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A delegation of NOCS scientists was recently (21-25 April) in Cape Town  for a workshop to promote the adoption of coastal altimetry along the coasts of Africa. Val Byfield, Peter Challenor, Paolo Cipollini, Andy Shaw, Helen Snaith and Kate Stansfield took part in the ALTICORE- Africa workshop, sponsored by the Royal Society, alongside several colleagues from a range of South African research institutions. This initiative follows on the EU/INTAS ALTICORE Project, which pioneered knowledge transfer in coastal altimetry and is synergistic with the ESA-funded COASTALT Project led by NOCS (click here to go to home page). Southern Africa is surrounded by very different and highly dynamic marine ecosystems; the Agulhas Current is a key component of the global circulation, and the Benguela System is one of the most productive upwelling regions in the world. These provide unique living laboratories in which to develop world-class research and operational capabilities in coastal altimetry, and demonstrate its benefits to a broad spectrum of user groups. ALTICORE-Africa, whose development plan was the focus of the workshop, will be a vehicle for capacity development and knowledge exchange. It can also play a valuable role as a science and technology demonstrator, e.g. in a prediction system for rogue waves or storm surges. The programme aims to build a sustainable regional capability in coastal altimetry, and will foster scientific expertise, build infrastructural capacity, and support broad and informed product use as part of the GOOS-Africa development strategy 
Some of the attendees, From left, front row: Kate Stansfield (NOCS), Issufo Halo (Univ. of Cape Town), Stewart Bernard (UCT/CSIR); middle row: Andy Shaw (NOCS), Marjolaine Rouault (CSIR), Helen Snaith (NOCS), Val Byfield (NOCS); back: Peter Challenor (NOCS), Ian Hunter (South African Weather Service), Paolo Cipollini(NOCS). FINAL REPORT The final report of the workshop can be downloaded here FINAL AGENDA AND AVAILABLE PRESENTATIONS | Day 1: Coastal radar altimetry: applications, limitations and potential for improvement | | 09:00 – 10:30 | - Basics and history of Altimetry areas [Peter Challenor/Helen Snaith] - Existing altimetry products and their application areas [Peter Challenor/Helen Snaith] - An introduction to coastal altimetry, covering the development of the field, recent programs (ALBICOCCA/ALTICORE/COASTALT/PISTACH) and the potential new applications in coastal and shelf seas; [Paolo Cipollini]  | | 10:30 - 11:00 | Tea | | 11:00 – 12:30 | - Product requirements for new applications – the results of the PISTACH and COASTALT surveys [Paolo Cipollini] - Atmospheric corrections in coastal and shelf seas, with particular reference to Wet Tropospheric correction and Ionospheric correction [Helen Snaith/Paolo Cipollini] - Evaluation of coastal tidal models and comparison with tide gauge data [Andy Shaw/Helen Snaith] | | 12:30 – 14:00 | Lunch | | 14:00 – 15:30 | - Requirements for validation and performance assessment [Paolo Cipollini] - Outreach aspects of Alticore [Val Byfield] - Facilitating access to data via web services and OPeNDAP – The ALTICORE experience [Helen Snaith] | | 15:30 – 16:00 | Tea | | 16:00 – 17:00 | Discussion session to identify requirements and gaps in existing altimetry products |
| Day 2: South-African coasts and shelf seas as a test area for coastal altimetry | | 09:00 – 10:30 | - Characteristics of the area: wind and wave regimes, tide, currents, [Frank Shillington] - Greater St Helena Bay dynamics: HABS and phytoplankton dynamics [Grant Pitcher] - East Coast and Delagoa Bight eddy dynamics [Mike Roberts] - Current regional altimetry studies: Angola/Agulhas/Madagascar [Mathieu Rouault] | | 10:30 - 11:00 | Tea | | 11:00 – 12:30 | - Agulhas source/Mozambique channel & modelling [Issufo Halo] - West Coast high resolution modelling [Jennifer Veitch] - Agulhas cold ridge modelling [Nicolette Chang] - Numerical modelling of the Agulhas Current [Pierrick Penven] - CSIR mesoscale modelling research [Roy van Ballegooyen] | | 12:30 – 14:00 | Lunch | | 14:00 – 15:30 | - Current high resolution Remote Sensing efforts [Christo Whittle] - Planned implementation of SAR data [Marjolaine Rouault] - Saeon & long term observation networks [Wayne Goschen] - ODIN-Africa Sea Level Monitoring/tidal modelling [Geoff Brundrit] - Perspective of the South African Weather Service [Ian Hunter] | | 15:30 - 16:00 | Tea | | 16:00 – 17:00 | Discussion session to identify study areas and regional resources |
| Day 3: Relevant work in other regions | | 09:00 – 10:30 | - Sea level and tidal studies [Andy Shaw] | | 10:30 - 11:00 | Tea | | 11:00 – 12:30 | Discussion session to identify strengths, synergies and gaps | | 12:30 – 14:00 | Lunch | Afternoon available for brainstorming |
| Day 4: Mapping the way forward: Discussion session | | 09:00 – 10:30 | - Review of reports from discussion sessions in days 1-3 - Regional algorithm development | | 10:30 - 11:00 | Tea | | 11:00 – 12:30 | - Validation and performance assessment - Test area | | 12:30 – 14:00 | Lunch | | 14:00 – 15:30 | - Shared access to data and other resources - Potential resources/funding for collaborative research | | 15:30 - 16:00 | Tea | | 16:00 – 17:00 | Where next? |
| Day 5: Mapping the way forward: Discussion session | | 09:00 – 10:30 | Summary and plans for future collaborative research | | 10:30 - 11:00 | Tea | | 11:00 – 12:30 | - Brief outline of project plans to LME representatives and other potential end users to include potential applications of coastal altimetry, and plans for scientific collaboration | | 12:30 – 14:00 | Lunch | | 14:00 – 15:30 | - Discussion of how ALTICORE-Africa may work with the LMEs and other potential end users to ensure that plans for a project to develop coastal altimetry products for Africa can obtain sufficient resources to succeed, in terms of data, scientific effort and financial support - Discussion of how project results may lead to future development of coastal altimetry products for other regions of sub-Saharan Africa | | 15:30 - 16:00 | Tea |
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