PNRR MER. The mobile oceanographic research sentinel that transforms the sea into a laboratory

UMRO will soon be in the field, a van, the only one of its kind in Europe, equipped with radar to observe the state of the waters and monitor the coasts

A mobile sentinel that brings oceanographic scientific research directly to the field and transforms the sea into a laboratory. It is with this objective that Ispra has started, as part of the “Marine Ecosystem Restoration (MER)” project, financed by the PNRR, the creation of UMRO, the Mobile Oceanographic Research Unit, the only one of its kind in Europe to monitor the sea ​​state, the field of surface currents and bathymetry, that means the measurement of the depth of the coastal seabed, using a 'Wave Radar'. In coastal monitoring, radar data is extremely useful for understanding the causes and effects of erosion and the interactions of waves with coastal infrastructure.