Monitoring and validation
Models are only as good as the knowledge base and data that lies
behind them. Therefore, it is important to maintain a comprehensive
monitoring programme so that models can be tested against
observational data, to ensure that they accurately reflect the real
world. An assessment of the confidence that can be placed in
model results, known as model validation, must take into account
the complex combination of model and observational
uncertainties.
PML has been monitoring the marine environment since the 1980s
and maintains observations at several stations in the western
English Channel. There is a history of over a century of
observations in this area, including a large range of physical,
chemical and biological measurements. The range of observation
makes it an exceptional area for investigating long-term change and
for the validation of ecosystem models.
Advancing the understanding and interpretation of satellite
signals has enormous potential to relax the difficulties in the
validation of models, as in situ observations are
expensive and time-consuming to obtain. Currently there is a
shortage of data for the distribution of phytoplankton types at the
global scale so PML is developing satellite Earth observation
products that give phytoplankton type-specific primary production
estimates.
Projects