Three research programmes at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences have been given new funds to continue their work.

The Bermuda Bio-Optics Programme was awarded cash by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Hydrostation S was backed by the US National Science Foundation, meaning both programmes will be funded up to 2025.

The NOAA Surface Ocean Carbon Network has been pledged funding until 2026 by the US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Bios’s Currents newsletter said all three programmes have gathered valuable data about climate change.

The newsletter said: “Over time, long-term ocean monitoring programs can resolve annual changes in function of marine ecosystems and highlight shorter-term features, such as eddies, that play important roles in the physical, chemical and biological structure of marine ecosystems.”

The Bermuda Bio-Optics Project, launched in 1992, has made regular observations of underwater light fields in the open ocean.

Hydrostation S was launched in 1954 and has since created the longest running time-series for ocean data, which has been used for a wide range of studies.

Nick Bates, BIOS senior scientist and director of research, said: “In the coming years we will look at how data from Hydrostation ‘S’ fits in with data from the Bermuda Atlantic Time Series, including the running of a workshop to focus on this topic.

“It’s our goal to see this programme go past 100 years.”

The NOAA Surface Ocean Carbon Network studies carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, including measurements of temperature, salinity and pCO2 – a measurement that helps scientists determine if the ocean is releasing or absorbing CO2.

A paper published last year used data from the network to show a drop in CO2 emissions and an increase in oceanic uptake during the global Covid-19 lockdown.