SOCIB: The Balearic Islands Coastal Ocean Observing and Forecasting System Responding to Science, Technology and Society Needs

Abstract

New monitoring technologies are being progressively implemented in open-ocean and coastal observatories. The Mediterranean Sea is a well-known, reduced-scale ocean, an ideal natural laboratory to study global ocean processes, in particular those associated with meso- and submesoscale variability, interactions with mean flows and associated ecosystem response. SOCIB, the Balearic Islands Coastal Ocean Observing and Forecasting System, is one of such observatories, a multiplatform distributed and integrated system, a facility of facilities that extends from the nearshore to the open sea. SOCIB profits from the strategic position of the Balearic Islands at the Atlantic/Mediterranean transition area, one of the “hot spots” of biodiversity in the world’s oceans, and also of societal needs in islands where preservation of the environment is essential to assure both residents’ welfare and the competitiveness of the tourist sector. SOCIB is unique in that, from peer-reviewed excellence, its mission and objectives are science-, technology-, and society-driven. These types of new marine infrastructures, because of their critical mass and sustained funding, are presently establishing new ways of international cooperation, leading to major science breakthroughs, innovations in oceanographic instrumentation, and new ways of more efficient and science-based coastal and ocean management. We describe the major elements and structure of SOCIB and present some recent scientific, technological, and society-related results that are of relevance at a global ocean scale.

SOCIB operational ocean forecasting system and multi-platform validation in the Western Mediterranean Sea

“…Gliders operated by SOCIB following a semi-continuous endurance line are deployed in the Ibiza Channel (Heslop et al 2012;Tintoré et al 2013). Slocum deep (Tsimplis & Bryden 2000) 0.78±0.17 −0.67±0.04 Positive Simulations and observations (Boutov et al 2014) 0.83 −0.77 0.02-0.08 Simulations (Peliz et al 2013) 0.78±0.09 −0.83±0.056 0.01-0.09 gliders provide high-resolution hydrographic data between depths of 20 and 950 m with a horizontal resolution of approximately 2 km.…”

“…The outputs of this operational system are also used as initial and boundary conditions for higher resolution regional models such as the Tyrrhenian Sea Forecasting System (Vetrano et al 2010), the Sicily Channel Regional Model (Olita et al 2012), the Adriatic Forecasting System (Oddo et al 2005) and the Aegean-Levantine Forecast System (Korres & Lascaratos 2003). The Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System (SOCIB; Tintoré et al 2013) is a new coastal observatory and forecasting centre in the Western Mediterranean Sea with a particular focus on understanding and forecasting the ocean variability in the Balearic Sea and its adjacent sub-basins (the Alboran Sea and the Gulf of Lion). The semi-enclosed Balearic Sea is a particularly challenging environment for operational ocean forecasting systems.…”

Spatial distribution modelling of the endangered bivalve Pinna nobilis in a Marine Protected Area

“…Wave exposure maps were obtained from the Balearic Islands Coastal Ocean Observing and Forecasting System (Tintore et al, 2013) (http://www.socib.es). The analysis of the wave data from the closest WANA node for the period 1996-2010 showed that, in the study area, the most energetic waves were from the SW, with an average significant wave height (Hs) of 1 m and peak period (Tp) of 6 s. These conditions were propagated to the shore using a numerical model based on the mild slope parabolic approximation (Kirby & Dalrymple, 1983).…”

Computation of a new mean dynamic topography for the Mediterranean Sea from model outputs, altimeter measurements and oceanographic in situ data

“…In the frame of SOCIB (Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System) activities (Tintoré et al, 2013), an improved solution is presented in this paper, which has been made possible by the recent availability of updated time series of drifter data, simulations and new methodology enabling the inclusion of in situ profiles (Argo, CTD, etc.). The paper is organized as follows: first, we will describe in more details the methodology (Sect.…”