Santos Basin Ocean Observing System - Project Blue

an dynamics and is also the pillar of operational oceanography and its ultimate objective; the forecasting of the ocean. The South Atlantic is one of the least known oceanic regions in terms of oceanography and meteorology. It is also one of the poorest in terms of oceanographic and meteorological data for operational use. This fact contrasts with the environmental and economic importance of this region. Particularly, in the Southeastern Brazilian Basin, the new discoveries of extensive oil reserves make the creation of systematic ocean data collection that can be used to better understand and predict future ocean conditions very urgent.

The Santos Basin Ocean Observing System (nickname Project Blue) was developed to make use of different equipment and sensors to perform measurements in near real-time. An ocean modeling component is also present. ROMS and MyOcean Project results are used to obtain the ocean conditions of this region.

The strategies designed for Project Blue in terms of data collections and numerical modeling will be presented in more detail. Contributions from the audience will be much appreciated to help improve the first Ocean Observing System in Brazil