FML-TRACK : an operational service to support the reduction of Floating Marine Litter in the coastal areaIberian-Biscay-Ireland regional seas
Water Quality
Marine Conservation & Policies
The FML-TRACK service provides an innovative solution to support the reduction of floating marine litter pollution in the coastal area. FML-TRACK uses an ensemble of new technologies to monitor and track marine litter origin and destination across the coastal ocean. It is intended for public administrations, cleaning companies, associations and scientists to support a better understanding of marine litter along a given coastline and related decision making.
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The FML-TRACK service combines video monitoring, satellite imagery and metocean observation and modelling to track floating marine litter and help reducing its presence in the coastal area :
- In operational mode, the service offers a unique, online dashboard centralizing in a simple way all the information related with day-to-day marine litter management in a given region, including both real time monitoring and hotspot predictions for the next days.
- In offline mode, FML-TRACK tools are used to investigate marine litter pollution events, identify major sources, quantify main local sources contribution and eventually guide related remediation actions.
- From this ensemble of information, tailored decision-aid indicators are derived to optimize the management and the efficiency of marine litter management strategies.
More info about FML-TRACK technological components can be found here.
The FML-TRACK service is intended to be delivered for fee, to be operated as a tailored decision-support service for FML-related stakeholders.
FML-TRACK is a downstream service of Copernicus Marine Service using different products mentioned below. Copernicus Marine Service adds value to FML-TRACK service by providing reliable in situ information, satellite imagery and ocean current fields to feed the monitoring solutions and predictive models supporting the service. It improves the accuracy and efficiency of the service by providing high quality control and input data to the floating marine litter tracking technologies of FML-TRACK, more precisely :
- ATLANTIC-IBERIAN BISCAY IRISH- OCEAN PHYSICS ANALYSIS AND FORECAST
ATLANTIC-IBERIAN BISCAY IRISH- OCEAN WAVE ANALYSIS AND FORECAST
Predictions from regional wave and hydrodynamic models are used in operational and hindcast configurations to prescribe both
– large scale forcing to the floating marine litter transport model
– offshore boundary conditions for downscaling coastal models
- GLOBAL OCEAN- IN-SITU NEAR REAL TIME OBSERVATIONS OF OCEAN SURFACE CURRENTS
Surface ocean current observations from HF Radars are used
– in real time to control model predictions
– in hindcast as a large scale forcing to the marine litter transport model
- NORTH ATLANTIC REMOTE SENSING REFLECTANCES, ATTENUATION COEFFICIENT AT 490NM, AND INHERENT OPTICAL PROPERTIES FROM SATELLITE OBSERVATIONS
Remote sensing products are used offline to calibrate and validate coastal transport predictions by numerical models
- ATLANTIC IBERIAN BISCAY IRISH OCEAN- IN-SITU NEAR REAL TIME OBSERVATIONS
In situ observation products are used to control model predictions in real time and hindcast configurations
Thus, the FML-TRACK service is largely empowered by the Copernicus Marine Service, taking benefit from both operational (near-real time, predictive) and hindcast products.
Follow this link for more information on the available Copernicus Marine services.
The FML-TRACK demonstration is conducted in collaboration with key pilot end-users Communauté d’Agglomération Pays Basque, Ville de Biarritz and Diputacion Foral de Gipuzkoa.
Illustrations
Camera installation at Oria rivermouth
FML-TRACK was generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information