New ‘WavyOcean’ platform helps visualise marine data
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has launched WavyOcean - the first interactive marine environment visualisation platform which offers data on the ocean in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, the entire China Seas, and the Western Pacific Ocean. The platform will greatly facilitate marine research work and offer valuable data to policy makers.
The platform not only visualises oceanic processes, but also offers physical and biogeochemical data. This data includes environmental variables such as 3D ocean current, temperature, salinity, levels of nitrate, chlorophyll, dissolved oxygen; as well as atmospheric variables such as wind, temperature and pressure. The platform will be useful in assisting research topics such as marine hydrodynamics, pollution, and climate change.
Since collecting regional oceanic data is logistically difficult, observational data in this field can be scarce.
“We have developed WavyOcean to cover the entire China Seas spatiotemporally. WavyOcean does not only couple ocean circulation with the ecosystem in the region, but can also present visual and interactive 3D spatiotemporal variations for the transport of oceanic energy and substances, biogeochemical properties and the nature of the ecosystem,” said lead researcher Professor Gan Jianping, Chair Professor of the Department of Ocean Science and Department of Mathematics at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
The platform is built on a decade of research works by Professor Gan and his interdisciplinary team. The team hopes that the platform will be an innovative hub for research and ocean management, while also being a source of valuable information for the general public.
“With WavyOcean, policymakers and scientists will be able to better study and deploy marine resources, mitigate the impact of climate change and the potential effects that new policies may bring to the marine ecosystem,” Professor Gan said. “We hope the public can better understand the ocean at their fingertips, and become more aware of the significance of protecting the ocean.”
WavyOcean is available online and on mobile devices using the WavyOcean app.