Objective
It is proposed to develop and test out an autonomous system able to profile at a fixed location from 1000 meters up to the very surface and transmit in real time its data to land. This system will collect fundamental physical, bio-optical, geochemical and biological observations describing the ocean state over the whole water column with a particularly refined resolution in the upper 100 meters.
The proposed instrument will be able to maintain a multidisciplinary time-series station autonomously. The instrument will be able to cover a broad spectrum from small time scales of a day or even less to years. It will be able to sample slow processes as well as episodic and short events. The scientific objective behind this development is to monitor over the mixed layer and the main thermocline the complex physical and biochemical interactions governing the carbon cycle and its associated elements in the ocean. Autonomous profiling up to the surface will open a wide range of possible scientific applications ranging from specific process studies to climate monitoring.
Repeated autonomous profiling to the very surface at a fixed location is a scientific need (proper sampling of the mixed layer where most of photosynthetic activity takes place), a major innovation and a major technical challenge.
To integrate a multidisciplinary sensor system gathering fundamental physical, bio-optical, geochemical and biological observations requires also major innovative developments.
The project integrates 6 leading laboratories from 4 countries and one leading european industrial. This gives the project the necessary completeness so that it can reach its objectives. The wide partnership also enables an effective dissemination of the technology from the project to ensure that the technologies can be further utilised for oceanographic studies elsewhere.
Fields of science
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
75252 Paris
France