GODAE (Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment) is a practical demonstration of how real-time assimilation of ocean data on a global scale can provide regular, complete descriptions of ocean temperature, salinity and current fields for operational oceanography as additional information for seasonal forecasting and research models.

As a GODAE Partner, Mercator Ocean is one of the patron agencies. It is also a member of the International GODAE Steering Team (IGST). The Mercator system is one of the programme’s pilot systems.

In 2003 GODAE began its 3-year demonstration phase, during which all of the various observation, analysis and forecasting systems and applications are to be deployed and implemented. With the implementation of its 2nd Mercator prototype (PSY2: for the North Atlantic and Mediterranean at 1/15° and then for the Global Ocean at 2°). In 2003, Mercator Ocean has fulfilled one of the two objectives scheduled for this intensive Godae phase. The second will involve deployment of the Global Ocean component at 1/4° (3rd Mercator prototype). Mercator Ocean has thus now become one of the leading international contributors

GODAE is contributing to development of its two pilot programmes: ARGO (deployment of profiler floating buoys) and GHRSST (Global High Resolution SST). The first results of assimilation of Argo temperature/salinity data in the Mercator system were presented at the Argo Science Meeting held in Tokyo in November 2003. Mercator has also helped define the requirements for a GHRSST product. Find out more:

Mercator-Ocean uses the NEMO system having adapted for its needs, the source code for the ocean dynamics ( and that of the sea ice (LIM) in the form of five regional or global configurations : MNATL, PAM, ORCA2, ORCA025 et ORCA025-LIM. Find out more:

GOOS is a worldwide programme financed by four international organisations (the International Oceanographic Committee, IOC, the International Council of Science, ICSU, the world meteorological organisation, WMO, and the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP).

GOOS federates many programmes which are all contributing to the objective of a continual, global system capable of observing, modelling, analysing and forecasting the state of the ocean (using both physical parameters but also other indicators such as living resources and environmental traits).

Among the observation systems federated by Goos are Jcommops, Soop, TAO, Triton, Pirata, Gloss, etc., but it also includes pilot projects (Godae, Mercator, Argo) and creates regional derived programmes such as EuroGOOS, MedGOOS, Black Sea GOOS and Africa GOOS, among others.

Eurogoos was involved in setting up the European GMES projects and in particular, in supporting the Mersea project.

France, Spain and Portugal set up a task team for Eurogoos for the ‘Bay of Biscay and the Iberian shelf’ called IBIROOS. This would complement the NOOS initiative which federates the action of northern European countries for the continental shelves. Mercator Ocean is involved in a task team for EuroGOOS for IBIROOS.

Mercator Ocean participates also in a task team for EuroGOOS for the Mediterranean Sea : MOON.