Britain is scheduled to announce today in New York its intention to join OceanEye, a significant new ocean science programme led by the EU. The initiative aims to enhance the forecasting of extreme weather and climate events.
The announcement comes as Andy Burnham's government seeks to strengthen the UK's relationship with Europe. It also follows warnings about this year's "supersized" El Niño, tracked in the Pacific Ocean, which is expected to contribute to more extreme global weather.
The EU launched OceanEye in June with a €92m (£78m) investment to boost its role in ocean observation. The programme plans to create a digital "real time" replica model of the ocean by 2030, using data from satellites, sensors, and other models, to aid decisions on ocean protection and security.
Environment Secretary Angela Eagle is expected to make the announcement at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The meeting will reportedly be attended by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The UK will share more data from the Met Office and other agencies with the EU and Canada as part of its participation.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs stated that joining the alliance to support and provide data to the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) could help better protect Britain from the impacts of climate change.