The MERSEA project: development of a European system for operational monitoring and forecasting of the ocean physics, biogeochemistry and ecosystems, on global and regional scales

GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) is a joint initiative of the European Commission and the European Space Agency, designed to establish a European capacity for the provision and use of operational information for Global Monitoring of Environment and Security. To support the development of the Ocean and Marine Applications component of GMES, the EC is funding the four-year MERSEA integrated project, which started in 2004. At the end of its first year, we present the scope of the project and some preliminary results.