PML scientist appointed as Co-Chair of leading ocean forecasting partnership

Mingming Ouyang | Unsplash

Dr Yuri Arrtioli, Marine Ecosystem Modeller at PML, was appointed Co-Chair of the National Partnership for Ocean Prediction (NPOP) alongside the existing NPOP Co-Chair, Dr Andrew Saulter, Head of the Ocean Forecasting Research and Development Group fat the UK Met Office.

The news was announced at the NPOP annual meeting, held this week in Norwich, and Yuri will be replacing Dr Jason Holt from the National Oceanography Centre.

Formerly known as the National Centre for Ocean Forecasting (NCOF), NPOP was launched in 2016 to help strengthen and advance the UK’s capability in ocean prediction.

NPOP is a partnership is between the UK Met Office, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, the National Oceanography Centre, the National Centre for Earth Observation and the Marine Directorate of the Scottish Government.

Over the decade the partners have worked together to integrate models, observations and scientific understanding to produce the best forecasting information and advice about the marine environment. A key part of this work has also been engaging with stakeholders to understand their requirements and help maximise the beneficial use of NPOPs predictive marine products and services by national agencies and the public.

Yuri joined PML in 2008 and during this time has been developing and applying various models to study the impact of global stressors, such as climate change and ocean acidification, as well as direct anthropogenic activities, such as nutrient pollution, fishery and aquaculture, on marine ecosystems and the interaction among these drivers. He also studies how marine ecosystem could play a role in supporting society to address global challenges like climate changes, food provision and health.

In 2017 Yuri became Co-Chair of NPOPs Marine Biogeochemistry Modelling Activity Group, which provided plenty of valuable experience for this new appointment as NPOPs Co-Chair.

Dr Artioli commented about the appointment:

“It is such an honour to become Co-Chair of the National Partnership for Ocean Prediction (NPOP). Ocean predictions are one of the main ways in which the understanding of ocean processes is translated into practical benefits for society, such as for fisheries management and in efforts to achieve a healthy, diverse and productive marine environment for all.”

“I look forward to working with our partners to strengthen UK’s marine prediction capability to address the challenges the marine environment is facing like the expanding use of the marine space, including offshore renewable energy installations, fisheries, shipping, marine protected areas and climate change”.

NPOPs existing Co-Chair, Dr Andrew Saulter from the UK Met Office, added:

“This partnership is a demonstration of the fundamental role that oceans play in the weather and climate system, from local to global scales as well as short- to long-term. Firstly Yuri and I would both like to thank Dr Jason Holt for his great contributions to NPOP over the last 9 years and it has been a pleasure to work with him. Looking ahead, we are thrilled Yuri is picking up the role and his appointment will bring a wealth of marine ecosystem and research knowledge to inform our thinking about NPOP’s ongoing and future direction.”

“At our recent meeting, the partnership recognised the challenges faced by the marine environment from both climate change and human exploitation, and how we can support sound and evidence-based decision making to meet those challenges by developing trustworthy and explainable data”.