The Pol Coastal Observatory-Methodology and Some First Results

We describe progress with a pilot Coastal Observatory (2002–2006) in Liverpool Bay (Eastern Irish Sea, UK) that integrates (near) real-time measurements with coupled models in a pre-operational coastal prediction system. The aim is to understand a coastal sea's response to natural forcing and the consequences of human activity. The foci are the impacts of storms, seasonality, and variations in river discharge (freshwater and nutrients) on the functioning of Liverpool Bay. The present measurement suite includes: moorings for high frequency in-situ surface waves, temperature, salinity, turbidity, nutrients and chlorophyll; vertical profiles of current; 4–6 weekly regional surveys with CTD, suspended particulate matter and nutrient measurements; an instrumented ferry measuring surface properties (temperature, salinity, turbidity and chlorophyll; coastal tide gauges; satellite data—infra-red (for sea surface temperature) and visible (for chlorophyll and suspended sediment). A suite of nested 3-dimensional models (the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory Coastal Ocean Modeling System—POLCOMS) is run daily, focusing on the Observatory area by covering the ocean/shelf of northwest Europe (at 12 km resolution) and the Irish Sea (at 1.8 km). All measurements and model outputs are displayed on the Coastal Observatory web-site (coastobs.pol.ac.uk). Initial ways in which this system is being used to support an ecosystem-based approach to marine management are described.