 Autosub6000, which will be used to map areas of the seafloor using sonar and photography This month, scientists from the NOC will join a team of marine scientists from the iAtlantic project on a month-long collaborative expedition to investigate the ecosystems and natural processes in the deep sea around the Cabo Verde islands in the central Atlantic Ocean.  The NOC will play a vital role in the expedition, providing and operating the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) Autosub6000, which will be used to map areas of the seafloor using sonar and photography. The autonomous submarine will also be equipped with a new instrument to sample environmental DNA, specifically developed for this project. The NOCâs Dr Veerle Huvenne, co-chief scientist on the expedition, will work alongside the NOCâs Dr Erik Simon-Lledó and Dr Susan Evans to bring expertise in deep-sea habitat mapping, benthic ecology and eDNA analysis, both in abyssal, sedimentary settings and in more complex, rocky terrains.  Click here to read more  Photo credit: @Alphillips200 on Twitter A second round of trials are underway at Loch Ness as part of the NOC co-ordinated Oceanids programme.  The team are testing the integration of the BioCam sensor system with Autosub Long Range (ALR). This trial is the final stage of testing prior to open ocean validation trials starting in September. The team are also testing new vehicle navigation software ready for the upcoming 2022 Thwaites Glacier science deployment.  If you'd like to learn more about the programme, our Oceanids seminar series is now available on-demand:  Sensors: Enabling autonomous ocean observing Click here for meeting recording Access Passcode: ^q79K.x@
Autosub Long Range (ALR): Long-endurance autonomy for ocean observing Click here for meeting recording Access Passcode: #%XN5N6h
C2: An innovative command-control and data ecosystem for autonomous fleets Click here for meeting recording Access Passcode: u3^K?p?F
A2KUI: High-power autonomy for under-ice science Click here for meeting recording Access Passcode: DXWN#3rz Congratulations to the NOC's Dr Anna Lichtschlag on receiving a Flexible Funding 2021 award from the UKCCSRC to undertake 'Sensor Enabled Seabed Landing AUV nodes for improved offshore Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) monitoring'. Anna's project was one of 10 successful projects, following a rigorous assessment process by independent reviewers reporting to the UKCCSRC Board.  Click here to read more  AMOC observing system mooring array at 26.5°âN with 2010 Canth distribution. Earlier this month, NOC scientists, along with experts from University of Exeter and NOAAâs Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, had an article published in Nature Geoscience titled 'Circulation-driven variability of Atlantic anthropogenic carbon transports and uptake'.  Click here to read the paper This week we were delighted to see that 'Future interactions between sea level rise, tides and storm surges in the world's largest urban area', co-authored by the NOC's Michela De Dominicis, Sveta Jevrejeva and Judith Wolf, was among AGU Journal's top 10% most downloaded in 2020. Congratulations to the whole team including partners from the University of Liverpool, Ocean University of China, Sun Yat-sen University and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory.
Click here to read the paper
 'Shelf-Break Upwelling and Productivity Over the North Kenya Banks: The Importance of Large-Scale Ocean Dynamics', co-authored by the NOC's Zoe Jacobs, Fatma Jebri, Ekaterina Popova, Meric Srokosz, Stuart Painter, Michael Roberts, Matthew Palmer and Juliane Wihsgott was also among the top 10% most downloaded. Congratulations to the whole team, including partners from Plymouth Marine Laboratory and Kenya Marine and Fisheries Institute.  Click here to read the paper  Freshwater in the ocean leads to extreme cold patches in the North Atlantic, which has major implications for weather over the surrounding land-masses.  This is according to NOC led research published in the Journal of Geophysical Research Letters this time last year.  Lead author, Dr Marilena Oltmanns, from the NOC, said âTraditionally, it was thought that freshwater leads to a decline in the large-scale ocean overturning circulation, which then results in a cooling of the North Atlantic. Our new study shows that freshwater achieves this cooling much more rapidly and efficiently by triggering atmospheric feedbacks.â  Click here to read more | 
