About UAK
The goal of UAK – Useful Arctic Knowledge - is to strengthen the quality of education, research and innovation in ocean observing technology for use in arctic and fjord environments. UAK is based on collaboration between research, educational institutions and industry in Norway, USA and Canada. In the first UAK project (2018-2022) the focus was on organising three research schools in 2018, 2020 and 2021, addressing
1 - natural and human-made hazards,
2 - ocean acoustics,
3 - cross-disciplinary data management and integration,
4 - community-based monitoring, and
5 - communication.
The second UAK project (2023-2027) has focus on two topics:
1- Underwater acoustics including communication, localization and positioning of floats and gliders, tomography, passive acoustics, and influence of sound on marine life
2- Marine optics including scattering and absorption of light in water, remote sensing, radiative transfer modelling, and importance for biomass production.
The project will organise a series of research schools in fjords and in the Arctic, as well as workshops and exchange visits between Norway and USA/Canada.
Project Summary
UAK will expand and deepen long-term collaboration in research and education between Norway, USA and Canada within ocean observing. The project is contribution to the Arctic component of the Ocean Decade. Focus is to provide training in use of ocean observing methods and technologies to observe changes in the ice-ocean environment caused by climate changes or human activities (SDG13). Main focus are observations that can detect, localise, and track changes in the Arctic Ocean environment e.g. ice-ocean parameters, ocean sound and the light in the ocean. These changes will have impact ocean health and marine life (SD14).
UAK will organize and facilitate for educational programs, research schools, and mobility grants to train the new generation of scientists within research areas covering oceanography, sea ice, marine optics and underwater acoustics.
UAK will facilitate for collaboration between research and industry to foster innovation within observing technologies supporting ocean research in the Arctic, fjords and coastal regions. Shorter and longer visits will be organized between the partners. The project will support joint reports and publications with special attention collaboration between different generations, research, and industry.
UAK will organise dedicated open workshops and special sessions on international conferences.
UAK is in support to the education program in Ocean technology at UiB, SFI Smart Ocean, and several research projects e.g. HiAOOS and EcoSense.
Workpackages
WP 1. Coordination and international collaboration. (Lead H. Sagen, NERSC, Co-lead: B. Hamre, IFT).
WP 2. Training and education activities in ice covered regions. (Lead: E. Storheim, NERSC).
WP 3. Training and education activities in fjord and coasts. (Lead: A. S. Kristoffersen, IFT-UiB).
WP 4. Scientific publications, education, and outreach (Lead: Camilla Sætre, IFT-UiB).
WP 5. Research and innovation in ocean observing. (Lead: Hanne Sagen, NERSC).
Partners
