Oceanographic Data Collection on Your Holiday Ferry

Those of you who have started your Spanish holiday by sailing on P&O?s ferry the Pride of Bilbao were probably aware of the above deck activities of the Biscay Dolphin Research Programme. This year if you travel on the Ferry you will see for the first time a live TV display of the scientific data being collected below decks by the National Oceanography Centre, (NOC) Southampton. (www/noc.soton.ac.uk) In the ship?s engine room water is being continuously analysed to measure the concentrations of important ecosystems components to improve ourunderstanding of how the oceans function (Figures 1 and 2).