Objectives and Benefits    

NWAG’s main objectives and benefits are:
1.	to improve understanding of the physical environment, particularly currents, in the Northwest Approaches to the UK; and
2.	to assist in developing meteorological and oceanographic (‘metocean’) operational and design criteria for use in exploration, drilling and field development
This is achieved through:
	exchange of data, information and experiences;
	overview and comparison studies of the metocean regime across the NWAG area
	special studies based on measured, satellite and hindcast data into features such as eddies and the seasonality and joint probability of metocean conditions;
	state-of-the-art numerical modelling of the complex ocean current regime; and
	liaison with other Joint Industry Projects (JIPs) and relevant organisations.
The key benefit of NWAG is that it allows regional metocean studies – in particular numerical modelling – to be carried out at a relatively small cost to individual members.  To illustrate this point, the total membership fees paid by individual members since NWAG was established is less than the cost of deploying a typical deep-water current meter mooring for three months, for example.  Members contribute their extensive proprietary measured current data sets for validation of the numerical models.  The locations of current measurement stations for which NWAG members have data are shown below.