Mediterranean surface dance — Apr → Aug 2023 (SWOT Fast-Sampling Phase)

Black arrows = eOdyn OS Total Surface Currents (Ship motion-derived, 5 km).
Magenta dots = SVP drifters following the flow, drogued at 15 m to minimise wind-driven surface-current effects.
Colour field = Copernicus Marine Service Chlorophyll-a showing where biology blooms.

In 19 seconds you’ll see spring gyres spin up, the Algerian Current jet fire east, and drifters glide across the Algero-Provençal Basin—all while SWOT’s KaRIn swaths were passing overhead every day.

Why share?
These model-free currents and drifter tracks give the SWOT team a high-frequency, coastal-to-basin benchmark for converting sea-surface height into real velocities.

AIS source: coastal messages supplied by DGAMPA and CEREMA and collected by EU Member States, processed by eOdyn.Drifter data: open SVP set (doi 10.17882/100828)

An impressive moment at sea: students, science, and the scenery of Iceland

Sometimes a short video truly captures the essence of a larger mission. European Space Agency – ESA shared a 60-second look at the Advanced Ocean Synergy Course in action during the One Ocean Expedition.

The scene: students visibly enjoying their teamwork on the deck of the Statsraad Lehmkuhl as they recover a MELODI wave drifter. (check the amazing video below)

This particular MELODI drifter had been deployed in a Ouest Icelandic Fjord a few hours prior to calibrate its wind slippage. Drifters like these are subsequently used on legs such as Reykjavik to Nice to help validate Copernicus Sentinel-1 wave spectra and Doppler velocities.

Our thanks also to CNES for equipping the mission with these drifters.

As part of an ongoing effort to improve ocean monitoring, 16 MELODI drifting buoys have been deployed in the Southern Ocean during the Vendée Globe. This initiative, carried out in collaboration with Fabrice Amedeo, the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), and the Laboratoire d’Océanographie Physique et Spatiale (LOPS), aims to collect valuable data on waves, currents, and sea surface temperature in remote and challenging oceanic regions.

These deployments contribute to a better understanding of ocean circulation patterns and the mechanisms leading to the accumulation of plastic debris in large oceanic gyres. The data gathered will support ongoing research on ocean dynamics and improve numerical models used to study transport and convergence processes in subtropical regions.

The results from this initiative will provide new insights into how surface currents influence the movement of floating particles and contribute to refining oceanographic models.

More updates will follow as the MELODI drifters continue their journey across the Southern Ocean.

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the AI4COPSEC project, in which eOdyn will actively contribute over the next three years.

As the Technical Coordinator, eOdyn will leverage its expertise in ocean observation and maritime security to strengthen the connection between the Copernicus Marine Service and the Copernicus Security Service.

This ambitious project aims to enhance maritime security and safety by combining advanced AI and machine learning technologies with Earth Observation data from the Copernicus program.

Key Objectives:

Reducing response times to maritime incidents (e.g., pollution or search and rescue operations)

Utilizing advanced GeoAI models and algorithms to process heterogeneous data sets

Strengthening maritime surveillance capabilities in alignment with the EU Maritime Security Strategy

A Quote from the Press Release:

« AI4COPSEC bridges a crucial gap between the Copernicus Marine Service and the Copernicus Security Service, creating a synergy that maximizes the value of Earth Observation data for maritime security and environmental monitoring. »

This collaborative project brings together 10 European partners with a shared ambition to transform data analysis and improve security in maritime and border domains.

Stay tuned for updates as we work to make significant advancements in maritime safety and monitoring!

Here is the press release! AI4COPSEC – Launch – Press Release 02122024

eOdyn has been awarded a 5-year contract with SHOM (Service Hydrographique et Océanographique de la Marine) for the provision of our MELODI drifters.

This partnership is a significant milestone in advancing ocean monitoring and data collection, further demonstrating the value and precision of eOdyn innovative technologies.

This long-term collaboration solidifies eOdyn’s commitment to delivering high-quality, real-time ocean data solutions that meet the evolving needs of maritime organizations.

MELODI’s development was supported by Région Bretagne, Ifremer, Centre National d’Études Spatiales and hubraum and we are grateful for their contributions to this success.

This marine currents map is unlike any other

Firstly, it is generated directly from our pre-operational processing chain and produced automatically in near real-time (NRT). eOdyn can now periodically produce reliable marine current data on an oceanic basin scale, covering all the world’s oceans.

Secondly, the map was produced using AIS data collected via coastal stations on the southern European coastline, without relying on AIS satellites. These real-time data, collected by coastal states and redirected to European regional servers and EMSA, demonstrate that infrastructure initially designed for maritime safety can now be used to observe the oceans in real-time.

Lastly, the total marine current product calculated in near real-time by eOdyn achieves an unprecedented level of spatio-temporal accuracy wherever there is human activity at sea.

This advancement marks the beginning of new challenges for eOdyn: powering services with significant environmental and societal impacts based on high-resolution spatio-temporal observed currents data. These include sea rescue, anti-pollution efforts, maritime routing, and the decarbonization of the sector. We are committed to meeting these challenges head-on.

The image offers a detailed analysis of the Gulf Stream currents, revealing their intensity through varying shades of gray. Darker areas signal stronger currents, mapped withprecision using omni-situ technology and AIS data. Superimposed on this backdrop are two atypical ship trajectories, which deviates from the expected linear course.

Such deviations are significant, not anomalies within the AIS data, but markers of maritime situations that warrant closerattention. The non-linear path shown here indicates a vessel’sreal-time response to challenging conditions, specifically in an area where strong currents meet significant wave activity.

Understanding these atypical trajectories is essential for maritime situational awareness. It allows for the differentiation between normal vessel behavior and situations that may require intervention.

We are excited to share our latest video that offers a comprehensive comparison of ocean currents from North Brazil to the Gulf of Mexico, traversing the Caribbean Sea. This video uniquely juxtaposes AVISO (Archiving, Validation, and Interpretation of Satellite Oceanographic data) delayed time geostrophic currents with our cutting-edge AIS derived surface currents, providing an unparalleled view into the dynamics of this crucial maritime corridor.

Understanding the Currents

AVISO (Archiving, Validation, and Interpretation of Satellite Oceanographic data) specializes in providing geostrophic current data, utilizing satellite technology and altimetry to understand the general movement of water masses. This method offers a broader and more long-term perspective of ocean dynamics. In contrast, eOdyn’s approach, which leverages sat-AIS (Automatic Identification System) derived data, delivers a more immediate and surface-level insight into total ocean currents. eOdyn’s technology captures the nuances and subtleties of ocean dynamics in near real-time, offering a more detailed and granular view in high marine trafic density area compared to AVISO’s satellite-based, broader analysis.

Insights and Applications

This comparison is more than just a visual feat; it is a gateway to deeper insights into oceanography. For mariners and researchers, understanding these differences is crucial for navigation, safety, and environmental monitoring. eOdyn Near Real Time data provide a comprehensive view that can improve route planning, weather forecasting, and our overall understanding of marine ecosystems.

A Step Forward in Oceanographic Research

At eOdyn, we believe that the fusion of different data sources like Altimetry and AIS is key to advancing oceanographic research. We hardly work on that topic. Our commitment to innovation and accuracy drives us to continually explore new ways to understand and interpret the seas that connect us all.

We invite you to watch this compelling video and iscover how eOdyn is charting new courses in maritime understanding.