Liverpool NOC Scientists Use Satellites To Track Tidal Changes Enabling Safer Navigation For Ports

CITY CENTRE, CITY OF LIVERPOOL, LIVERPOOL CITY REGION.

Scientists at the UK’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Liverpool have used satellite data to create a unique insight into the iconic Mersey River that will help port operators be smarter about managing complex navigation channels

The Port of Liverpool owned by Peel Ports Group, situated in Seaforth in the Liverpool City Region's Borough of Sefton on the banks of the River Mersey (Credit: Peel Ports/Supplied/Image was provided to The Liverpudlian with permission to share, courtesy of the Publicist on behalf of their client. We make no claim to this content).

Scientists at the UK’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC) headquartered in the Joseph Proudman Building in Liverpool City Centre, have used satellite data to create a unique insight into the iconic Mersey River that will help port operators be smarter about managing complex navigation channels.

Through a novel UK Space Agency funded project focusing on Liverpool’s famous river, NOC’s scientists showed that changes in areas exposed at low tide can be mapped from space.

The project, run in partnership with the Channel Coastal Observatory (CCO) and Peel Ports Group, means port operators could now pre-empt sand or mud moving and blocking their navigation channels, reducing larger remediation works.

Maintaining rivers like the Mersey, which handles more than 60 million tonnes of freight a year through the Peel Ports Group, is important for safe and efficient port operations.

However, it can be expensive and difficult to monitor an estuary of this size regularly enough to keep up with the continual changes in sandbank and channel positions using the standard survey methods that use survey boats or light aircraft.

Satellite derived imagery showing the sandbanks and channels in Liverpool's Mersey Estuary throughout 2021 (Credit: National Oceanography Centre (NOC)/Supplied/Image was provided to The Liverpudlian with permission to share, courtesy of the Publicist on behalf of their client. We make no claim to this content).

Russell Bird, Deputy Group Harbour Master (Hydrographic and Dredging), at Peel Ports Group, said: “Through this project we’ve been given new, fresh insights into parts of the River Mersey.

Russell added: “Gaining an understanding of these areas is helping us to enhance the way we manage navigational safety and dredging strategies. The findings that NOC has achieved has showed us the potential to manage significant changes in the river more proactively.”

The project analysed data from optical and radar satellite images combined with information from the Gladstone Tide Gauge, which sits within the Old Lock Keeper's Office at the entrance to Gladstone Dock, in Liverpool.

These were further combined with fine scale water level data from the new Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite, launched in December 2023 that enabled more precise estimates of tidal water levels right across the estuary.

The analysis enabled the team to map changes in the riverbed from 2018 to 2023. These maps then provide a clearer picture of how the river is evolving, helping experts plan dredging operations more effectively and avoid unnecessary costs.

Lydia Green, Head of Business Engagement at UK Space Agency, said: “A key aim of the Unlocking Space for Business programme is to support businesses to benefit from the use of satellite solutions by addressing key sector challenges. NOC’s project is a great example of how satellite data can be used to deliver operational efficiencies within UK ports and gives the organisation a competitive edge with new insights into coastal areas.”

Christine Sams, one of the project leads at NOC at the time, said: “This project shows how cutting-edge satellite technology can help us understand the physical changes happening in dynamic environments like the River Mersey. It’s an exciting step forward for managing coastal areas like Liverpool and beyond.”

Dr Paul Bell, co-lead on the project, explains: “The phenomenal advances in the capabilities of the latest satellites are fuelling a revolution in our ability to observe complex and dynamic areas like the Mersey Estuary on a regular basis.

He added: “We are combining these new satellite capabilities with cutting edge algorithms developed at the NOC that distil this huge volume of data into 3D maps of the estuary that we can turn into movies showing how the sandbanks and channels move around.” 

The success of this project builds on years of research and development funded across multiple projects and puts Liverpool at the forefront of using innovative technology to address challenges in coastal management, with the potential for these methods to benefit other parts of the UK in the future.