Search Results

NorthLink Ferries is facilitating the gathering of vital weather data from the North Sea between Aberdeen and the Northern Isles, in partnership with the Met Office.

An Automatic Weather Station (AWS), which records information such as sea-level air pressure and temperature, has been installed on the passenger ferry MV Hjaltland, which serves the route between the Scottish mainland and Orkney and Shetland.

Meteorological observations provided by ships at sea provide essential data to help the Met Office ensure the quality of its forecast models, including that of marine weather forecasts which play a crucial role in safeguarding the lives of seafarers.

Historically, the gathering of data for forecasting purposes in this area has been limited, but the new sensors on Hjaltland will gather valuable meteorological data and feed the information back to the Met Office via satellite on an hourly basis. The installation of an identical AWS on Hjaltland’s sister ship MV Hrossey is currently being considered.

Sarah North, marine networks manager at the Met Office, said: “NorthLink’s ferries pass through relatively data sparse areas and, as such, are ideal hosts for these sensors. The system we have installed is known as the 'MINOS' system and, whilst basic in comparison with the more complex automatic systems used in other environments, it will provide valuable pressure and temperature data to the Met Office.

“The equipment itself is quite small – about 30cm in diameter – and works on exactly the same principles as our drifting buoys in the North Atlantic, with hourly observations transmitted via the Argos system of polar orbiting satellites. Once installed, the MINOS system requires no maintenance by the ship’s staff, although a simple readout is made available to the ship’s officers on the bridge.”

The partnership with the Met Office is the latest scientific research project to be supported by NorthLink. The ferry company already undertakes monthly plankton tows on behalf of the Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science. A special recording device is towed behind freight vessel MV Hascosay each month, collecting samples of plankton from the seawater. Data gleaned from the samples is then analysed to monitor changes at the bottom of the food chain which are of considerable interest with reference to global warming.

Bill Davidson, NorthLink’s chief executive, said: “When the Met Office approached us with a view to installing these systems we were delighted to be able to help. The data gathered by the sensors on our ships ultimately enables more accurate marine forecasting for seafarers, so we may actually benefit directly from this in the long run.

“The plankton tows were conducted by P&O before us and we were happy to continue the commitment to providing that service when we took over the routes in 2002. It is a significant piece of activity in that it has been undertaken every month for the past 60 years or so, making it particularly valuable to scientists monitoring long-term changes in ocean temperature among other things.

“Hascosay also regularly welcomes aboard whale spotters from the Norcet programme, operated by the East Grampian Coastal Partnership. Ten different species have been observed since the study began in 2002, including humpback and killer whales and Risso’s dolphins. The next phase of whale spotters will go to sea with us in April, when the daylight hours begin to lengthen again.”

Captain Peter Pritchard, operations manager for the Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science, added: “Plankton monitoring on the Lerwick-Aberdeen route commenced in 1938 and is one of the longest zooplankton data sets in the world. The tows were suspended during the second world war but resumed in 1946 and have been conducted monthly ever since. Currently, more than 2,000 nautical miles are monitored each year by the Hascosay.

“The scientific reasons for the monthly monitoring are to assist the marine scientists in monitoring fish larvae, marine food chain trends and sea temperature, especially across the Fair Isle Channel. The CPR survey is currently monitoring the state of the sand eel populations which affect the breeding cycles of a number of sea birds including guillemots and puffins.

”The Foundation and, indeed, the international marine scientific community, are very grateful for the unstinting plankton recorder tows conducted by the Hascosay and to NorthLink Ferries for enabling the operation.”