The station, called IbMa-CSV, was deployed for the first time in 2021 and was anchored again on 24 May. This is the third deployment of this ocean observation infrastructure, which is being operated jointly by the Centre for Marine Sciences (CCMAR) and the Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), an integral part of EMSO-PT. The operation conducted by these two scientific institutions of excellence is part of the EMSO-ERIC (European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water column Observatory) project.
EMSO-PT Context
EMSO-PT is part of the European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) EMSO-ERIC (European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water column Observatory), which brings together 8 countries, 14 regional observatories and 3 test sites, from the Arctic to the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Since 2020, the EMSO-PT project has been implementing and validating surface and water column profiling technologies:
- Agosto de 2020: First test of the vertical profiler off Olhão, proving its robustness in real open sea conditions.
- Outubro de 2020: Second successful test of the water column profiler, highlighting its accuracy in measuring conductivity and temperature in high resolution.
- Junho de 2021: IbMa-CSV station successfully deployed 10 nautical miles south of Sagres, at the 200 metre bathymetric. The deployment was carried out from the NI Mário Ruivo in collaboration with the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere, by our researchers Paulo Relvas and Carlos Sousa and by researchers Luciano Júnior and Erwan Garel from the Centre for Marine and Environmental Research (CIMA-UAlg).
Details of the IbMa-CSV Station
Anchored approximately 20 kilometres south of Sagres, at a depth of 200 metres over the continental shelf, the IbMa-CSV includes:
- A vertical wave-powered profiler, guaranteeing continuous recordings
- An acoustic profiler current meter (ADCP) for measuring the speed and direction of currents.
- Temperature, salinity (conductivity), pressure, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll a and turbidity sensors.
This configuration allows for high-resolution sampling in the top 150 metres, which is essential for characterising mesoscale processes, the vertical structure of the ocean, geosphere-hydrosphere interactions and responses to climate change.
Partnerships and Complementary Projects
The anchoring was carried out on board the Spanish oceanographic vessel Ángeles Alvariño (IEO), as part of the LOCOLAND project - Low-cost landers for complementary sustained near-bed monitoring at EMSO deep sites (TED2021-132887B-I00), co-funded by EMSO-ERIC's Physical Access programme. This project aims to install two multi-instrumented platforms (landers) developed with IEO-CSIC's "LanderPick" ROTV, complementing the IbMa-CSV for near-bed monitoring.
In partnership with IPMA, which has an identical system, the aim is to guarantee permanent operation of the station, with minimal interruptions for maintenance.
Next steps
IbMa-CSV is expected to remain in operation for the next 4 to 5 months, extending the historical data series that began in 2021. The data will be integrated into the pan-European EMSO-ERIC network, contributing to long-term studies of surface and water column oceanography, which are essential for climate modelling and natural hazard assessment.
CCMAR would like to thank IPMA, IEO and the crew of the Ángeles Alvariño for their continued support. This collaboration reinforces Portugal's position on the European map of scientific infrastructures of excellence.
