Abstract:

The hydrodynamic model of the southern Baltic (3D CEMBS-PolSea), developed and tested as part of the CSI-POM project (Digital Information System for Polish Marine Areas), determines the spatiotemporal distributions of parameters such as temperature, salinity, currents, and sea level. It allows investigating the structure, dynamics, and variability of physical processes in the marine environment of the study area. The model is based on the source code of the Parallel Ocean Program (POP) model.
The novelty of this project is the development of new tools for studying the structures, dynamics and variability of physical processes in the southern Baltic Sea:
i) determining the thermocline, halocline, and pycnocline for the entire model domain,
ii) spatio-temporal analysis of the structure of the water column for the tested parameters, i.e. temperature, salinity, and currents;
iii) automatic detection of sea eddies;
iv) testing the inertia of water masses with forecasted wind forces, and
v) automatic detection of rising current-edge upwelling.
An integral part of the CSI-POM system is the visualization of results and their accessibility to the public. The CSI-POM system developed under this project will allow the creation of maps and spatio-temporal and point characteristics for the parameters and processes studied. These results will be presented on a real-time online portal and in the form of forecasts for the next two days. They will inform about the current state of the environment and the possibility of threats in the open sea and in the Polish coastal zone.
In the last stage of the project, actions will be taken to familiarize potential users with the CSI-POM system and at the same time to collect information about the expectations and problems of using such a system in economic conditions, marine environment management, and broadly understood education. It is planned to conduct 4 interactive workshops with selected groups of stakeholders and representatives of society. The results of the workshop will allow to isolate those elements of the CSI-POM system for which there is the greatest social demand and to diagnose possible problems or barriers related to the wider use of the system. The results of the workshops will also allow the preparation of an educational offer for the general public. The package will include short films prepared as part of the "Ocean Non-handbook", dedicated educational, instructional and promotional materials, prepared in an attractive form for a wide audience.
This project is a response to the problems occurring in maritime management, which are related to the need for a reliable and accurate tool to observe changes in the marine environment. These include activities related to:
• planning and evaluating optimal hydrodynamic conditions for ongoing projects,
• making optimal decisions when planning ventures in individual maritime sectors,
• increasing the safety and efficiency of the work performed.
Conscious investment management will avoid unnecessary losses and schedule changes.
It is estimated that the CSI-POM system will be useful not only for scientists but also for entities related to maritime economy: transport and logistics, offshore, fisheries, as well as education and local governments.

Publication financed from the state budget under the program of the Minister of Education and Science (Poland) entitled "Science for Society" No. NdS/546027/2022/2022, amount of funding PLN 1 702 130.65 (100%).

Keywords:

Numerical modeling, Physical processes, Simulations, Maritime economy, Society, Education.