MATHISEN J., DZHENYUKS.L

OCEANOR,Norway,

Murmansk Marine Biological Institute RAS, Russia

Fugro OCEANOR has 30 years experience in collecting metocean data in the Barents Sea.

The measurements in the Barents Sea started at "Tromsoflaket" in 1976 and have been extended over the years to include several strategic locations within the Norwegian sector. Current, wave and meteorological data was collected at these locations using metocean buoys and instrumentation deployed under the sea ice. In the 1990's Fugro OCEANOR extended the measurement campaign to Russian waters in the Barents Sea. Measurements have been conducted at the Shtokman field for more than five years using the Fugro OCEANOR SEA WATCH multi-sensor buoy. The measurements positions are presented in Figure 1.

The measurements have been carried out both by using moored current meters and large oceanographic buoys such as the Wavescan buoy to measure meteorological parameters, wave height and direction and near surface currents, temperature and salinity.

In this paper we will outline some of the challenges of conducting measurements in such extreme environmental conditions. Results of the measurements and a selection of interesting metocean events will be presented. This will include:

• Storm January 1993
• Polar lows
• Offshore icing

The events will be presented as a description of the weather situation, time series plots and a detailed discussion of the events.

Based on the experience from the measurements in the Barents Sea, fugro OCEANOR has therefore, together with Russian Organisations (AMIGE. MMBI, PTNRO, Murmansk Hydromet), proposed to launch a buoy network in the Barents Sea. Data acquired by means of buoys can be used to improve weather and wave forecasts, verification of numeric models providing for more accurate and realistic values of metocean parameters at any location in the Barents Sea and to supply operational data to shipping and the oil industry. The following ways of data processing and presentation can be proposed:

1. Direct data transmission to the users, which is the most important for the hydrometeorological service and for the timely warning on the dangerous events.

2. The obtaining of wind, wave and other environmental data statistics from the long continuous time series. All other ways of kinds of offshore measurements cannot supply the data adequately uniform in space and time. However, the time series of not less than 10 years duration are needed for calculating reliable norms and extremes of environmental parameters.

3. Assimilation of buoy data in the numerical models and testing of the models. At present there is a number of wave, ice drift, oil spill forecasting models used in OCEANOR, AARI, federal and regional hydrometeorological centres in Russia. They are usually tested by hindcast data. The tests in a real time scale would be very promising for the further development of models.

OIL AND GAS OF ARCTIC SHELF 2006 (PROCEEDINGS OF INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE)