The oceans affect us all. They cover about 70% of the Earth’s surface and around 60% of the world's population lives within 200 km of the coast. For those who work at sea or live near the coast, forecasts of ocean conditions can be just as important as forecasts of the weather. Rough seas and strong currents can make many marine activities difficult or dangerous. High waves or storm surges can lead to coastal flooding. Ocean currents transport and disperse oil slicks and other marine pollution. Changes in ocean temperature can affect the marine ecosystem, from plankton through to fisheries.

NCOF builds on existing collaborations which bring together the operational forecasting capabilities of the Met Office with the world-class research carried out by a number of the UK’s leading marine and oceanographic research centres, much of which is funded through the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

Ocean information is required by many different organisations for many purposes; for disaster mitigation, ensuring safety at sea, marine and offshore operations, sustainable development and exploitation of the marine environment. Ocean forecasts are also used by the Royal Navy. Government agencies (such as Defra, Environment Agency, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Fisheries Laboratories) have increasing requirements for ocean information to protect and manage the marine environment in line with EC regulations, especially in coastal waters. Making ocean forecast information readily available to them is vital to ensure their needs are met. Through this partnership, NCOF will deliver ocean forecasts based on the latest research to users across Government, commerce and research.

NCOF will also provide a focused UK contribution to European plans to develop an operational oceanography capability under the EC GMES (Global Modelling for Environment and Security) initiative to better understand and manage the ocean environment. Through the GMES Marine Environment and Security for the European Area (MERSEA) project we are working closely with the French Mercator consortium to advance the goal of operational ocean forecasting in Europe.

With our global ocean modelling capability, NCOF products and services will be a major contribution to the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), as well as its European component EuroGOOS.