Black Sea Marine Forecasting System

General Information

The Black Sea Marine Forecasting System (MFC) is a key contributor to the COPERNICUS Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS), providing regular and systematic information on the physical state of the ocean and marine ecosystems in the Black Sea. The BLK-MFC products include analyses, 10-day forecasts, and re-analyses, offering detailed insights into blue ocean (waves, currents, temperature, salinity, sea level), green ocean (biogeochemistry) and white ocean (ice).
BLK-MFCis designed to deliver state-of-the-art ocean monitoring and prediction services, structured around four main activities:
1. Interfaces with external data providers: Integrating satellite and in situ observations to feed into the forecasting system.
2. Numerical modeling, data assimilation, and quality control: Employing advanced numerical models and data assimilation techniques to ensure high-quality, reliable outputs.
3. Dissemination, archiving, and service desk operations: Ensuring efficient delivery and accessibility of products to end-users.
4. Cross-cutting activities: Enhancing communication, stakeholder engagement, and capacity building through dedicated training programs.
HEREON is responsible for the Waves Physics Production Unit (PU). HEREON also serves as the scientific expert and a leader in Digital Twin of the Ocean (DTO) methodologies, In addition to this operational role, HEREON is also the main responsible party for driving service evolutions, ensuring that the forecasting system remains technologically advanced, efficient, and adaptable to emerging challenges and user needs. HEREON’s expertise ensures a resilient configuration of the system, designed to provide robust solutions even in the face of incidents, while also contributing to the continuous improvement of marine forecasting capabilities for the Black Sea region. This effort supports the integration of innovative technologies and scientific excellence into the CMEMS framework, ensuring the delivery of impactful and reliable marine forecasting services.

EU-Programme Acronym and Subprogramme Area	COPERNICUS Ocean (CMEMS)
Project Type	COPERNICUS Tender
Contract Number	24252L04-COP-MFC BLK
Co-ordinator	Institute of Oceanology (BG)

Funding for the Project (€)	Funding for Hereon (€)
4,199,900	945,000

Contact Person at Hereon

Dr. Joanna Staneva, Institute of Coastal Systems - Analysis and Modeling, Hydrodynamics and Data Assimilation, KSD, Phone: +49 (0)4152 87-1804 E-mail contact

Participants

Centro Euro-Mediterraneo per i Cambiamenti Climatici SCARL (IT), Institute of Oceanology - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BG), Intitutul National de Hidrologie si Gospodarire a Apelor Bucuresti (RO), Modeling and Analysis for Reliable Information to Nurture Environmental Sustainability and Services (MARINES) (BE), Sofiiski Universitet "Sveti KlimentT Ohridski" (BG)

Last Update: 17. October 2025