GKSS Research Centre, Institute for Coastal Research

Geesthacht, GERMANY

friedhelm.schroeder@gkss.de

　

　

A new operational tool which uses ferry boats as carrier system for automated monitoring equipment has been developed. Such systems can be operated with much less costs than automatic buoys and have better performance with regard to bio-fouling. The "German FerryBox" consists of a fully automated flow-through system with sensors and automatic analyzers for the measurement of oceanographic and chemical parameters, among which are nutrients and algal properties. It provides the possibility of automatic cleaning cycles and position-controlled sampling (GPS). Data can be transferred to shore and the system can be remotely operated by mobile phone. The system has been installed on the ferry Hamburg-Harwich (U.K.) and is under test since November 2001. Results from recent measurements demonstrate the function and applicability of the ferry system.

　

　

　

Since some decades the contamination of coastal waters with nutrients and toxic substances is of growing concern in European countries. For an assessment of the water quality of these regions operational monitoring programs had been implemented. In this context the main aims of water quality monitoring are:

In order to achieve these objectives mainly three different categories of monitoring are defined [EEA]:

　

Whereas in the last decades different approaches were used for monitoring of rivers and coastal areas the "European Water Framework Directive" which had been implemented in 2001 now points to an integrated assessment of whole watersheds [EEA]. This aspect is also followed in some running EU projects (e.g., the EUROCAT project: European catchments: Catchments changes and their impact on the coast).

　

There are three aspects of "integrated monitoring strategies" which are new in comparison to "conventional" monitoring:

　

　

Another objective of monitoring is to use this as the basis for long-term ecological observations, which can be used as input for ecological models and to understand effects of global change on marine ecosystems.

　

　

Looking at the practical aspects of physical, chemical and biological monitoring of rivers, coastal areas and shelf seas it is evident that operational monitoring is mainly carried out by manual sampling during ship cruises and following analyses in the laboratory. In the "official" monitoring programs for the North Sea this is carried out three to six times per year, which is not enough to observe the spatial extensions of phenomena such as algal blooms, which have a typical random short time distribution. Information about spatial distributions therefore is strongly hampered by a fixed station strategy. (Althuis et al., 1994). Whereas sampling is the only feasible method for counting biological species and the analysis of trace contaminants, e.g., heavy metals or organic micro-pollutants, there are other, complementing methods for the automatic unattended measurement of standard oceanographic parameters, e.g., temperature, salinity, currents and in some cases other parameters, e.g., turbidity, oxygen, nutrients and chlorophyll fluorescence. Mainly these automated measurements are carried out from different types of moored buoys or other fixed marine stations (Hydes et al., 1998; Knauth et al., 1996, 1997; Nies et al., 1999; Sanders et al., 2001).

　

Despite the many advantages of these operational systems from buoys among which are

　

There are also some serious disadvantages:

　

Based on all these problems and limitations, it seems logical to investigate which role ships of opportunity could play (Tziavos and Flemming 1998; Fleming et al., 2002)

　

　

There are many routes for ferryboats and "ships-of-opportunity" which run quite frequently. Already 60 years ago the "Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR)" (Reid et al., 1998) followed the idea of using scientific equipment on such ships for continuous recording of environmental data. This method is now improved and shows an impressive data set of semi-quantitative phytoplankton data over the world oceans (SAHFOS). Within the last years some more sophisticated systems had been implemented on ferryboats, which allow more precise measurements of temperature, salinity and chlorophyll (Althuis et al., 1994; Harashima et al., 1997; Harashima and Kunugi, 2000; Koske, 2002; Rantajrvi et al., 1998; Ridderinkhof et al., 1999; Swertz et al., 1999) and even continuously measurements of some nutrients (Holley and Hydes, 2000).

　

Applying such measuring systems on ferry boats or ships-of-opportunity has several advantages:

　

Within the GOOS (Global Ocean Observing System) and EuroGOOS Framework we have started initiatives to develop automatic measuring systems for bio-oceanographic parameters. As a measuring platform ferries on regular routes offer a cheap and reliable possibility to obtain regular observations on near surface water parameters. Present activities are both nationally and internationally EU funded.