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In Greek mythology, Calypso was the daughter of the titan Atlas (also known as Oceanus) and was a nymph living on the magical island of Ogygna. As referred to by Homer in ‘The Odyssey’, she seduced and imprisoned Odysseus on his journey home from the Trojan War, and promised him immortality if he would sojourn permanently with her in the cave. Some people are convinced that Ogygna is indeed the island of Gozo, within the Maltese archipelago, which consequently is also known as Calypso. Over Ramla bay, the most prominent sandy beach in the Maltese Islands, one finds Calypso’s cave, a complex labyrinth which was reputed to extend to sea level in places.

Times have changed, but perils still threaten the Mediterranean basin, although their nature is somewhat different from when Homer penned his masterpiece. The risk of oil from marine spillages beaching on shores, hitting important economic resources and causing irreversible environmental damage is a very realistic menace in the stretch of sea between Malta and Sicily. Especially in a small island state like Malta where economic assets are concentrated in space, the damage would be even more devastating. Risk is high because the islands are situated along the main shipping lanes of the Mediterranean Sea.

Risks can be highly minimised by using the best tools for surveillance, operational monitoring against pollution threats, as well as a capacity to respond with informed decisions in case of emergency. CALYPSO is a research project that intends to utilise a top-end technology, consisting of an array of High Frequency (HF) radars, to monitor in real-time meteo-marine surface conditions. Like the nymph Calypso, the HF Radars will vigilate on the stretch of sea extending from Malta to the Sicilian shores.

The project is partly financed by the EU European Regional Development Fund under the Operational Programme Italia-Malta 2007-2013, and co-ordinated by Prof. Aldo Drago from the Physical Oceanography Unit of the University of Malta. It brings together 3 other partners from Malta – namely Transport Malta, Civil Protection Department and Armed Forces of Malta – and 4 partners from Sicily – ARPA Sicilia, IAMC-CNR Capo Granitola, Universita’ degli Studi di Palermo (UNIPA) and Universita’ di Catania (CUTGANA). The consortium consists of research entities and also public entities with responsibilities for civil and environmental protection, surveillance, security and response to hazards.

The project will set up a permanent and fully operational HF radar observing system, capable of recording (in real-time with hourly updates) surface currents in the Malta Channel. The system consists of HF radar installations on the northern Malta and southern Sicilian shores. The radars are expected to be installed in summer this year, and the whole system will be operational by end of 2012.

More information on http://www.capemalta.net/calypso/

JERICO is the result of the collaboration of twenty seven partners coming from seventeen European countries. JERICO is an FP7 project that takes advantage of the different backgrounds of the partners involved, who are contributing their invaluable and diverse experience and expertise when it comes to coastal observations that derive from the technology used for data collection though results and dissemination of informational material.

The operational monitoring of the coastal seas is an important issue when it comes to the health of the marine environment as well as in the provision of data for management of marine activities, research and a range of other applications. Despite the fact that Europe already has in general some good practices when it comes to the maintenance of marine observation systems and provision of quality data on a global and regional scale, coastal observations still lack the required standardisation due to the minor interest being expressed solely through short term projects which are usually adapted to the domestic interests of the distinct countries. This has brought up a number of issues within the research community which are now aiming to increase the consistency and sustainability of these scattered infrastructures by addressing them within a common pan-European context.

JERICO intends to support this idea of proposing a European approach for all the European coastal marine observatories by integrating existing infrastructures and technologies such as moorings, gliders and drifters into one single network. The activities intended to be held within the project will help the project participants to discuss common good practices to be used in this context when it comes to design, implementation, acquisition, maintenance and distribution of data from these coastal observatories, together with definitions of quality standards to be utilized within such a framework. The project also aims to open the European infrastructure for international research which will benefit the overall European contribution to climate change and other research areas.

Apart from the aim to amalgamate the current infrastructures, JERICO will also be looking for ways on how these can be improved. In fact, a number of joint researches will be organised to identify the new and upcoming technologies to be installed in the next generation of coastal observatories. Focus of the research will be on emerging technologies and on the biochemical section. JERICO will be using the data captured to be a major source of coastal data inputs while answering the needs of environmental researchers and managers.

For further information please visit the website: http://ec.europa.eu/research/conferences/2012/euro-mediterranean/index_en.cfm

Barcelona 2-3 April 2012

The EU believes that research and innovation are key instruments in promoting sustainable economic growth and job creation. The Southern Mediterranean region called for innovative and ambitious responses from the European Union. The European Commission has established all Mediterranean countries as priority. The EC has also developed a new strategy which is found in two joint Communications of the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Hence the EU has developed the strategy named CKIS (Common Knowledge and Innovation Space) which is linked to Smart Growth and the EU’s innovation agenda.

Due to this the European Commission’s Research and Innovation DG together with other EU entities is holding a conference whose aims are:

• Defining the aims and key factors of a medium to long term agenda of Euro-Mediterranean Cooperation in Research and Innovation based on the ideas of policy makers and scientists.
• The promotion of collaboration between the European Commission, EU member states and South Mediterranean Policies and programmers to enhance the latter’s scientific competencies with the aim of benefiting the whole region.

The conference will host a number of representatives from different sectors of the EU entities and others from the countries concerned speak about the issue at hand.

For further information please visit the website:  http://ec.europa.eu/research/conferences/2012/euro-mediterranean/index_en.cfm

The new Jerico website has now been launched.