Clear

Dr Christopher Balfour

Job Title
Applied Physicist
Site
Liverpool
Phone
54826

Biography

I am employed as an electronics engineer with the primary responsibility to provide support for the scientific work that is undertaken by the Coastal and Shelf Seas Group at the National Oceanography Centre, Liverpool (NOCL). This work includes marine instrument development, deployment, recovery, remote monitoring and measurement data quality management.

Research interests

Development of robust marine instrumentation systems along with the associated organisation, recording and quality control of the data these systems generate.

Design and implementation of engineering systems to exploit techniques that allow real time data transfer from remotely deployed marine instruments.

Projects

Current and Previous Projects

Electric Gliders are small energy-efficient battery powered autonomous underwater vehicles that are being used to provide measurements for extended scientific studies. Gliders are capable of undertaking underwater surveys in adverse weather typically have an endurance of between 2 weeks and 3 months depending on the type of batteries used, the type of sensors and how often information from the sensors is recorded. I am the NOCL engineer responsible for the provision of technical support and development work to allow the required operation of these vehicles and the integration of new sensors.

The NOC Liverpool FerryBox was an instrumented Irish Sea passenger and cargo ferry that provided cost effective quality controlled long term data and near real time oceanographic measurements. The ferry regularly sailed between Birkenhead (close to Liverpool, UK) and Dublin, Ireland. The FerryBox provided water quality measurements of near surface seawater along full transects across the Irish Sea from 2003 until the ferry route closure in 2011.

The Coastal Observatory operated from 2002 to 2012 and was aimed at long term physical oceanographic studies of shelf seas. A suite of oceanographic instrumentation including FerryBoxes, gliders, moorings and buoys were used by the observatory. The primary area of study was the Liverpool Bay and eastern Irish Sea.

Roles Provided

Oceanographic sensor use and development.

Profile photo

Publications

Authors

García‐Martín, E. Elena ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4807-3287; Sanders, Richard ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6884-7131; Evans, Chris D. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7052-354X; Kitidis, Vassilis; Lapworth, Dan J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7838-7960; Spears, Bryan M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0876-0405; Tye, Andy; Williamson, Jennifer L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8216-5885; Balfour, Chris; Best, Mike; Bowes, Michael; Breimann, Sarah; Brown, Ian J.; Burden, Annette ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7694-1638; Callaghan, Nathan; Dise, Nancy B. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0463-6885; Farr, Gareth; Felgate, Stacey L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9955-4948; Fishwick, James; Fraser, Mike; Gibb, Stuart; Gilbert, Pete J.; Godsell, Nina; Gomez‐Castillo, Africa P.; Hargreaves, Geoff ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4361-6134; Harris, Carolyn; Jones, Oban; Kennedy, Paul; Lichtschlag, Anna ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8281-2165; Martin, Adrian P. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1202-8612; May, Rebecca; Mawji, Edward; Mounteney, Ian; Nightingale, Philip D.; Olszewska, Justyna P. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4910-2206; Painter, Stuart C.; Pearce, Christopher R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4382-2341; Pereira, M. Glória ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3740-0019; Peel, Kate; Pickard, Amy ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1355-8877; Stephens, John A.; Stinchcombe, Mark; Thornton, Barry; Woodward, E. Malcolm S.; Yarrow, Deborah; Mayor, Daniel J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1295-0041. 2023 Sources, composition, and export of particulate organic matter across British estuaries. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 128 (4), e2023JG007420. 15, pp. 10.1029/2023JG007420

Publication year

2023

Publication type

Article

Authors

Garcia-Martin, E. Elena ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4807-3287; Sanders, Richard ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6884-7131; Evans, Chris D. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7052-354X; Kitidis, Vassilis; Lapworth, Dan J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7838-7960; Rees, Andrew P.; Spears, Bryan M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0876-0405; Tye, Andy; Williamson, Jennifer L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8216-5885; Balfour, Chris; Best, Mike; Bowes, Michael; Breimann, Sarah; Brown, Ian J.; Burden, Annette ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7694-1638; Callaghan, Nathan ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0273-6161; Felgate, Stacey L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9955-4948; Fishwick, James; Fraser, Mike; Gibb, Stuart W.; Gilbert, Pete J.; Godsell, Nina; Gomez‐Castillo, Africa P.; Hargreaves, Geoff ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4361-6134; Jones, Oban; Kennedy, Paul; Lichtschlag, Anna ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8281-2165; Martin, Adrian ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1202-8612; May, Rebecca; Mawji, Edward; Mounteney, Ian; Nightingale, Philip D.; Olszewska, Justyna P. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4910-2206; Painter, Stuart C.; Pearce, Christopher R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4382-2341; Pereira, M. Gloria ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3740-0019; Peel, Kate; Pickard, Amy ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1069-3720; Stephens, John A.; Stinchcombe, Mark; Williams, Peter; Woodward, E. Malcolm S.; Yarrow, Deborah; Mayor, Daniel J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1295-0041. 2021 Contrasting estuarine processing of dissolved organic matter derived from natural and human‐impacted landscapes. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 35 (10), e2021GB007023. 17, pp. 10.1029/2021GB007023

Publication year

2021

Publication type

Article

Authors

Brown, Jennifer ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3894-4651; Yelland, Margaret ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0936-4957; Pascal, Robin; Pullen, T.; Cardwell, Christopher ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1305-4174; Jones, David; Pinnell, Richard ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2102-2028; Silva, E.; Balfour, Christopher; Hargreaves, Geoff ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4361-6134; Martin, Barry; Bell, Paul ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4673-4822; Prime, Thomas; Burgess, Jill; Eastwood, Lisa; Martin, A.; Gold, I.; Bird, Cai; Thompson, C.; Farrington, B.. 2020 WireWall – a new approach to measuring coastal wave hazard. Southampton, National Oceanography Centre, 115pp. (National Oceanography Centre Research and Consultancy Report, 66)

Publication year

2020

Publication type

Monograph

Authors

Balfour, C.; Hopkins, J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1504-3671; Kenny, J.; Jones, D.S.; Jones, E.. 2016 NOC Liverpool report for the Wirewalker underwater profiler deployment for the RidgeMix research programme. Southampton, National Oceanography Centre, 36pp. (National Oceanography Centre Research and Consultancy Report, 57)

Publication year

2016

Publication type

Monograph

Authors

Balfour, C.; Williams, M.; Cooke, R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9259-6205; Amoudry, L.; Souza, A.. 2015 NOC Liverpool report for the miniSTABLE benthic lander deployments as part of the UK-SSB research programme. Southampton, National Oceanography Centre, 71pp. (National Oceanography Centre Research and Consultancy Report, 53)

Publication year

2015

Publication type

Monograph

Authors

Palmer, M.R.; Stephenson, G.R.; Inall, M.E.; Balfour, C.; Dusterhus, A.; Green, J.A.M.. 2015 Turbulence and mixing by internal waves in the Celtic Sea determined from ocean glider microstructure measurements. Journal of Marine Systems, 144. 57-69. 10.1016/j.jmarsys.2014.11.005

Publication year

2015

Publication type

Article

Publication year

2014

Publication type

Article

Authors

Balfour, C.; Palmer, M.. 2013 NOC Liverpool report for the UK-IMON Project. April-June 2013 Unit 194 Glider deployment. Southampton, National Oceanography Centre, 41pp. (National Oceanography Centre Research and Consultancy Report, 39)

Publication year

2013

Publication type

Monograph

Authors

Balfour, C.A.; Howarth, M.J.; Jones, D.S.; Doyle, T.. 2013 The Design and Development of an Irish Sea Passenger-Ferry-Based Oceanographic Measurement System. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 30 (6). 1226-1239. 10.1175/JTECH-D-12-00223.1

Publication year

2013

Publication type

Article

Authors

Palmer, Matthew; Balfour, Christopher; Gowen, Richard. 2013 UK-IMON Milestone report 3c; Final report on Glider implementation study. DEFRA (CEFAS) report ME5309 (C5801). Liverpool, National Oceanography Centre. (Unpublished)

Publication year

2013

Publication type

Monograph

Authors

Balfour, C.. 2012 RRS Discovery Cruise D381B OSMOSIS Project: Turbulence glider operations report – September 2012. Southampton, National Oceanography Centre, 32pp. (National Oceanography Centre Research and Consultancy Report, 24)

Publication year

2012

Publication type

Monograph

Publication year

2012

Publication type

Article

Authors

Balfour, C.. 2012 NOC RRS Discovery Cruise D376. Glider operations report, June - July 2012. Southampton, National Oceanography Centre, 22pp. (National Oceanography Centre Research and Consultancy Report, 17)

Publication year

2012

Publication type

Monograph

Authors

Balfour, C.; Knight, P.. 2012 NOC Liverpool Unit 117 Glider deployment report for the DEFRA MAREMAP Project, April - May 2012 deployment. Southampton, National Oceanography Centre, 22pp. (National Oceanography Centre Research and Consultancy Report, 18)

Publication year

2012

Publication type

Monograph

Authors

Balfour, C.; Knight, P.; McLaughlin, D.. 2011 NOC turbulence glider deployment report for the Liverpool Bay Coastal Observatory, June 2011 deployment. Southampton, National Oceanography Centre, 23pp. (National Oceanography Centre Research and Consultancy Report, 11)

Publication year

2011

Publication type

Monograph

Authors

Balfour, C.; Knight, P.; McLaughlin, D.. 2011 NOC turbulence glider deployment report for the OSMOSIS Project. Southampton, National Oceanography Centre, 25pp. (National Oceanography Centre Research and Consultancy Report, 06)

Publication year

2011

Publication type

Monograph

Authors

Knight, Phil; Balfour, Chris; Kenny, John; McLaughlin, Danny. 2010 POL glider second sea trial: January 2010. Liverpool, Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory, 22pp. (POL Internal Document No. 198) (Unpublished)

Publication year

2010

Publication type

Monograph

Authors

Howarth, M.J.; Proctor, R.; Balfour, C.; Greenwood, N.; Knight, P.; Palmer, M.; Player, R.. 2010 The Liverpool Bay Coastal Observatory. In: Dahlin, H.; et al, ., (eds.) Coastal to Global Operational Oceanography: Achievements and Challenges. Procs Fifth International Conference on EuroGOOS, Exeter, 20-22 May 2008. Norrkoping, Sweden, EuroGOOS Office, 507-512. (EuroGOOS Publication, 28).

Publication year

2010

Publication type

Book section

Authors

Knight, Phil; Balfour, Chris; Kenny, John; McLaughlin, Danny. 2009 POL glider facility: (July 2009). Liverpool, Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory, 10pp. (POL Internal Document No. 192) (Unpublished)

Publication year

2009

Publication type

Monograph

Authors

Knight, Phil; Balfour, Chris; Kenny, John; McLaughlin, Danny. 2009 POL glider first sea trial: (November 2009). Liverpool, Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory, 17pp. (POL Internal Document No. 197) (Unpublished)

Publication year

2009

Publication type

Monograph

Authors

Howarth, M. John; Proctor, Roger; Balfour, Chris; Knight, Philip J.; Palmer, Matthew; Player, Rose J.. 2008 The Liverpool Bay Coastal Observatory. In: PECS 2008: Physics of Estuaries and Coastal Seas, Liverpool, UK, 25th - 29th August 2008. Liverpool, 411-414.

Publication year

2008

Publication type

Conference item

Authors

Balfour, C. A.; Howarth, M. J.; Smithson, M. J.; Jones, D. S.; Pugh, J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7173-1674. 2007 The use of ships of opportunity for Irish Sea based oceanographic measurements. [Other] In: Oceans '07 IEEE Aberdeen, conference proceedings. Marine challenges: coastline to deep sea, Aberdeen, Scotland, 18-21 June 2007. IEEE.

Publication year

2007

Publication type

Conference item