Dunbeg scientists at forefront of international Arctic project

THE Scottish Association for Marine Science based at Dunbeg is part of a major new project in the Arctic.

SAMS scientists will be part of the initiative to improve detailed understanding of the processes and impacts of changing climate and to construct better long-term forecast systems for the increasingly extreme weather of the Arctic and the wider northern hemisphere.

The project, called Blue-Action, is a four-year research and innovations effort funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme with 7.5 million euros of investment. It brings together 116 experts from 40 organisations in 17 countries on three continents working in academia, local authorities and maritime industries.

Dr Anuschka Miller from SAMS said: ‘Some of our most senior physical oceanographers contribute to the data collection and modelling of the ocean currents that connect us here so very directly with the Arctic.

‘ We are also involved in the communication and stakeholder engagement of the Blue-Action project, where we will consult with the people living and working in these northern regions that experience the world’s most dramatic climatic changes so they can influence the kind of information and the format in which forecast systems operate.

‘It’s a hugely ambitious EU project and one we are very proud to be part of.’

Pooling their expertise, skills, approaches and networks, the partners aim to improve how we describe, model and predict the weather and climate on seasonal to decadal time scales in the Arctic and over the northern hemisphere. This information will allow communities and businesses in Eurasia and North America to develop and plan their activities better.

The project began on December 1, but the Blue-Action kick-off meeting will be held from January 18 to 20 in Berlin.