Operational Observatory of the catalan sea (OOCS)

The Operational Observatory of the Catalan Sea (OOCS) recently created by the Operational Oceanography Group at CEAB-CSIC is presented. The OOCS aims at performing observations of the marine environment in the Catalan Sea and beyond, assessing, modelling and forecasting the hydrodynamic and biogeochemical processes of the region. Some of the biogeochemical variables available in the models and forecast are phytoplankton, zooplankton and nutrients. Although OOCS is expected to be fully operational in 2011, some of its services are already available to the public through a dedicated webpage http://www.ceab.csic.es/~simob/.Peer Reviewe

Seven years of marine environmental changes monitoring at coastal OOCS stations (Catalan Sea, NW Mediterranean)

Since March 2009 up to the present (more than 7 years now), the Operational Observatory of the Catalan Sea (OOCS; http://www2.ceab.csic.es/ oceans/) remains a witness of persistent marine environmental changes. The OOCS has two fixed observation stations at the head of the Blanes Canyon (200 m depth, 41.66°N; 2.91°E) and at the Blanes bay (20 m depth, 41.67°N; 2.80°E) in the Catalan Sea, NW Mediterranean. At the canyon station, a multi-parametric buoy presently installed delivers high frequency (by 30 min) and multi-parametric oceanographic (i.e. salinity, temperature, chlorophyll, turbidity, as well as light intensity in the PAR range for the upper 50 m depth) and atmospheric (air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction and PAR) data. Subsurface photos and videos by an IP high resolution fisheye camera attached to the buoy are also delivered at 4-hour basis. Data and multimedia are transmitted in near real time for public access, via combined GSM/GPRS and 3G connections. At both stations, CTD profiles and water samples (collected for nutrients and picoplankton analyses) are carried out on board a research vessel at fortnightly basis. Numerical simulations along with the time series of in-situ observations show inter-annual seasonality anomalies possibly linked to global environmental changes. The lower-atmosphere and upper-sea environmental time series data collected prove the occurrence of shifting patterns of heat and matter fluxes impacting pelagic and benthic organisms.Peer Reviewe

Creel fishing and acoustic tracking trials in the No-Take zone off Palamós-Roses (Northwester Mediterranean Sea) at 350-420 m depth

Postprint (published version

Multisensor acoustic tracking benthic landers to evaluate connectivity of fishes in marine protected areas

Deep-sea fishing has been carried out on an industrial scale since the 1950s, and this has had a variety of effects on the environment and its biota. Most benthic species experience a decline in abundance or a constant decline in abundance as a result of direct disturbance of the seafloor, such as its plowing and scraping by hauled nets, with overall impacts on regional biodiversity [1]. Sediment has lost some of its biogenic habitat complexity, and sessile epifauna-provided microhabitat has been destroyed or disrupted [2] and marine protected areas (MPAs) have been widely implemented to address this decline. Marine fish mobility, which is crucial for ecosystem function and is increasingly being researched with acoustic telemetry, has an impact on how well no-take MPAs (i.e., marine reserves) work in terms of protecting and repopulating fish populations [3], [4] Therefore, it is necessary to continuously monitor periodic changes in commercially exploited deep-sea ecosystems in order to gather baseline information, give accurate environmental impact assessments, and derive sound biological indicators for restoration. Using a fixed acoustic ultra-short baseline (USBL) receiver on benthic lander and miniature bidirectional acoustic tags [5], we address three key questions: How far can fish move? Does connectivity exist between adjacent MPAs? Does existing MPA size match the spatial scale of fish movements?Peer Reviewe

The potential of video imagery from worldwide cabled observatory networks to provide information supporting fish-stock and biodiversity assessment

Seafloor multiparametric fibre-optic-cabled video observatories are emerging tools for standardized monitoring programmes, dedicated to the production of real-time fishery-independent stock assessment data. Here, we propose that a network of cabled cameras can be set up and optimized to ensure representative long-term monitoring of target commercial species and their surrounding habitats. We highlight the importance of adding the spatial dimension to fixed-point-cabled monitoring networks, and the need for close integration with Artificial Intelligence pipelines, that are necessary for fast and reliable biological data processing. We then describe two pilot studies, exemplary of using video imagery and environmental monitoring to derive robust data as a foundation for future ecosystem-based fish-stock and biodiversity management. The first example is from the NE Pacific Ocean where the deep-water sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) has been monitored since 2010 by the NEPTUNE cabled observatory operated by Ocean Networks Canada. The second example is from the NE Atlantic Ocean where the Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) is being monitored using the SmartBay observatory developed for the European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water column Observatories. Drawing from these two examples, we provide insights into the technological challenges and future steps required to develop full-scale fishery-independent stock assessments.This work was funded by the following project activities: ARIM (Autonomous Robotic sea-floor Infrastructure for benthopelagic Monitoring; MartTERA ERA-Net Cofound), ARCHES (Autonomous Robotic Networks to Help Modern Societies; German Helmholtz Association), RESBIO (TEC2017-87861-R; Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spanish Government), RESNEP (CTM2017-82991-C2-1-R; Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spanish Government), and SmartLobster (EMSO-LINK Trans National Access-TNA). The EMSO_SmartBay cabled observatory was funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) as part of a SFI Research Infrastructure Award Grant No. 12/RI/2331.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Stepped water warming effects on coastal ecosystem dynamics as monitored from fixed mooring stations in NW Mediterranean Sea

Average global land and ocean surface temperature has stepped up since 2014 above the average. The Mediterranean Sea temperature follows this global trend. The effects of the warming on coastal areas in the Mediterranean are worrying, as they are biodiversity hotspots. Atypical warmer summer periods in the Mediterranean have been pointed out as potential drivers of massive mortalities of deep-sea organisms. Multi-sensor mooring arrays are fundamental to assess the magnitude and effects of water warming. Analysis of long-term oceanographic and biogeochemical data collected in two fixed coastal observation stations in northwestern Mediterranean Sea reveals that marine oligotrophy has intensified since 2014, with increasing water temperature by 0.25°C, greater transparency and an earlier starting of the summer conditions. Phytoplankton biomass and nutrients show no apparent change of trends. Further studies are required to assess an eventual mismatch between the life cycles of the organisms and the expected environmental conditions. These fixed stations may be considered as reference monitoring locations to assess the effects of water warming on marine ecosystem functioningSupport provided the Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC) and the Spanish research projects CTM2008-03983, CTM2011-23458 and CTM2014-54648-C2-1, to keep the OOCS functional between 2009 and 2018, is acknowledged.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Stepped water warming effects on coastal ecosystem dynamics as monitored from fixed mooring stations in NW Mediterranean Sea

Average global land and ocean surface temperature has stepped up since 2014 above the average. The Mediterranean Sea temperature follows this global trend. The effects of the warming on coastal areas in the Mediterranean are worrying, as they are biodiversity hotspots. Atypical warmer summer periods in the Mediterranean have been pointed out as potential drivers of massive mortalities of deep-sea organisms. Multi-sensor mooring arrays are fundamental to assess the magnitude and effects of water warming. Analysis of long-term oceanographic and biogeochemical data collected in two fixed coastal observation stations in northwestern Mediterranean Sea reveals that marine oligotrophy has intensified since 2014, with increasing water temperature by 0.25°C, greater transparency and an earlier starting of the summer conditions. Phytoplankton biomass and nutrients show no apparent change of trends. Further studies are required to assess an eventual mismatch between the life cycles of the organisms and the expected environmental conditions. These fixed stations may be considered as reference monitoring locations to assess the effects of water warming on marine ecosystem functioningSupport provided the Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC) and the Spanish research projects CTM2008-03983, CTM2011-23458 and CTM2014-54648-C2-1, to keep the OOCS functional between 2009 and 2018, is acknowledged.Peer Reviewe

Acoustic tracking of Nephrops norvegicus by networked moored hydrophones in a deep-sea no-take reserve of the North Western Mediterranean Sea

Knowing the displacement capacity and mobility patterns of fished marine resources is pivotal to establish effective conservation management strategies in marine ecosystems. Accurate behavioral information of deep-sea fished ecosystems is necessary, but currently scarce, to establish the sizes and adequate locations of marine protected areas within the framework of large international societal programs (e.g. European Community H2020, as part of the Blue Growth economic strategy). A breakthrough in the autonomous capability of mobile platforms to deliver data on animal behavior beyond traditional fixed platform capabilities (e.g. cabled observatories) is overcoming these limitations. Here, we present useful example of that potential in relation to the implementation of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) as an aid for acoustic long-baseline localization systems for autonomous tracking of Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus), one of the key resources exploited in European waters. We reported the outcomes of that monitoring in combination with seafloor moored acoustic receivers to detect and track the movements of 33 tagged individuals at 400 m depth over more than three months. We identified best procedures to localize both the acoustic receivers and the tagged-lobsters, based on cutting-edge algorithms designed for off-the-self acoustic tags identification. These procedures represent an important step forward for prolonged, in situ monitoring of deep-sea benthic animal behavior at meter spatial scales.Postprint (author's final draft

Application of link adaptation to evolved TDMA mobile communications systems

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