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MOCCA

MOCCA

Monitoring the Ocean Climate Change with Argo

Since its start, Euro-Argo partners have been discussing closely with the European Commission (DG-MARE, DG-RESEARCH AND DG-GROWTH) on supporting the Euro-Argo Infrastructure to develop a long-term european contribution to Argo. In April 2015, a proposal has been submitted to DG-MARE through EASME and definitely signed in mid-june 2015. In the framework of the action « Monitoring the Oceans »  of the EMFF Work Programme 2015, the MOCCA project (Monitoring the Ocean Climate Change with Argo) started end June 2015, and is scheduled for a 5-year period (2015-2020). 

With a MOCCA contribution of 4M€, the ERIC with its members will add an additional 20% (i.e. 1M€) that will generate a total of 5M€ allowing three actions : 

  1. Procurement of 150 T/S Argo floats (Core and Iridium) during 2015-2016,
  2. Arrangement for their deployment in 2016-2017, including at-sea monitoring ,
  3. Collected data processing in real-time and delayed-mode, during the period 2015-2019.

MOCCA will focus on 5 target deployment areas

  • Southern Ocean (ice free), to improve the actual poor density in Argo network.
  • Nordic Seas (ice free): based on actual national plans, there are gaps in the area from target identified in the Euro-Argo Strategy document.
  • Marginal Seas endhancement: Baltic Sea (2 floats), Black Sea (2 floats), Mediterranean Sea (Aegean and Levantine Seas).
  • Contribution to the global network.
The Euro-Argo is now ready to manage European Contribution to Argo.
Within MOCCA, the Euro-Argo ERIC will also demonstrate its operational capabilities.