Oceanic Heat Wave Exploration: Divers Gather Thermal Data Beneath Waves
The BlueDot citizen science project, endorsed by the UN Ocean Decade, is a collaborative effort aimed at monitoring marine heatwaves and understanding ocean temperature changes, particularly in the Mediterranean Sea. This project is coordinated by MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen, with contributions from GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and Schwab Research Technology.
At the heart of the BlueDot project are scuba divers who upload dive profiles from their dive computers to the Divelogs portal and consent to share this data with the BlueDot scientific database. This citizen-sourced data helps researchers track temperature changes in the upper 40 meters of the Mediterranean Sea and other coastal regions worldwide.
MARUM provides the scientific coordination for the BlueDot project, while GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel contributes expertise in ocean research, and Schwab Research Technology supports with technology and data analysis capabilities.
The primary objectives of the BlueDot project are to monitor marine heatwaves and track ocean temperature changes. By collecting detailed temperature data, the project aims to better understand and predict marine heatwaves. The data collected helps scientists to more accurately map temperature changes across different ocean regions.
This collaboration enhances our understanding of how climate change affects the oceans, contributing valuable insights into extreme weather events like marine heatwaves. The involvement of citizen scientists through scuba divers increases the reach and accuracy of data collection, supporting climate research and policy decisions.
The water masses of the oceans act as heat reservoirs that interact with the atmosphere and influence the climate. If the warming of surface water continues, it could lead to intensified evaporation and, ultimately, regionally limited extreme precipitation events in surrounding areas.
The BlueDot project has installed permanent high-precision temperature sensors at selected reference dive sites on the Costa Brava, Heligoland, and the Maltese island of Gozo. These sensors record the temperature at various depths, allowing scientists to calibrate the data collected from dive computers against consistent, high-resolution measurements.
The project aims to encourage divers to fill seasonal gaps in data collection, particularly for cooler seasons, to build a more complete and accurate picture of how ocean temperatures are changing throughout the year.
For more information about the BlueDot project, you can contact Dr. Christophe Galerne ([email protected]), Dr. Rebecca Zitoun ([email protected]), or Prof. Achim Kopf ([email protected]). MARUM, the Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen, is committed to unbiased research in the interests of society, the marine environment, and in accordance with the sustainability goals of the United Nations.
Scuba divers' contributions to the BlueDot project, such as uploading their dive profiles to the Divelogs portal, aid in enhancing the understanding of climate change's impact on the oceans, specifically with regards to marine heatwaves. The collaboration between MARUM, GEOMovićní středisko pro oceanografický výzkum Kiel (GEOMAR), and Schwab Research Technology, alongside health-and-wellness enthusiasts who dive, also encompasses research in health matters such as mental-health and environmental-science, as understanding the oceans has implications on overall wellbeing and the environment.
