Introduction

The Quijote Pilot Project is a C-GOOS Pilot Project that has now progressed to the operational stage. This article provides a brief introduction to Quijote. As such, it also offers a demonstration and an example to other regions.

The Quijote Project was established three years ago in the South Western Atlantic Ocean region as a co-operative effort to monitor, protect and forecast the coastal ocean of Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil under the Coastal GOOS principles. As a proof of concept, the first two years, after the initial implementation period, were used to demonstrate the feasibility of such a program in the region. Having demonstrated that it was possible to establish such a system, it was decided to select the areas where it was feasible to build a truly operational coastal observing and monitoring system. The Data Observing Network, which includes some automatic meteocean stations and forecast services, like the surge and waves forecast (SWAO), are today fully operational. The system is being expanded, increasing the meteocean station sites to the Amazon basin, and consolidating the forecast services with new and more powerful hardware. Forecast and data products and services are being delivered to end-users (harbour authorities, fisheries industry, general public, etc.) in real and near real time, using data telemetry and the Internet.  

The Past

                From October 26 to November 2, 1998, the Center for Marine Studies of the Federal University of Paraná, Brazil conducted a series of workshops under the auspices of the Coastal Panel of the Global Ocean Observing System (C-GOOS).  The workshops provided a forum for South American scientists to develop a plan for a regional network that would provide the infrastructure for a natural hazards early warning system. This gave rise to the Quickly Integrated Joint Observing Team (QuIJOTe) Pilot Project (www.cem.ufpr.br/fisica/quijote.htm). The first step was to establish the Data Observing Network (DON) for Quijote, which links government agencies and scientists throughout the SW Atlantic (from the Patagonian to the Amazon basin) based on the design principles of the coastal module of the Global Ocean Observing System (http://ioc.unesco.org/iocweb/iocpub/iocpdf/i1146.pdf).  The network is the base of an OPERATIONAL OBSERVING SYSTEM that will benefit the nations, scientists and people of the region by providing more timely and accurate forecasts of natural hazards and their effects on coastal populations and ecosystems. There were two objectives: (1) to establish the initial observing system and (2) to develop a mature and integrated system by entraining new scientists, institutions, agencies and governmental projects with real potential for C-GOOS monitoring. The Quijote Pilot Project is being used as a model for the development of regional GOOS pilot projects in the Southern Hemisphere.

                The Quijote Pilot Project was eventually organised around five modules that incorporate multi- and bi-lateral governmental projects, multi-institutional initiatives, and interdisciplinary teams of scientists as follows:

RedSur Network – a communication and discussion forum on Internet.

Estuarine Interconnections – to monitor and compare estuarine ecosystems.

Beach-Watch – to monitor coastal erosion and prevent natural hazards.

SW Atlantic Ocean Modeller – to run an operational coastal dynamic forecast model.

Data Observing Network – to link and operate coastal meteocean stations.

These were proof of concept projects that had a finite duration and were intended to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of an operational system for the coastal zone designed according to GOOS principles.

                During 1999 and 2000, Quijote delivered the following products via the Internet: (1) coastal weather information from met-ocean stations from Bahia Blanca and Mar del Plata, Argentina, Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo and Bahia, Brazil; (2) sea level data from Ing. White; Mar del Plata, Argentina, Montevideo, Uruguay, Rio Grande, Itajai, Paranaguá, Cananéia and Salvador, Brazil; (3) beach profiles updated at monthly to bi-annual intervals; and (4) results of coastal and estuarine hydrographic surveys. The RedSur network was used to communicate results, methods, and other relevant information for the coastal community. Most of the results are still presented at http://www.cem.ufpr.br/fisica/quijote.htm

Products & Achievements

The achievements of the Quijote can be illustrated with a few examples. In one of them, a study about a significant storm surge was used to prove the capacity of monitoring and forecasting such an event, which is common along the South American Atlantic coast. The results of this work were helpful not only to better understand the phenomenon, but also allowed improvements to the forecasting techniques. Figure 1 shows sea level and meteorological data that were collected during this event, from Northern Patagonia to Brazilian Northeast. It is important to note that this “snapshot” of a regional phenomenon was only possible because the Data Observing Network was operational at this time. The data was also available in near real time, at the Internet, for the general public and other users.

During 2001, the Institute of Astronomy, Geophysics and Atmospheric Sciences of the University of São Paulo provided public access to the South Western Atlantic Ocean Modeller products and services (http://www.surge.iag.usp.br). Here, end users and the general public can view numerical forecasts of sea level for up to 120 hours in advance. The forecast includes not only operational storm surge prediction, but also forecasts of current and wave fields  (Figure 2). This is the result of the hard work of a group who integrated atmospheric (RAMS - Regional Atmospheric Modelling System) with oceanic (POM - Princeton Ocean Model) and wave (WW3 - WaveWatch-III) models, producing operational services. The home page is up-dated with the results of daily runs at 11:00 GMT for sea level and currents and at 15:00 GMT for waves, for an area from the Patagonian shelf (Argentina) to Espírito Santo State, Brazil.

Another important product that has been released is the timely and operational output of the data that is being collected on-line at the Paranaguá bay mouth, as well as from other coastal stations. Figure 3 shows some observed parameters that supply the Paranaguá Harbour Authority system with environmental data to enhance coastal and marine operations. Other users, from the general public to the ship industry, will be also included soon as regular users with the Internet publication of some of these data. Additionally it should be mentioned, that one of the members of Quijote, the Integrated Center of Meteorology and Hydrological Resources of Santa Catarina (CLIMERH/EPAGRI) is now also running the MeteoPesca service, which provides an operational meteorological and oceanographic forecasting and data observing system for the fisheries industry (http://climerh.rct-sc.br/).

 The first example shows the importance of collaboration in order to understand "trans-border" problems. The second example demonstrates how to use this knowledge and the regional expertise to forecast such events. The final example shows how a permanent monitoring network of coastal stations can help different kinds of users.

                Finally, it should be stressed that the work of the Quijote team members was accomplished using their own resources. No financial support of any kind was requested or obtained to support the individuals who dedicated time and instruments to this proof of concept project. In the past two years of operation, it was possible to prove that:

(1) the region has the human resources to operate coastal monitoring programs,

(2) there is strong interest in regional coastal monitoring products,

(3) existing instrumentation and infrastructure were adequate for a pilot project, and

(4) institutional support and funding will be required to continue the operation and improve it.

Although local support was offered in a few cases (thanks to the Santa Catarina Government, the Paranaguá Harbour Authority and the São Paulo Science Foundation), maintaining the system is difficult in a volunteer mode of operation. In several cases, gaps in the data streams occurred because coastal stations of the Quijote’s network stopped working due to technical problems. Without financial support, it is difficult, or even impossible, to re-establish these data streams.

                In order to develop long-term support for the observing activities, official recognition at the national GOOS level, formation of a regional GOOS alliance and support/endorsement by the GOOS Steering Committee are seen as key points. In addition, potential end-users must be made aware of the benefits of such a system. Training must be provided so that maximum use can be made of the data and information in the decision-making process. Governments must be convinced that investing now in enhancing the benefits to the private sector and engaging their participation will benefit their citizens and be cost-effective to governments in the long run.

The present

                With the successes and the experiences acquired during the first two years, the Quijote team has begun to work on a more "institutional" approach. Members in Argentina are looking for extra support to maintain the coastal stations. In Brazil, the group is growing and will receive support from the Millennium Initiative Program by the end of 2001. The project will establish a permanent coastal observing network, including coastal met-ocean stations and real-time on-line data telemetry and display for the entire Brazilian coast, from the Amazon to the Uruguayan border. The actual fully equipped coastal met-ocean stations, now operational, are being enhanced for real-time data telemetry and Internet access. Additional stations, up to eight, will be installed or upgraded. To complete the network, Quijote is seeking support for the Argentinean and Uruguayan region. Other monitoring programs, such as the beach profile monitoring and some of the estuarine surveys, continue to be performed.

The future