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MEDIR-OP, a Mediterranean directory for operational oceanography developed within the MAMA. Project

The Mediterranean network to Assess and upgrade the Monitoring and forecasting Activity (MAMA), a 3-year thematic network project shared by leading marine research institutions from all the Mediterranean countries, has contributed to strengthening the institutional and scientific platform for the establishment of operational oceanography in the region. A key task in the MAMA project consisted in the stocktaking of activities and identifi- cation of current capabilities in operational oceanography on a country basis with a focus on availability of technological infrastructures, human resources and funding, applica- tions and product needs. The information was collected by: 1. Country Profiles on the operations of institutes/agencies/organisations dealing with marine monitoring; national structures supporting such activities and marine affairs in general; relevance of marine sectors in the economic activities of each country 2. a structured questionnaire targeting a comprehensive inventory on the routine marine monitoring activities in the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean Directory on Operational Oceanography (MeDir-OP) presents this information through the use of a user-friendly internet-based graphical interface allowing easy viewing of the metadata according to a number of categories. Specific information sets are collated into searchable mini-databases. MeDir-OP provides the basis for assessing the needs and potentials for operational oceanography in the region. It serves as an essential step to identifying gaps in infrastruc- tures, to underpin further research and technological developments specific to the region, and to designing an observing system that meets the needs of end-users., peer-reviewed

A sustained regional system for marine monitoring and forecasting needs an enduring collaboration among the neighbouring countries, supported by the willingness to share efforts, resources and knowledge. MedGOOS, the Mediterranean association of marine organisations, fosters institutional cooperation for the establishment of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) in the region. A special emphasis is on the early dialogue between all the countries to ensure common ownership, and equal benefits and opportunities to all the riparian coastal peoples. MAMA, a 3-year thematic network project shared by leading marine research institutions from all the Mediterranean countries, is putting in place the institutional and scientific platform to establish operational oceanography in the region.

Sustainable development requires the intelligent management of the marine environment, to protect the marine ecosystem, minimise the impacts of climate change and anthropogenic influences, and provide benefits for a wide range of users. Routine ocean monitoring and forecasting based on sound science, long term and adaptive monitoring,, and co-operation between nations, is the main tool for such a management. The assets and needs of all countries have to be identified, as well as the constraints impeding data exchange and marine observations in the EEZs. The challenge is to build a monitoring system based on up-to-date science and technology, and adapted to the specificity of the basin for the benefit of different users in all Mediterranean countries. It is necessary to involve all riparian countries in the process of building the Mediterranean monitoring system. A strengthened and dedicated link between the scientific community and the public authorities is moreover necessary to provide a sound scientific background for policy decisions based on environmental monitoring. Building on these concepts the Mediterranean network to Assess and upgrade the Monitoring and forecasting Activity in the region (MAMA), funded under the EESD Programme of the 5th FP, and involving partners from all the Mediterranean countries, aims to establish the multi-national network that will prepare the institutional linkages and regional platform for such an integrated and sustained monitoring system in the region. The project builds on the trans-national pooling of scientific and technological resources and provides a concerted basin-scale effort towards the planning and design of the initial ocean observing system in the Mediterranean. The system-wide approach of MAMA is expected to trigger an enhanced motivation on the relevance of systematic marine observations for the sustainable and shared use of the marine resources of the Mediterranean Sea. These catalytic ingredients constitute the thrust of MAMA and an enabling asset to the future projection into long-term commitments at governmental level.