The New Pelagic Operational Observatory of the Catalan Sea (OOCS) for the Multisensor Coordinated Measurement of Atmospheric and Oceanographic Conditions

Abstract

The new pelagic Operational Observatory of the Catalan Sea (OOCS) for the coordinated multisensor measurement of atmospheric and oceanographic conditions has been recently installed (2009) in the Catalan Sea (41°39′N, 2°54′E; Western Mediterranean) and continuously operated (with minor maintenance gaps) until today. This multiparametric platform is moored at 192 m depth, 9.3 km off Blanes harbour (Girona, Spain). It is composed of a buoy holding atmospheric sensors and a set of oceanographic sensors measuring the water conditions over the upper 100 m depth. The station is located close to the head of the Blanes submarine canyon where an important multispecies pelagic and demersal fishery gives the station ecological and economic relevance. The OOCS provides important records on atmospheric and oceanographic conditions, the latter through the measurement of hydrological and biogeochemical parameters, at depths with a time resolution never attained before for this area of the Mediterranean. Twenty four moored sensors and probes operating in a coordinated fashion provide important data on Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs; UNESCO) such as temperature, salinity, pressure, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll fluorescence, and turbidity. In comparison with other pelagic observatories presently operating in other world areas, OOCS also measures photosynthetic available radiation (PAR) from above the sea surface and at different depths in the upper 50 m. Data are recorded each 30 min and transmitted in real-time to a ground station via GPRS. This time series is published and automatically updated at the frequency of data collection on the official OOCS website (http://www.ceab.csic.es/~oceans). Under development are embedded automated routines for the in situ data treatment and assimilation into numerical models, in order to provide a reliable local marine processing forecast. In this work, our goal is to detail the OOCS multisensor architecture in relation to the coordinated capability for the remote, continuous and prolonged monitoring of atmospheric and oceanographic conditions, including data communication and storage. Accordingly, time series of measurements for a number of biological parameters will be presented for the summer months of 2011. Marine hindcast outputs from the numerical models implemented for simulating the conditions over the study area are shown. The strong changes of atmospheric conditions recorded in the last years over the area have altered the marine conditions of living organisms, but the dimension of the impact remains unclear. The OOCS multisensor coordinated monitoring has been specifically designed to address this issue, thus contributing to better understand the present environmental fluctuations and to provide a sound basis for a more accurate marine forecast system.

A comparison of remote-sensing SST and in situ seawater temperature in near-shore habitats in the western Mediterranean Sea

“…Although in situ direct and logged measurements are the most recommended methods to acquire accurate ST time series, their collection is costly and timeconsuming, making such records generally scarce (Bahamon et al 2011). Moreover, the record of in situ data needs to be planned a priori, and is not commonly available in most a posteriori ecological studies based on unexpected observations.…”

Ecological Role of Submarine Canyons and Need for Canyon Conservation: A Review

“…Such monitoring capability can be to date increased by endowing fixed networks of cabled monitoring platforms with semi-mobile rovers, tethered to the nodes, extending the spatial coverage from few m2 to few tens of m2 (Thomsen et al, 2012;Aguzzi et al, 2015). In the NW Mediterranean, the Operational Observatory of the Catalan Sea (OOCS; http://www2.ceab.csic.es/oceans/index_en.html) is a permanent pelagic buoy anchored at 200 m depth at the head of Blanes Canyon (Bahamon et al, 2011). This multiparametric pelagic platform, which also hosts a meteorological station, provides important data from the surface down to approximately 50 m depth on light intensity, chlorophyll, and productivity processes that influence the canyon trophic structure via atmosphere and water column (benthopelagic coupling mediated) interactions.…”

Modelling the Pelagic Ecosystem Dynamics: The NW Mediterranean

“…Bricaud et al, 1992). At 41° N latitude, the lower limit of the euphotic zone in summer is located at about 50-60 m depth in summer and about 30 m depth in winter ( Figure 5), as observed at the station OOCS in the Catalan Sea (Bahamon et al, 2011). In the Catalan Sea, the lower limit of the euphotic zone is characterised by a yearly upward nitrogen flux of 0.64 mol N m −2 with variations more dependent on the vertical nitrogen gradients than on water density gradients (Bahamon and Cruzado, 2003).…”