The continuous ocean colour information will contribute to a greater understanding of the area, shedding light on issues ranging from climate change to fisheries and pollution. The data will be used for calibration and validation of satellite images such as those taken by SeaWiFS, MERIS and MODIS.

The collaborative venture teams scientists from the Centre for Applied Oceanography at the University of Wales (Bangor) School of Ocean Sciences and colleagues from the National University of Ireland at Galway (NUIG). 'The information from the sensors on board the ferry will provide us with a unique record of the water qulaity of the central Irish Sea, ' said Dr Gay Mitchelson-Jacob at Bangor. His colleague, Dr Pete Bowyer of NUIG added, 'The detectors will also pick up on immediate changes due to pollutants such as surface oil spills. This may, for example, enable us to predict where and when an oil slick would reach shore and could provide a head start in any coastal protection measure.' The project has received European funding from the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) under the INTERREG IIIA programme.

MJ Information No: 18227