Offshore oil platforms for ocean monitoring and testing (OOP-OMT)

• Grant number: 14/50544-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: April 01, 2015
• End date: March 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Oceanography - Physical Oceanography
• Agreement: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC)
• Principal Investigator: Edmo José Dias Campos
• Grantee: Edmo José Dias Campos
• Principal researcher abroad: José Luis Pelegrí Llopart
• Institution abroad: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Spain
• Host Institution: Instituto Oceanográfico (IO). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 11/50552-4 - Impact of the Southern Atlantic on the global overturning circulation (MOC) and climate (SAMOC), AP.PFPMCG.TEM

Abstract

The monitoring of the marine environment is fundamental (a) from the operational marine and maritime perspective, (b) to assess the evolution of the health of our oceans and (c) to better understand how the oceans control the climate of our planet at local, regional and global scales. Offshore facilities can be principal elements to carry out such monitoring, as they may be used to install devices sampling the ocean conditions and to develop new measuring instruments, technologies and strategies. Our proposal aims at making a step forward in the direction of improving our capacity of gathering data of the ocean environment through joining the knowledge, skills and strategies of physical oceanographers in three well-known marine centers (respectively in Spain, Mexico and Brazil) and with the support of three oil companies which have offshore oil facilities (Repsol, Petrobras and Pemex). The objectives of the proposal are (a) to implement a strategy that uses offshore oil structures as platforms for testing oceanographic instrumentation and gathering oceanographic data, and (b) to begin a pilot sampling and testing exercise with three offshore platforms. (AU)