Oceanography

Oceanography is a scientific discipline concerned with all aspects of the world's oceans and seas, including their physical and chemical properties, origin and geology, and life forms (Concise Encyclopaedia). At the Marine Institute the Oceanographic Services team is primarily focused on the physical properties of the ocean such as waves, currents, temperature, salinity and density but we work closely with biologists and chemists to study the ocean in an integrated way. We keep a close eye on changes in ocean circulation and water column structure in Irish waters and make this information available to interested users and scientists on a regular basis. We make measurements from ships, offshore buoys and coastal structures routinely to inform our understanding of the ocean around Ireland.

Observing Our Ocean

Oceanographers at the Marine Institute collect data from a variety of sources to understand ocean conditions around Ireland. These include research vessels, offshore buoys and coastal stations attached to piers and harbours and are collected in both real-time (immediately available) and delayed mode (available within several weeks of collection).

Ocean Forecasts

Similar to forecasting weather, we can also forecast the ocean conditions over the coming days. Typically we provide forecasts of the temperature, salinity, currents and waves around Ireland for the following 3-6 days.

Research

In order to provide products and services to end users in various marine sectors our team are active in several research programmes and funded projects in areas such as oil spill prediction, harmful algal bloom forecasting, ocean technology and large scale modelling of the European Seas.