Director's introduction

Welcome to the web site of the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory (POL). POL is a research laboratory fully owned by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). We are embarking on an exciting phase in the development of our laboratory. In 2004 we moved to the new purpose built Joseph Proudman Building located on the campus of the University of Liverpool. As a result of this relocation our scientists have expanded their research collaborations with a wide range of colleagues based in the University of Liverpool. I am particularly pleased to see a substantial increase in postgraduate students based in our laboratory. It is important for the health of marine science that POL is engaged in training the next generation of marine scientists.

Together with six other UK marine laboratories, POL is participating in Oceans 2025 the 5-year NERC strategic marine science programme launched in April 2007. You will find further information about our work in this programme on this web site. Some of the highlights of our Oceans 2025 research include:

• prediction of regional sea level change and coastal flooding over the next few decades
  
• unlocking the interactions between ocean mixing and marine primary production
  
• the development of a new UK ocean circulation model that that will ultimately form part of an improved climate prediction model
  
• in partnership with others the development of the Liverpool Bay Coastal Observatory to encompass the entire Irish Sea

We welcome the opportunity to show visitors the work carried out by our scientists and engineers. Please contact me if you would like to visit POL, or indeed if you have any questions about our work.

Prof Andrew Willmott

Director of POL