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Long-Term Ocean Climate Observations (LOCO)
Many aspects of the climate system, like the driving mechanisms for natural climate variability, are still poorly understood. This hinders reliable future climate predictions. Understanding climate variability and the development of climate models with predictive capabilities is the goal of the international programme on Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR), a core programme of the WCRP (World Climate Research Programme). Long-term, reliable and consistent observations at a series of critical locations in the world ocean circulation are an important element for the implementation of CLIVAR.
The LOCO (Long-Term Ocean Climate Observations) project, funded by NWO, is a Dutch contribution to CLIVAR and other internationally coordinated programmes and activities. LOCO mainly funds the investments needed to establish Eulerian Ocean Observatories. Funding for the exploitation of the Atlantic observatories was received from the BSIK Climate changes Spatial Planning (CcSP) programme; the CS1 project.
The "permanent" Eulerian observatories contribute to the OceanSITES worldwide system of long-term, deepwater reference stations. During 3 years a LOCO mooring in the Indonesian Lifamatola Passage contributed to the international INSTANT programme, studying the Indonesian Throughflow.   View/download LOCO proposal  (~360 kB)
List of LOCO Research Cruises:   ·         North/South Atlantic Ocean [ 64PE308 ] - RV Pelagia (June/July 2009)   ·         North Atlantic Ocean [ D332 ] (Irminger Sea) (Note: combined LOCO/VAMOC cruise) - RRS Discovery (August/September 2008)   ·         Mozambique Channel [ M75/1b ] - RV Meteor (January/February 2008)   ·         North/South Atlantic Ocean [ 64PE279 ] - RV Pelagia (November/December 2007)   ·         Eastern Indonesia [ - ] (Note: part of the INSTANT cruise) - RV Baruna Jaya I (December 2006)   ·         North Atlantic Ocean [ D309/310 ] (Irminger Sea) - RRS Discovery (August/September 2006)   ·         North Atlantic Ocean [ 64PE248 ] (Canary Basin) (Note: combined BSIK/LOCO-IW/Towed ADCP cruise) - RV Pelagia (May/June 2006)   ·         Mozambique Channel [ D301/302 ] - RRS Discovery (March/April 2006)   ·         North Atlantic Ocean [ 64PE240 ] (Irminger Sea) (Note: combined BSIK/CAMP/LOCO/CIS cruise) - RV Pelagia (September/October 2005)   ·         Eastern Indonesia [ - ] - RV Baruna Jaya I (July 2005)   ·         Mozambique Channel [ D289B ] - RRS Discovery (February/March 2005)   ·         North Atlantic Ocean [ 64PE231 ] (Canary Basin) - RV Pelagia (October/November 2004)   ·         North Atlantic Ocean [ CD163/164B ] (Irminger Sea) - RRS Charles Darwin (September/October 2004)   ·         Eastern Indonesia [ - ] - RV Baruna Jaya I (January 2004)   ·         Mozambique Channel [ CD153B ] - RRS Charles Darwin (November 2003)   ·         North Atlantic Ocean [ 64PE216 ] (Irminger Sea) - RV Pelagia (August/September 2003)   ·         North Atlantic Ocean [ 64PE208 ] (Canary Basin) - RV Pelagia (February/March 2003)