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Regional Contributions to GOOS Implementation |
Routine marine observations using automated systems
in the Mediterranean are conducted on a national scale
in several shelf sea areas along the northern perimeter
of the basin. Furthermore RTD projects, mainly funded
by the EC have also contributed to develop pilot basin-scale
monitoring activities. A full assessment on marine
observations, and in general on the capability to
monitor and forecast in the region is being conducted
within the MAMA project. This will serve to identify
gaps in infrastructures, to underpin further research
and technological developments specific to the region,
and to furnish elements to design the initial observing
system.
MedGLOSS -
The Mediterranean regional subsystem of the Global
Sea Level Observing System is a real-time monitoring
network for systematic measurements of the sea level
in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. It is being developed
on the basis of GLOSS requirements and methodology,
aiming to provide high-quality standardised sea level
data. MedGLOSS is a joint initiative of IOC and CIESM
and will contribute to study the worldwide eustatic
sea-level rise due to the “greenhouse effect”
as well as to provide the ellipsoid to geoid corrections
in the sea-level real time satellite elevation measurements.
The MedGLOSS network has already installations in
Israel, Malta, Croatia, Cyprus, and Romania; other
prospective installations will be established in Bulgaria
and Morocco.
A pilot Mediterranean Multisensor
Moored Array buoy system (M3A) for
the automatised monitoring of a complete set of physical
parameters, including temperature, salinity and currents,
together with relevant biogeochemical and optical
measurements has been also designed and sucessfully
deployed in the Cretan Sea during MFSPP. The system
has proved the feasibility of multiparametric monitoring
of the upper thermocline using multi-sensor moored
systems. The overall M3A design has fulfilled the
requirements of the MFS multidisciplinary observations.
The modular system structure used with acoustic links
has proved to be a promising one. The experience has
shown that 2-3 months maintenance can guarantee high
quality data with the exception of turbidity measurements
(plus surface optical measurements). Improvements
are however necessary for what concerns (1) data transmission
technology, both surface and subsurface; (2) use of
a smaller surface buoy without an umbilical cord;
(3) subsurface transmission from ADCP mooring; (4)
addition of optical sensors. The buoy system is currently
operated by NCMR (Greece). Two more buoys in the western
Mediterranean and Adriatic Sea will be deployed during
MFSTEP.
MFSPP-VOS (Voluntary Observing
Ship) system – Within the Mediterranean
Forecasting System Pilot Project a pilot automatic
upper ocean temperature monitoring system covering
the whole Mediterranean has been implemented in the
period September 1999 - June 2000 with NRT XBT data
delivery from 7 ship tracks. The system has shown
the adequacy of XBT sampling at 12 nm and with a repeat
time of two weeks for assimilation in forecasting
models. A quality control and data management system
handling data in NRT has been established by the centralized
data collection center located in ENEA, La Spezia.
NRT satellite
data sets are used by INGV (Italy) for the initialization
of weekly forecasts. This is a continuation of the
activity initiated within MFSPP. 1) Sea Level Anomalies
(SLA) and 2) Sea Surface Temperature (SST) are operationally
analysed and mapped on to the numerical model grid
and assimilated an Optimal Interpolation scheme (System
for Ocean Forecast and Analysis, SOFA) which is multivariate
in input and output;
The Mediterranean ocean Forecasting
System: Toward Environmental Predictions (MFSTEP)
project is a continuation of the Mediterranean Forecasting
System Pilot Project (MFSPP). One of the goals of
MFSTEP is to advance the monitoring technology to
achieve maximum reliability of the observing system.
In MFSTEP the observing system component will build
upon the experience of the initial Observing System
for the World Ocean. It consists of: a Voluntary Observing
Ship (VOS) system with innovative technology to be
real time, cost-effective, multidisciplinary and environmentally
safe; a moored buoy system designed to serve real
time validation of the basin scale models and the
calibration of the ecosystem modelling components;
a satellite real time data analysis system using several
available and soon to be available satellite observations
of the sea surface topography, temperature and colour;
a high space-time resolution network of autonomous
subsurface profiling floats (Array for Real-Time Geostrophic
Oceanography-ARGO); a basin scale glider autonomous
vehicle experiment; an Observing System Simulation
Experiment (OSSE) activity; and a real time data management
and delayed mode archiving system.
POSEIDON is
a Greek marine operational monitoring system which
covers the need for timely and reliable information
with delivery of ocean forecasts in the Greek territorial
waters. The system consists of a network of observing
buoys to record the physical, biological and chemical
parameters of the Greek seas, and of a specialised
operational centre for the processing of the data
and forecast assembly. The observation buoys are equipped
with sensors that monitor: air-pressure, air-temperature,
wind speed and direction, wave height, period and
direction, sea surface salinity and temperature, surface
current speed and direction, sea surface dissolved
oxygen, light attenuation with fluorescence, salinity
and temperature in depths 0-50m, chlorophyll-A, nutrients
and radioactivity. The data is first transferred to
the operational centre by means of three telecommunication
systems: INMARSAT-C satellite, Radio UHF, Cellular
GSM. The POSEIDON operational centre is equipped with
a high performance computer system (SGI-ORIGIN 2000)
with 8 CPUs on board providing adequate power for
the forecasting model's integration, UNIX and MS Windows
based workstations for data analysis and presentation,
ORACLE data base for storing and managing the field
data. The numerical models are designed to forecast:
Atmospheric conditions, Offshore wave height and direction,
3-D general circulation, Shallow water wave characteristics,
and Buoyant pollutant transport. The POSEIDON system
produces a series of data and outputs that targets
key users with services and information in the form
of: primary data in real time (on-line) transmitted
from the observation buoys; historical data and time-series,
statistical analyses and data produced by hindcasting;
forecasts for the condition of the Greek seas for
the next 1-3 days, and long-term operational forecast.
The Rayo (Red de Alerta Y
Observación - Alert and Observation Network)
project consists of a series of buoy
networks deployed to measure and monitor the marine
environment in Spanish waters. The main part of the
system is the so called "deep water network",
consisting of 9 Seawatch (provided by Oceanor) and
3 wavescan buoys measuring waves (Waverider sensors,
three of them are directional), currents (UCM-60 sensor),
wind (Aanderaa 2740 for speed and Aanderaa 3590 for
direction), atmospheric pressure (Vaisala PTB200A(D))
and temperature (Aanderaa 3455), sea surface temperature
and salinity (Aanderaa 2994S). Information from the
Seawatch buoys is transmitted every hour via Inmarsat
to both the harbour authorities and to the main building
at Puertos del Estado, Madrid. Additionally, directional
wave information is propagated in real time to the
mouths of the harbours by means of a wave model. The
propagation method is based on the so called "spectral
point to point propagation", developed at Puertos
del Estado. The deep water network is complemented
with three current meter chains, 3 directional Smart
buoys for shallow water directional wave measurements
and 3 coastal radars. Apart from the ‘deep water
network’, there is also the Coastal Network
providing real time data in some specific points located
at shallow waters. The main objective of the measurements
is to complement those of the Deep Sea Network at
those locations of special interest for the port operations
or wave modelling validation. The buoys employed are
scalar Waverider (REMRO network), and directional.
MedGOOS 1
buoy deployed Harris and IMC, Oristano (Italy) in
the Sardinian Sea, moored at -2000 m ca., at 42 nautical
miles W off the Gulf of Oristano. The surface buoy
has a conic structure 10 m high and a 5.2 m in diameter.
Its weight (empty) is about 45.5 tons. The buoy is
connected to a Kevlar cable 1500 m long, from the
surface buoy to a submersed buoy at 1000 m depth.
The cable length has 500 supplementary meters in order
to avoid a traction due to the swinging of the surface
buoy. The submersed buoy is connected to a "Junction
Box" (23 tons wt) on the sea bottom where are
connected are: an acoustic current profiler with temperature
and conductivity sensors. Data transmission is via
satellite Intelsat and Argos, the safety control of
the buoy (positioning and operating) is performed
by Inmarsat-C. Data are broadcast to the MCS-Harris
office in Florida (USA), and sent back to Oristano
by FTP. The system is powered by an oil generator
having with over 6months autonomy.
MedGOOS 2
buoy deployed and operated by IAMC-CNR, Oristano (Italy)
in the Sardinian Sea at about 13 nautical miles W
off the Gulf of Oristano Gulf, at -870 m. The configuration
is: a surface buoy, cable, floating submerged buoys
at 800 m depth, anchor (2 tons). The surface buoy,
solar powered, is an Oceanor Wavescan, 7 m high (3
m above the sea level), 3 m large and with a weight
of about 1.2 tons. Data are transmitted every three
hours to the CNR in Oristano via a GSM mobile. The
cable is about 1200 m long, and inductive in the first
500 m. Scientific instruments are: meteorological
station at +3 m, an RDI ADCP Long Ranger 75kHz with
a temperature sensor at -3 m. The buoy moves around
the deployment point describing a circle with a range
of about 1000 m
MAMBO - (Monitoraggio
AMBientale Operativo nel Golfo di Trieste) operated
by OGS (Italy) is a real-time meteo-marine system
in the Gulf of Trieste, North Adriatic. The system
is based upon moored buoys equipped with meteo sensors,
a multiparametric profiling probe (pressure, temperature,
conductivity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll A, pH,
turbidity). The data are transmitted to land in real-time
and diffused on the Internet. An RT-ADCP has been
recently implemented to obtain high resolution profiles
of marine currents. A Directional Waverider has also
been deployed to obtain the wave climate of the area
and validate wave propagation models. The time series
data are used to validate physical and biological
models.
ADRICOSM –
(ADRIatic sea integrated COastal areaS and river basin
Management system pilot project) aims to implement
an integrated coastal zone management system in the
Adriatic Sea consisting of a predictive circulation
module and a river basin and wastewater management
module. It will predict coastal currents variability
in Near Real Time. This project involves institutions
of Italy, Slovenia and Croatia and French Institutions.
It is supported by the Italian Ministry for the Environment
and Territory.
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Contributions to GOOS Pilot Projects |
A contribution to the ARGO project – The MFSTEP
EC project to start in 2003 will deploy a high space-time
resolution network of autonomous subsurface floats
for a fully operational test of the ocean forecasting
system. Technical developments envisaged in the project:
the profilers will be customised to the MFSTEP needs
and to the future telemetry systems, a selected sampling
design will be adopted and specific software written
to take advantage of the future 2-way telemetry for
data transmission and for interactive modifications
of the profiler mission characteristics. The MedARGO
profilers will be launched from ships-of-opportunity
along the VOS-XBT line. The profiler data will be
processed and disseminated by the centralised Archiving
and Dissemination Data Centre (ADDC) in Brest, France.
The data will also be collected and archived at the
MedARGO Thematic Expert Data Center (MedARGO/TEDC)
in Trieste, Italy. Data summaries will be visualized
and distributed in NRT using web servers and ftp sites
at the ADDC. Some products will be posted on the MedARGO/TEDC
web server. Dissemination via GTS, emails, etc. is
also planned. The ADDC will assure data exchange,
and general relationships with the international ARGO
program. The final quality control and processing
of the profiler data will be done at the ADDC.
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