Tag: Operational Oceanography

Do you want to work at ICATMAR?

Posted on by Ferran Bustos

We are opening a selection process for a Back-End Developer to join the ICATMAR and DIGI4ECO team. This is a unique opportunity for a motivated and experienced individual who wishes to further develop their career in marine research information systems.

Position: ICATMAR & DIGI4ECO Back-End Developer

Place: Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM), CSIC, Barcelona

Salary: 34.000 – 38.000 € (depending on the candidate profile)

ICATMAR

The Catalan Institute of Research for the Governance of the Sea (ICATMAR) is a collaboration organism with management autonomy between the Directorate-General for Maritime Policy and Sustainable Fisheries of the Catalan Government and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), through the Institut de Ciències del Mar of Barcelona (ICM). ICATMAR’s main objective is to provide quality scientific advice to the Administration and the society.

ICATMAR is carrying out a programme to monitor both recreational and commercial fishing along the Catalan coast, and a programme of observation, analysis and prediction of the physical characteristics of the sea.

DIGI4ECO

DIGI4ECO is a ground-breaking initiative dedicated to unlocking new discoveries and advancements in the management and restoration of marine ecosystems and biodiversity. The project recognizes the critical importance of these ecosystems for both environmental conservation and socio-ecological activities, and we are committed to harnessing digital innovation to address these challenges. At DIGI4ECO, we believe that access to comprehensive biological and oceanographic data is fundamental to effective environmental stewardship. Our project is dedicated to making past, current, and future data accessible to everyone. Through innovative tools and methodologies, we will utilize relevant “sleeping” data collected by various institutions, including physical and chemical sensors and video cameras.

Institut de Ciències del Mar – CSIC

The Institut de Ciències del Mar is the fourth largest research institute of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the largest dedicated to marine research. Under the motto “Ocean Science for a Healthy Planet,” the ICM conducts frontier research and foster both knowledge and technology transfer on topics related to ocean and climate interactions, conservation and sustainable use of marine life and ecosystems, and impact mitigation of natural and anthropogenic hazards. In-depth knowledge, determined action, and coordinated management are essential to confronting these global challenges, thereby driving sustainable development of humankind.

CSIC and all its research centres were awarded with the “HR Excellence in Research” seal in 2021. This recognition reflects our commitment to continuously improving our human resources policies in line with the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. Recruitment at ICM is open, transparent and merit-based, and all applicants compete on the same terms.

Position

We are looking for a talented Back-End Developer to join the ICATMAR and DIGI4ECO team. This is a unique opportunity for a motivated and experienced individual who wishes to further develop their career in marine research information systems. You will contribute in the design and development of the whole data management workflow of different marine data products and services. More specifically your tasks will include:

  • Building reusable code and libraries for future use.
  • Integration of multiple data sources and databases.
  • Data harmonization and transformation.
  • Design, develop, optimise and maintain scalable server-side applications and data storage solutions.
  • Providing data to 3rd parties through the development of various API’s.
  • Collaborate with multidisciplinary and international teams to define, design, and ship new features.

Requirements

  • Computer engineering degree or equivalent.
  • Proficient knowledge of one or more back-end programming languages (e.g. Python, JavaScript).
  • Proficient knowledge of geo-referenced relational databases (PostgreSQL with PostGIS).
  • Knowledge of RESTful APIs and web services.
  • Knowledge of cloud-based hosting providers like Google Cloud, AWS or Azure Object storage.
  • Familiarity with code versioning tools, such as Git or Github.
  • Familiarity with Linux operating system and command-line interface.
  • Basic understanding of front-end technologies and platforms, such as JavaScript, HTML5, and CSS3.
  • Bonus: Experience in AI, machine learning, or marine robotics.
  • Bonus: Experience with data analysis and visualization with R.
  • Bonus: GIS and geospatial data platforms, including QGIS, GeoNode and GeoServer.
  • Bonus: Web frameworks or environments such as Django, Node.js and Express.js.
  • Bonus: Integration of scientific data servers, such as ERDDAP.
  • Bonus: Familiarity with DevOps practices and tools (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD).
  • Fluent in English (C1 or similar), Spanish and Catalan.
  • Problem-solving attitude, proactive, team player, analytical capabilities and good communication skills.
  • For recruitment, it will be necessary to register in the CSIC Job Bank.

Work conditions

We offer:

  • Full-time dedication.
  • Salary depending on skills, background and experience.
  • Possibility of teleworking up to 2 days a week.
  • Immediate incorporation.

The contract is financed by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme under grant agreement No 101112883 and the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF).

The duration of the contract will be 2 years (possibility of extension).

Working environment

Located in Barcelona, the ICM offers an inspiring multidisciplinary environment for marine research professionals facilitating networking opportunities with experts in marine physics, marine geosciences, marine biology, marine chemistry, fisheries and aquaculture management, and technological development. We provide a highly stimulating environment with state-of-the-art infrastructures, and unique professional career development opportunities. The position offers opportunities to attend international conferences and training courses, as well as occasional fieldwork participation in oceanographic and fisheries campaigns.

Contact

Interested candidates, please contact via info@icatmar.cat before 15th May 2025, with the following information:

  • CV
    • Cover letter

Please write the job position in the subject of the email.

The position will be opened until filled.

Providing two names of people who could write a letter of reference in favour of the candidate will be appreciated. All documentation can be submitted in Catalan, Spanish or English.

The ICATMAR Operational Oceanography Service is consolidated

Posted on by Ferran Bustos

Since 2023, the ICATMAR Operational Oceanography Service has been providing reliable and up-to-date information on the state of the sea in Catalonia.

High-frequency radar of the ICATMAR Operational Oceanography Service installed at Cap de Creus.

In 2023 the ICATMAR Operational Oceanography Service was launched. The service has the main objective of measuring, analyzing, and predicting the physical characteristics of the sea, including ocean currents, water temperature and salinity, wave action, and sea level in the northwestern Mediterranean. From these measurements, oceanographic products are created to meet the needs of various marine sectors such as fisheries management, maritime rescue operations, environmental management, and climate change monitoring, among others.

To carry out its functions, the Operational Oceanography Service is deploying a network of seven high-frequency radars along the Catalan coast, which will be completed with the activation of the last two radars by the end of 2024. This radar network, owned by the Generalitat of Catalonia, provides real-time information on the direction and intensity of surface ocean currents within the coastal strip extending up to 40 nautical miles (approximately 74 km) from the Catalan coast. This information is complemented by the regular deployment of drifting buoys, fixed buoys, and other types of oceanographic instruments, which, once fully operational, will provide measurements of bottom and surface currents, surface temperature and salinity, wave action, and various atmospheric variables.

The data collected through ICATMAR’s observation network is combined with data from other agencies such as the Meteorological Service of Catalonia, EUMETSAT, and Copernicus, and integrated into oceanographic models developed by the Operational Oceanography Service. Soon, these models will offer high-resolution space-time forecasts on the state of the sea in Catalonia. This service will be a powerful tool made available by ICATMAR to the public, free of charge and easily accessible, so the maritime community of Catalonia can benefit from it for various applications. In fact, it is already possible to explore marine current data by accessing the oceanographical observations data viewer on our website.

Oceanographical observations data viewer on the ICATMAR website.

Finally, it is worth noting that our social networks (X and LinkedIn) regularly publish updated information on average surface temperature and marine heatwaves in the northwestern Mediterranean, as well as daily forecasts of water temperature along the Catalan coast. In addition, the ICATMAR website provides quick and easy access to these and other services offered by the Operational Oceanography Service:

New network of radars will measure sea currents and waves in real-time

Posted on by Jordi Ribera

Marine currents play a key role in the ocean by transporting heat, nutrients and planktonic organisms. They also affect shipping, fishing activity, beach water quality and determine the trajectory of pollutants and other drifting objects.

In total, the network will consist of 7 antennas, 2 of which are already operating and the rest will be commissioned before the end of 2024 / ICM-CSIC.

Despite their importance, existing measures on marine currents in Catalonia are quite limited. However, from now on the extent and resolution of these data will be significantly improved thanks to the implementation of a new high-frequency radar network managed by the ICATMAR, a cooperative body between the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC) and the Generalitat de Catalunya that aims to provide scientific advice on maritime issues, promote cooperation and boost marine research.

“The new network will make it possible to monitor marine currents and waves in real time, which will help improve fisheries management, biodiversity status, safety and maritime transport”, explains the ICM-CSIC researcher Jordi Isern, head of the new ICATMAR operational oceanography service, who adds that “the radars will also help predict the movement of pollutants in order to reduce their impact between the coastline and some 40 miles offshore”.

In total, the network will be made up of 7 antennas -2 of which are already operating and the rest will be commissioned before the end of 2024- which will provide the direction and intensity of surface currents -at 1-meter depth- and hourly wave measurements.

“This is basic information to improve fisheries management, optimize navigation routes and contribute to the search for people in case of shipwrecks,” details Isern in this regard.

Finally, the new network will be complemented by the deployment, in the next two years, of another network of oceanographic buoys designed in conjunction with the Meteorological Service of Catalonia that will be used to obtain measurements of bottom currents, surface temperature and salinity, waves and atmospheric measurements. All these data will be integrated with other data collected on European coasts in the framework of different national and international projects.

All in all, these infrastructures will help advancing in the sustainable development of the Blue Economy in Catalonia, which includes the fishing and recreational maritime sectors, but also to optimize responses to emergency situations such as shipwrecks or pollutant spills. Likewise, the incorporation of these data to the oceanic models that are being developed in the context of ICATMAR will allow much more accurate predictions of marine currents.

Contact

info@icatmar.cat
Pg. Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49
08003 Barcelona

Fisheries
viewer

Fisheries monitoring data

Observational Network

Oceanographical observations