Increasingly, new technology is enabling ocean observations to be made remotely and/or autonomously. However, it is important that in situ sampling and measurements are conducted for ground truthing and calibration of the remote sensing and autonomous measurements for the accurate modelling of the ocean systems.
To enable early career scientists to better understand the observations and to be able to monitor the biological, chemical and physical parameters of the oceans, research cruises for oceanographic sampling are necessary. However, there are relatively few opportunities for shipboard training available to young scientists. The objective of the Ocean Training Partnership is to pool infrastruture, resources and expertise to provide marine science graduates with offshore technical skills and experience onboard research vessels whilst building capacity in ocean observations.
The Ocean Training Partnership is an initiative led by Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean (POGO) in collaboration with the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Founding partners also included the Strategic Marine Alliance for Research and Training (SMART) and Marinetraining.eu.
The project is funded by the Nippon Foundation.
Mission Statement:
The Partnership aims to develop a collaborative, sustainable approach to train competent marine science graduates and equip them with the technical skills and practical experience necessary to work across multiple oceanographic disciplines in challenging environments.
“During my training… the opportunity to engage in discussions with other scientists, well-established in their respective fields… has helped sharpen my perspective and approach to research as a whole”
Jessica Song – NF-POGO-PAP 2017 fellowship scholar
“As a whole, the Floating Summer School was an experience of a lifetime. The knowledge gained in marine sampling techniques were invaluable and will go a long way in providing us, young African scholars, with the skillset required to succeed in our own personal careers, but also to take back to our home institutions”
NoSoAT 2015 Floating Summer School Scholars
“Our group became our second family for a month, our cabin mates became our close friends and our new knowledge has opened doors to many more opportunities and scientific endeavors.”
NoSoAT 2016 Floating Summer School Scholars