Marine Environmental Emergency Response (MEER)

Updated on 11 December 2023

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Background

The tenth session of the WMO Commission for Marine Meteorology (Paris, February 1989) recognized that National Meteorological Services had an important role to play in preserving the health of the oceans and in the protection of the marine environment, and proposed the development of a more formalized approach to the provision of meteorological and oceanographic support in marine pollution emergency response operations. It also requested the preparation of appropriate guidance material for WMO Members on the general topic of marine pollution.

Subsequently, the eleventh session of the Commission (Lisbon, April 1993) adopted a Marine Pollution Emergency Response Support System (MPERSS) for high seas, trials of which began on 1 January 1994. The primary objective of the MPERSS was to have in place a coordinated, global system for the provision of meteorological and oceanographic information for marine pollution emergency response operations outside waters under national jurisdiction. A survey was undertaken in 1996 to assess the status of MPERSS implementation and trials, which concluded that actions have been initiated in only six of the sixteen Marine Pollution Incident (MPI) areas; however, the system had proven to be of value in real incidents that happened in those MPI areas and had also facilitated various system improvements.

As a first step in the preparation of guidance material, a set of technical and scientific lectures covering all aspects of marine pollution were delivered to the technical conference that preceded the twelfth session of the Commission for Marine Meteorology (Havana, March 1997), whose Proceeding was published as a WMO technical document. These lectures were intended to inform members of the Commission on the status of the health of the oceans in general, in response to both natural and anthropogenic contaminants, of actions to reduce or mitigate the effects of these contaminants, and of actions which could be taken by National Meteorological Services to enhance MPERSS implementation. In addition, noting the interest and support provided by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the willingness of the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC) to participate, the twelfth session of the WMO Commission for Marine Meteorology (Havana, 1997) agreed to continue the MPERSS trials.

A Seminar on Metocean Services for Marine Pollution Emergency Response Operations (MARPOLSER 98) and Workshop on MPERSS were organized in Townsville, Australia, in July 1998. The Proceedings of the Seminar were published in two volumes as WMO technical documents: MARPOLSER 98 – Volume 1 with research papers; and MARPOLSER 98 – Volume 2 with review and information papers. Major recommendations of the MARPOLSER98 Workshop concerning modifications to details of the MPERSS included:

To investigate possible adjustments to the areas of responsibility (the MPI areas), to better reflect existing technical and geographical realities, as well as the roles and responsibilities of regional and national combating centres;
To include the concept of centres of excellence in meteorological and oceanographic support for pollution emergency response, as support for the Area Meteorological and Oceanographic Coordinators (AMOCs). While those centres would not necessarily provide operational products, or be considered formally as WMO Regional Specialized Meteorological Centres (RSMCs), they could nevertheless perform a very valuable role in areas such as the provision of expert advice and specialized training to Area Meteorological and Oceanographic Coordinators and support services;
Other operational support should include a Web site with real-time information on incidents and support provided;
Ideally, meteorological and oceanographic information and support should be prepared and delivered on time- and space scales relevant to the requirements of the operational response which it was supporting;
The provision of high quality meteorological and oceanographic support products required real-time interaction with, and feedback from, the users; that included on-site observations as well as feedback on product quality and timeliness;
Reference should be made to the fact that those National Meteorological Services running oil spill models required to input information from users on the oil type involved in each incident.

These MARPOLSER 98 recommendations were endorsed by the first session of the Joint WMO-IOC Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM-I, Akureyri, June 2001). JCOMM-I recognized that the other recommendations made by the MARPOLSER98 Workshop, relating to the role of National Meteorological Services, service and product enhancement, and guidance and capacity building, would, if implemented, assist substantially in facilitating MPERSS implementation; and therefore, agreed to develop a plan for their implementation during the intersessional period.

JCOMM-I strongly encouraged all Members/Member States that had accepted responsibilities under MPERSS to continue their efforts to implement fully the system; and:

encouraged bilateral collaboration between those Area Meteorological and Oceanographic Coordinators which had been largely successful in implementing MPERSS in their MPI areas and those where implementation problems remained; in that context, it requested the coordinators to consider establishing MPI area coordination subgroups, to assist in implementation;
requested the Secretariats to consult with IMO, with a view to having MPERSS included as part of intergovernmental protocols and contingency plans relating to emergency response operations;
proposed that a second seminar/workshop on MPERSS should be convened in 2002 or 2003 and accepted with appreciation the kind offer of France to host that event;
requested its Services Coordination Group to develop a mechanism to deal with technical and scientific issues related to the implementation of MPERSS, including the development of a specific implementation plan and timetable, directed at ensuring full implementation of the system during the coming inter-sessional period; and,
further requested the Services Coordination Group to develop appropriate technical guidance on MPERSS, including a compilation of available oil spill models, to assist in system implementation.

A second survey was undertaken in March 2001 to assess the status of MPERSS implementation. Based on the results of this survey, JCOMM-I recognized that, while much progress in MPERSS development had been made in many of the designated MPI areas, system implementation nevertheless remained far from complete in some parts of the world. In that context, it agreed that MPERSS trials should continue during the inter-sessional period. At the same time, noting that meteorological and oceanographic data and services were highly relevant to marine environment protection in many other ways and in other ocean areas (in particular in coastal and regional seas), JCOMM-I encouraged establishing interactions with the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), including coastal GOOS and regional activities such as EuroGOOS.

The Ocean Ops 04 Symposium on operational metocean products and services in support of maritime safety and environmental management (Toulouse, May 2004) included two days of specific discussions related to MPERSS, and specific metocean information required to support response operations for oil spills and other major marine pollution emergencies. Such requirements covered most standard metocean variables, but the importance of sea surface current predictions, for both spill response and search and rescue (SAR) was stressed. Specific recommendations for JCOMM included:

improved understanding and modelling of metocean variables, in particular, surface currents;
strengthened coordination between the providers and users of metocean information and services;
the maintenance and enhancement of metocean monitoring systems;
better data sharing; and,
the establishment of coordinated systems for emergency response in developing regions.

The JCOMM ad hoc Task Team on the Marine Pollution Emergency Response Support System (Toulouse, May 2004) reviewed the status of implementation of MPERSS based on the reports presented by participants (representatives of the Area Meteorological and Oceanographic Coordinators (AMOCs)) and the results of the third questionnaire survey on the AMOCs conducted on April 2004. While the ad hoc Task Team noted the important progress in the implementation of MPERSS (in particular, MPI areas V and XV), it recognized some AMOCs continued to experience difficulties. Recognizing that the core information to be provided by AMOCs was basic meteorological information such as wind, wave and air temperature and that contacts with supporting services and marine pollution authorities had been strengthened, the ad hoc Task Team agreed that MPERSS had already been substantially implemented as far as meteorological components were concerned, and recommended its operational status to the second JCOMM session (JCOMM-II, Halifax, September 2005), alongside with its inclusion in the Manual on Marine Meteorological Services, Volume I – Global Aspects (WMO-No.558), and in the Guide to Marine Meteorological Services (WMO-No. 471).

JCOMM-II established the Expert Team on Marine Accident Emergency Support to monitor and manage the operational MPERSS. In view of the growing requirements for meteorological and oceanographic information and services to support search and rescue at sea, and the similarity of much of this information to that required for MPERSS, the terms of reference for the expert team also covered search and rescue support.

A website dedicated to MPERSS was developed and hosted initially by Météo-France and later integrated into the JCOMM website. The MPERSS website included basic information such as what is MPERSS, what is available under MPERSS, contact points in AMOCs, and information on actual incidents. AMOCs made available detailed information on their MPERSS operations, and specifications of available models.

The first session of the JCOMM Expert Team on Marine Accident Emergency Support (ETMAES-I, Angra dos Reis, January 2007) reviewed the implementation of MPERSS, and noted challenges that the developing countries were facing when implementing services in support of marine accident emergencies, including marine pollution, and search and rescue operations; It underlined the need for relevant capacity-building activities and strengthened connections with supporting services and marine pollution authorities. Training and outreach were then compiled and integrated into the MPERSS website. ETMAES-I discussed the meteorological and oceanographic parameters needed for planning maritime searches and revised the metocean input data requirements for marine accident emergency monitoring and response.

Based on ETMAES-I conclusions and recommendations, the third JCOMM session (JCOMM-III, Marrakech, November 2009) recognized that the core information provided by the AMOCs in support of marine pollution monitoring and response, and maritime search and rescue, was basic meteorological and oceanographic information generated by numerical weather prediction (NWP) and ocean forecasting systems, including oil spill model outputs (weathering and fate). However, JCOMM-III recognized the importance of direct interaction with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Marine Environment Protection and Maritime Safety Committees (MEPC and MSC) in defining met-ocean input data requirements for marine pollution monitoring and response and the meteorological services in support of maritime search and rescue. It, therefore, tasked its Expert Team on Operational Ocean Forecast Systems (ETOOFS) to consider ocean forecasting systems in support of this application area as part of its ongoing work programme, based on MEPC and MSC requirements. As a result, potential sources of open metocean data and products that could support marine accident emergencies were compiled and integrated into the MPERSS website.

At the same time, JCOMM-III requested the Expert Team on Maritime Safety Services (ETMSS) to monitor implementation and operations of the Marine Pollution Emergency Response Support System (MPERSS) in accordance with the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), as amended, and other international conventions, and assist Members/Member States in implementing their services in support of marine accident emergencies, including marine pollution and search and rescue operations. It decided to not re-establish the ETMAES; however, it recommended establishing collaborating arrangements with the WMO Commission for Basic Systems to address issues of common interest, including response to environmental emergencies involving large-scale dispersion of air-borne hazardous substances that could happen over the ocean as a result of an oil spill and burning.

Following the Fukushima, Japan nuclear accident in 2011, an ad hoc task team meeting on JCOMM coordination for marine environmental emergency responses (AHTT) was held in Vienna, in August 2013. This ad hoc task team discussed possible contributions to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on marine and aquatic modelling for radiological emergencies and outlined a proposal on JCOMM activities on marine environmental emergency response (MEER).

The fourth JCOMM session (JCOMM-IV, Yeosu, May 2012) extended the MPERSS to the Arctic Ocean with minimum capabilities achieved. MEER continues to be monitored and supported by the ETMSS and the ETOOFS. The MPERSS capability and framework of the AMOCs continued to focus on providing tracking for objects adrift (e.g. containers, ships, persons at sea) and forecasts for dispersion of hazardous material spills. As a result of the AHTT meeting, JCOMM-IV agreed that it should take a proactive role in supporting Members/Member States with oceanic dispersion modelling activities for radioactive hazards in operational numerical weather prediction (NWP) centres, operated in conjunction with atmospheric dispersion modelling infrastructures and expertise so as to leverage the existing capabilities.

A review meeting of the JCOMM task team on the MPERSS was held in Geneva, in September 2016.

The fifth JCOMM session (JCOMM-V, Geneva, October 2017) established the Expert Team on marine environmental emergency response (MEER) to review and revise the MPERSS and broaden JCOMM’s work beyond oil spills and in coordination with other agencies such as IMO and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); and in coordination with the WMO’s Global Data-processing and Forecasting System (GDPFS).

WMO, based on the work of JCOMM, has been developing an implementation strategy and plan for an international coordination framework to support response to marine environmental emergencies, with a focus on the maritime discharge of radioactive hazardous materials and to facilitate the global coordination of marine environmental emergency responses thereby ensuring that the capabilities within the Marine Pollution Emergency Response Support System (MPERSS) for the high seas are effectively coordinated.

Marine Pollution Emergency Response Support System (MPERSS) [under review]

The MPERSS is not fully operational and therefore is currently under review

The Marine Pollution Incident (MPI) areas of the MPERSS have the same geographical distribution as those for the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), and Area Meteorological and Oceanographic Coordinators have been identified for all of them.

Areas of responsibility and National Meteorological Services designated as area meteorological and oceanographic coordinators for issuing of meteorological data for support to marine pollution emergency response operations on the high seas

An Area Meteorological and Oceanographic Coordinator (AMOC) is a national service which may be:

A National Meteorological Service, or
A National Meteorological Service which also operates oceanographic services, or
A National Meteorological Service liaising with Oceanographic Service(s) where these are in operation.

These Services have accepted responsibility for coordinating the provision of regional meteorological information and oceanographic information as appropriate, which is issued to support marine pollution emergency response operations in the designated area for which the Service (or Services) has accepted responsibility. The AMOC is also available to provide relevant support and advice for waters under national jurisdiction within its area if so requested by the countries concerned. These national Services may eventually become designated Regional Specialized Meteorological Centres (RSMCs) for Marine Environmental Emergencies within the WMO Global Data-processing and Forecasting System (GDPFS).

The support supplied by an AMOC (or a Supporting Service) shall include:

Basic meteorological forecasts and warnings tailored for the area(s) concerned;

It may also include:

Basic oceanographic forecasts for the area(s) concerned
The observation, analysis and forecasting of the values of specific meteorological and oceanographic variables required as input to models describing the movement, dispersion, dissipation and dissolution of marine pollution;
In some cases, the operation of these models;
In some cases, access to national and international telecommunications facilities;
Other operational support.

The issued information may have been prepared solely by the AMOC, or by another Supporting Service(s), or a combination of both, on the basis of an agreement between the Services concerned. The location and contact (telephone, e-mail, telex, telefax, etc.) details of any marine pollution emergency response operations authority (or authorities) responsible within the designated Marine Pollution Incident (MPI) area should be maintained on the MPERSS website. National information for this site should be maintained by AMOCs or Supporting Services.

A Supporting Service is a National Meteorological or Oceanographic Service which has accepted the responsibility to provide on request, either directly or to the AMOC, meteorological (basic or enhanced) support for parts of, or an entire, designated MPI area. A Supporting Service should advise the AMOC of the facilities it has available to fulfil its role.

Depending on the location of the incident, Supporting Services may be requested by the emergency authority to provide the meteorological and/or oceanographic support directly to that authority. In such cases, the AMOC should be so advised by the Supporting Service.

Coordinated meteorological support to marine pollution incident (MPI) area Recipient of meteorological data

MPI area	AMOC	Supporting Service	IMO regional marine pollution combatting centres	Remarks
I	United Kingdom	Norway Iceland Ireland France	Relevant Coast Guard Authority / Pollution Control Centre	Norway responsible for Arctic waters north of 71°N
II	France	Portugal Spain	Relevant Coast Guard Authority / Pollution Control Centre	/
IIIA	France	Greece	REMPEC (Malta Centre) / Relevant Coast Guard Authority	/
IIIB	Greece	Malta France	REMPEC (Malta Centre) / Relevant Coast Guard Authority	/
IV	USA	Canada	Relevant Coast Guard Authority. IMO Regional Consultant, Santurce, Puerto Rico (Wider Caribbean)	Canada responsible for Arctic waters north of 67°N
V	Brazil	/	Relevant Coast Guard / Pollution Control Centre	/
VI	Argentina	/	Relevant Coast Guard / Pollution Control Centre	/
VII	South Africa	Réunion	Relevant Coast Guard / Pollution Control Centre	Réunion responsible for the area East of 20°E
VIII(A)	India	/	Relevant Coast Guard / Pollution Control Centre	VIII (A): Area VIII-(B)+(C). Indian Ocean north of the equator, west of 95°E, east of 55°E excluding Area IX
VIII(B)	Kenya	United Republic of Tanzania	Relevant Coast Guard / Pollution Control Centre	VIII (B): 12°N – 10°30'S 55°E to East African Coast
VIII(C)	Mauritius	Réunion	Relevant Coast Guard / Pollution Control Centre	VIII (C): 0° – 30°S 55°E – 95°E
IX	Saudi Arabia	Bahrain	Relevant Coast Guard / Pollution Control Centre	/
X	Australia	/	Relevant Coast Guard / Pollution Control Centre	/
XI(A)	China	Hong Kong	Relevant Coast Guard / Pollution Control Centre	XI (A) 125°E – Mainland China to west boundary of area XI (95°E) (excluding Philippine waters)
XI(B)	Japan	Philippines	Relevant Coast Guard / Pollution Control Centre	East of 125°E – 180° including Philippine waters
XII & XVI	USA	Canada	Relevant Coast Guard / Pollution Control Centre	Canada responsible for Arctic waters north of 67°N
XIII	Russian Federation	/	Relevant Coast Guard / Pollution Control Centre	/
XIV	New Zealand	/	Relevant Coast Guard / Pollution Control Centre	/
XV	Chile	/	Relevant Coast Guard / Pollution Control Centre	/