Global marine science to get new national centre

Expertise in oceanography is to be pooled to create a world leader in the field.

The need to expand our understanding of the vital role that the seas play on Earth has never been greater. By 2015, the new National Oceanography Centre (NOC) expects to be a significant influence on the European and global strategic research agendas.

The NOC brings together the Natural Environment Research Council’s Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory (based at Liverpool University) and the National Oceanography Centre at Southampton, building on the excellence of these two marine organisations. The centre will work in partnership with the UK marine research community to deliver integrated science and technology, from the coast to the deep ocean.

Addressing the big environmental issues

In addition, the NOC will work closely with the wider marine science community to create the integrated research capability needed to tackle the big environmental issues facing our planet. Research priorities will include the oceans’ role in climate change, sea level change and the future of the Arctic Ocean.

Liverpool University’s deputy vice-chancellor Professor Jon Saunders said that the National Oceanography Centre “offers opportunities for even greater collaboration and will consolidate Liverpool’s reputation as a world-leading centre for the study of marine science”. He added: “The university works closely with the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory in areas such as climate change research, sea level science and marine renewable energy.”

Building a national capability

An important element of this approach will see the designation of a set of partners of the NOC - comprising research institutes and key university groups - working collaboratively to support world-class strategic research, technology development and the training of future scientists. Together with a wider group of associates these organisations will form the NOC Association, sharing in the delivery of a community-developed strategy for marine science.

The NOC will have a key role in providing national capability to meet the needs of the whole UK marine research community, including research ships, deep submersibles and advanced ocean technologies. It will also be home to the global mean sea-level data archive, the UK’s sea-level monitoring system for flood warning and climate change, the national archive of subsea sediment cores and the British Oceanographic Data Centre.

The new approach benefits from greater coordination in research developed by the marine community over the past decade, with strong investment from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). For example, the close relationship between Southampton University and the NERC has led to the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton (NOCS) being recognised as one of the world’s leading oceanographic institutions. NERC investment and the development of close links with Liverpool University have helped create a world-class research centre at the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory. In future, Southampton University and Liverpool University will be hosting partners of the National Oceanography Centre.

World leader in marine science

Working with other NERC-funded marine centres in Plymouth and Scotland, the Oceans 2025 programme is delivering a major stream of strategic research, and the marine community is now highly successful at winning consortium grant funding. The NERC’s chief executive, Professor Alan Thorpe, said: “The need to grow our understanding of the crucial role the oceans play in the whole Earth system has never been greater.

“Their contribution to climate variability and change, their huge biodiversity and their capacity to offer solutions to ever more pressing human concerns, requires the integrated approach to ocean sciences that the National Oceanography Centre will enable.

“The excellent interdisciplinary research we will be able to deliver will consolidate the UK’s position as a world leader in marine science and increase the impact of our research in addressing issues of energy and food security, the discovery of new materials and medicines, and the need to manage marine space more effectively and protect vulnerable coastal communities,” he added.