Mediterranean Data Archaeology and Rescue of Temperature, Salinity and Bio-chemical Parameters (MEDAR/MEDATLAS II)

Abstract

The objective of the MEDAR/MEDATLAS II project (1998-2001) is to rescue, safeguard and make available a comprehensive data set of temperature, salinity and bio-chemical parameters collected in the Mediterranean and Black Sea, through a wide co-operation of the Mediterranean countries. The data are collected at national levels and checked for quality according to the common protocol, at four regional qualification centre. The data sets will be integrated in a common database and transferred to a modellisation centre for calculating the climatological statistics. At the present stage of the project, a preliminary benchmark of data sets from all participants has been processed, to test the structure and the protocol. In addition to the technical tasks, sharing the knowledge and know-how among the participants is an important issue of the project. It aims to enhance the overall capacity of the Mediterranean and Black Sea data centres network, in oceanographic data management, in the perspective of the forthcoming operational oceanography.