UAE: Dubai Municipality and Unique System FZE Sets Up Permanent Tide Station

Unique System FZE, a Unique Maritime Group Company, which is one of the world’s leading integrated turnkey subsea and offshore solution provider, along with The Geodesy and Hydrographic Survey Section of Dubai Municipality established a permanent tidal station at Al Mamzaar.

Dubai Municipality’s Geodesy and Hydrographic Survey Section of Dubai Municipality has several components comprising of various sub-systems that provide real time monitoring, alerts, warnings and timely dissemination of information to concerned departments.

The contract to build this system was given to Unique System FZE based on the superior understanding of the overall project and experienced staff.

The purpose of the project is to collect precise Tide Data continuously for a period of 19 years for mean sea level calculation, annual sea level rise and to provide precise tide and its related meteorological data to various users and to define and update a precise vertical datum for Dubai Emirate. There is no such permanent tidal station elsewhere in the Gulf region and this is first time in the history of Middle East, such a scientific project is being executed. As a result of significant dredging and construction in the near shore / offshore area of Dubai Emirate the sea level has risen and also due to global warming the Geodesy and Hydrographic Survey Section of the Survey Department, Dubai Municipality, felt the need of a Permanent Tide Gauge Station in the Gulf sea.

The Survey Department of Dubai Municipality already had a network of 5 coastal and offshore tide/meteorological stations which are continuously monitoring and recording tide/met data from 2004 onwards. The Surveyors, Mariners, Fishing Community, Marine /Offshore / Near Shore Construction Engineers, Hydrographers, Coastal Management Group and the Navigators are most benefitted by the tidal information provided by the Survey Department of Dubai Municipality.

Eng. Mohammed Mahmoud Mashroom, the Director of Survey Department of Dubai Municipality commented on this occasion “We are very proud of the achievement of this project where we get the tidal and sea surface information which is not only useful to our department but also to the whole nation”.

Following is the output from the network of tidal stations:

1. Very precise daily tidal variation, annual mean sea level variations, sea level rise due to tsunami /earthquakes/low pressure etc…

2. Atmospheric pressure, atmospheric temperature and sea water temperature, which are the basic reasons for sudden variations in sea levels.

3. Wind speed, wind direction and visibility sensors are monitored with the help of a meteorological station nearby.

4. The most important result from a permanent tidal station is the tidal data, which is used to define a precise vertical datum for Dubai Emirate”.

Ian Huggins, General Manager of Unique System FZE commented “We are very proud of our association with this project and look forward to support Dubai Municipality with our best products and services”.

[mappress]

Press release, February 05, 2013; Image: uniquegroup