Sea Observatory and operational modelling system for the south-eastern Brazilian shelf

Guilherme Franz1, Helder Nocko2, Ramiro Neves3, Maurício Noernberg1

1 CEM, Federal University of Paraná, Pontal do Paraná, Brazil

2 Envex – Engineering and Consulting, Curitiba, Brazil

3 MARETEC, Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon, Portugal

Contact email: guilherme.franz@ufpr.br

Introduction

The south-eastern Brazilian coast is subjected to great environmental

pressures and high risk of accidents, e.g., due to port activities and oil

exploration, which may affect other important economic activities, such as

tourism, fisheries, and aquaculture. An initiative for the development of a

web-based observatory (Sea Observatory), focus on the south-eastern

Brazilian coast, is being promoted by the Copernicus Marine Environment

Monitoring Service (CMEMS), in the frame of the User Uptake program.

The Sea Observatory will be a web GIS portal to visualize metocean

forecasts, as well as data from satellites and from in-situ measurements,

and other information (e.g., real-time ship traffic). The Sea Observatory

aims at promoting a cooperation network for the exchange of ocean and

coastal information in support of the sustainable development of the

south-eastern Brazilian shelf, with prospects of expansion to other Brazilian

regions.

Sea Observatory

The information available in the Sea Observatory will be provided by the

grouping members and external institutions (e.g., Copernicus Marine

Service). Metocean modelling results and data published in different

catalogue servers will be automatically collected and stored in a central

server. The main aim is to integrate information from different sources

(e.g., modelling results, satellite data, in-situ measurements, and vessel

positions) in a single web platform. Users will have free access to this

service, which will allow overlapping different types of information in

map and time series format (Figure 2), contributing to coastal and marine

environment management; maritime safety management; marine

resources management; oceanic and weather forecasting; tourism

activities, fisheries and aquaculture; and scientific research.

Figure 2 - Sea surface temperature from satellite data (left) and

temperature profiles from modelling results and from an Argo float (right)

The Sea Observatory will have a tool for the simulation of on-demand

marine pollution incidents (e.g., oil spills), taking advantage of the

forecast results available in the Sea Observatory, providing essential

information to improve oil spill response capability. The drift modelling

will be performed using the Mohid modelling system, providing fast

simulations. The oil drift modelling interface will provide basic to more

advanced simulation set-ups, from 2D drift-only simulations to 3D

simulations. In case of drifting objects that float at the sea surface (e.g.,

containers), the Sea Observatory can be used to rapidly obtain an

indication of the possible drift.

Future Perspectives

Different sectors of society may benefit from this comprehensive coastal

monitoring service in the future, such as industries (e.g., oil and gas,

aquaculture, renewable energy), port administrations, public agencies,

and research centres. The service is planned to be fully operational until

the end of 2019, being maintained with regular updates, at least up to

the end of March 2021, according to the rules of the CMEMS User Uptake

program. However, with the success of this demonstration, the service

can remain operational further with other financing sources.

Acknowledgements

This work is supported by the User Uptake program of the Copernicus

Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS).

Operational Modelling System

Global, regional and local scale numerical models can be nested to

simulate processes on different spatial scales, helping to understand the

great complexity of coastal circulation. This downscaling approach is also

appropriate from the point of view of an operational forecast system. An

operational modelling system will be implemented for the south-eastern

Brazilian shelf, composed of a first domain (regional scale model) covering

the coasts of the states of Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo and Rio de

Janeiro (Figure 1), and multiple nested domains (local scale models). The

Mohid modelling system will be the numerical tool adopted.

Figure 1 - Regional scale model for the south-eastern Brazilian shelf

During the project timeframe, operational models will be implemented for

local coastal systems (e.g., Paranaguá estuarine system, Babitonga bay)

where are located some of the most important Brazilian ports in terms of

financial turnover. The models will be validated through satellite data and

observation data (e.g., Argo floats profiles and in-situ measurements). In

the future, the number of nested operational models may be enhanced to

encompass other important coastal systems in this region (e.g., Guanabara

Bay and Santos Bay), in partnership with local institutions and companies.