COSYNA ("Coastal Observing System for Northern and Arctic Seas")

The principal goal of the COSYNA-Project is the construction of a long-term observatory for the German part of the North Sea. Elements of the observatory should also be deployed as prototype modules in arctic coastal waters. This is expected to strengthen and bundle expertise and infrastructural equipment existing at the two Helmholtz Association centres GKSS and AWI with expertise available within the consortium of German marine research (KDM) in order to create a centrally managed, operational, large-scale monitoring and modelling system. By providing knowledge as well as hardware, the system will, in addition, enable future research projects pursued by individual partners within the consortium. In cooperation and agreement with the German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH), GKSS seeks to pinpoint the German role in the international development of marine monitoring and long-term observational strategies. As a nationally funded project COSYNA is aimed to link to European partners.