SOCIB - News

Progress in R/V SOCIB construction

As can be seen from the enclosed photos the construction of the research Catamaran SOCIB advances as expected. The hulls are almost completed, the engine in position and the deck and the bridge have been recently also fixed to the hulls.

On February 10th, the catamaran left the hangar for the shipyard since construction has reached 70%. We have reviewed in situ the road map for the next 2 months, that includes mostly the layout of the interiors and the installation of the fixed scientific equipment such as A frame, winches, cranes, acoustic sounder and ADCP among others.

SOCIB Cat Facts Sheet
Photographies of the February 2012 visit to Rodman Polyships shipyard in Vigo.

Mélanie Juza has joined SOCIB's Modelling Facility to work on the assessment of numerical simulations

Mélanie Juza has joined the SOCIB Modelling Facility, since December 2011, to work on the assessment of numerical simulations performed at SOCIB using available observations, such as satellite products (Sea Level Anomaly, Sea Surface Temperature) and in-situ data (temperature and salinity from Argo floats, CTD, XBT, buoys, drifters and gliders). More precisely, this work aims to evaluate the capacity of SOCIB's Western Mediterranean Operational model (WMOP) to improve the current MFS and Mercator forecast simulations at submesoscale.

Mélanie Juza obtained a PhD from the University of Grenoble, France. This work was done at LEGI (Laboratoire des Ecoulements Géophysiques et Industriels) in the MEOM team (MultiscalE Ocean Modelling). This study aimed to develope statistical approaches to systematically and quantitatively assess 50-year global ocean simulations against altimetric and hydrographic observations. Melanie and her collaborators quantified how the resolution of their ocean models (2º, 1º, 1/2º and 1/4º) affects the realism of their solutions with respect to both observational datasets. They quantified how broadening the range of resolved space scales significantly improve the representation of the mean circulation, the thermohaline structure, the seasonal cycle of mixed layers, as well as the sea-surface height variability at most space and time scales, especially at the interannual time scale. The simulations were also used to evaluate the accuracy of observational systems (like Argo): they show that the spatio-temporal dispersion of the Argo floats induces overestimations of the mixed layer depths and heat contents, and the geographical restrictions of the actual Argo array induces biases in amplitude on the seasonal and interannual variabilities of the global ocean heat content.

SOCIB's Director was interviewed in the IB3's daily radio programme "Al Dia"

On February 2nd, at 8:30 h, SOCIB's Director, Joaquín Tintoré, was invited to participate in the IB3's daily radio programme "Al Dia", presented by Benet Oliver. Joaquín Tintoré presented the ICTS SOCIB and the present ongoing work.

SOCIB visitors: Vice President of Economics, Business Development and Employment of the Balearic Islands Government, Mr. José Ignacio Aguiló, visited SOCIB

Mr. José Ignacio Aguiló, Vice President of Economics, Business Development and Employment of the Balearic Islands Government, accompanied by Mr. Antonio Jorge Mateos Sastre, General Director of Innovation and Technological Development, Mr. Miquel Bernat, Director from Parc Bit and Mr. Antonio Viader, Responsible of the Innovation Unit at Parc Bit, visited the SOCIB headquarters on the 30th of January.

SOCIB's Director, Joaquín Tintoré and all the SOCIB team presented the different observing and forecasting Facilities as well as the different Divisions in which SOCIB is structured to provide to the Balearic Islands with new theoretical and technological developments, increasing the knowledge of open ocean, coastal and nearshore processes and contributing to a more science based and sustainable management.

Press Release (ABC)
Press Release (El Digital de Baleares)
Press Release (20minutos)

SOCIB participated in the "First Iberoamerican Congress on Integrated Coastal Management" in Cadiz, Spain

From January 25th to 27th, 2012, the Working Group of Integrated Coastal Zone Management of the University of Cádiz organized First Iberoamerican Congress on Integrated Coastal Management. The symposium focussed on:

Human-use and human activities in coastal areas.
Management adapted to Global Change and Climatic Change.
Governance of coastal areas.
Latin American initiatives for integrated management of coastal areas.

Pau Balaguer, from SIAS Division, presented an oral communication and a poster corresponding to the work developed by SIAS Division about spatial analysis and sensitivity in the coastal area of Bay of Palma (Mallorca, Illes Balears, Spain). These works reflect the spatial relationship of the shoreline with inland (landward) areas and marine areas (seaward). At the same time, the presented studies offer a proactive boundary delimitation of the coastal areas.

Attachements:

Amy Diedrich was invited to spend a month working at the Research Station of Dr Shankar Aswani (University of California, Santa Barbara) in the Solomon Islands

Amy Diedrich, from the SIAS Division, was invited to spent a month working at the research station of Dr Shankar Aswani (University of California, Santa Barbara) in the Solomon Islands (November – December 2011) in order to conduct an ethnographic assessment of the potential of ecotourism for increasing social and ecological resilience to climate change in the Roviana region of the Solomon Islands. This assessment was a component of a larger initiative for Building social and ecological resilience to climate change in Roviana, Solomon Islands funded by Australian Government International Climate Change Adaptation Initiative. The principal investigators of the project are Dr Shankar Aswani form the Department of Anthropology and Global Marine Program at the University of California in Santa Barbara and Dr Simon Albert from the Centre of Marine Science at the University of Queensland.

The aims of this specific project activity were to (1) assess tourism activity in the region including current and projected impacts, typology of the tourists, and local perceptions of tourism; (2) identify potential strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with tourism development (ecotourism in particular). The fieldwork resulted in 188 household level surveys across six communities to assess local perceptions of tourism development, particularly in connection with the natural environment; 6 focus group meetings in the same 6 communities to map future impacts of tourism development; and a survey of 32 visitors to the Islands. The data will be analysed over the coming months and the results will be made available to stakeholders in the Solomon Islands through a series of reports in addition to being published in academic journals.

Although the Solomon Islands differ significantly from the Balearics in cultural, environmental and economic terms, they represent a valuable site to develop and implement new methods for assessing the relationship between tourism and resilience to climate change. Tourism development is at a much earlier stage of development and there are fewer people and institutions which makes it an ideal location to build methodologies which can then be applied to more complex scenarios such as the Balearic Islands. Furthermore, communities in the Solomon Islands are intimately connected to their natural resources at a subsistence level and management of marine resources (in particular, the successful establishment and implementation of numerous Marine Protected Areas as a result of Shankar Aswani’s research over the last 10 years) has evolved to incorporate traditional knowledge and management systems. This concept, of linking social and ecological systems in a management context by drawing upon existing knowledge and inherent connections between people and natural resources is seldom applied in more developed countries. Rather, environmental management regimes tend to be driven more from the top down, often resulting in challenges to their implementation on the ground. In this context, significant and relevant lessons can be learned from natural resource management in places such as the Solomon Islands which are applicable to future natural resource management regimes in the Balearic Islands and elsewhere in Europe.