Autonomous Systems (MAS). Three separate projects involving ASV will look to address different areas covering the wide spectrum of activities concerning Maritime Autonomous Systems. These include software and communications, operations and regulations, autonomous vehicle interaction and launch and recovery. “ASV is delighted to be leading this pivotal research and development that will help secure the UK’s place at the cutting edge of maritime autonomy”, said Dan Hook, ASV Managing Director.

07 Oct 2014

Maritime Robot on Mission South of England

The ASV C-Enduro embarked on a robotics mission along with six other unmanned marine vessels off the southwest of England.

The ASV C-Enduro embarked on a robotics mission along with six other unmanned marine vessels off the southwest of England. Selected to take part by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), C-Enduro is fitted with a range of meteorological and oceanographic sensors to collect scientific data about ocean  processes and marine life. The project, coordinated by NOC, is the most ambitious of its kind in Europe. The vehicles are aiming to travel up to 300 miles over the next 20 days.

04 Nov 2014

Robot Vehicles Embark on Fish Tracking Mission

MBA Sepia being loaded

Three marine robot vehicles have been launched from Plymouth today to undertake a fish tracking mission in and around new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Scientists from the Marine Biological Association (MBA) and engineers from the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) are working together on this pioneering project to study how fish use these areas on a day-to-day basis. Using acoustic pingers, plaice, sole, brill and rays are being tracked at sea by the ocean robots programmed…

03 Dec 2014

Robot Fleet Completes Pioneering Mission

The second phase of an ambitious project to gather valuable information on ocean processes and marine life using a fleet of innovative marine robots has just reached its conclusion. Co-ordinated by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), the Exploring Ocean Fronts project took place off southwest England and saw the largest deployment of robotic vehicles ever attempted in UK waters. The marine robots, which are powered by a combination of wave, wind and solar power, are controlled by satellite communications and can cover hundreds of kilometres in a single mission. In the latest phase of the project, three unmanned surface vehicles were used to track fish carrying acoustic ‘pingers’ off the Devon coast.