The SOCIB Fixed Station Facility (FSF) is an infrastructure composed of different fixed measurement networks aimed at providing routine point monitoring to scientists, environmental managers, public authorities, etc. The FSF produces long term time-series data of different parameters, both physical and biogeochemical. These data are then available through SOCIB’s Data Centre Facility to guide environmental policy decisions, support scientific research and validate and constrain forecast models.

Beach Monitoring Facility products consist of real time data on beach images and weather variables, as well as periodic information on waves, sediments and beach morphology. Coastal systems are sensitive environments where many processes operate at different space-time scales acting nonlinearly. Understanding nearshore processes and the response of coastal systems at all these scales is increasingly important because beaches are the first barrier in front of coastal flooding and, also, because their economic and social relevance in terms of tourism economy and outdoor recreation. Additionally the increased threat of global warming and the resulting rise in sea level may accelerate coastal erosion problems.

SOCIB mantains a sustained drifters program, in the framework of the Global Drifter Program (GDP), consisting on periodic deployments of SVP platforms to attend scientific needs. A popular use of the data will be surface currents mapping, distribution of eddy kinetic energy and dispersion of surface particles (such as fish larvae and other plankton and buoyant pollutants such as oil spills).

Our aim is to advance on the understanding of physical and multidisciplinary processes and their non linear interactions, to detect and quantify changes in coastal systems, to understand the mechanism that regulate them and to forecast their evolution and or adaptation under, for example, different IPCC scenarios. To achieve this goal, the Modeling and Forecasting facility will provide operational forecasting, hindcasting and monitoring of the western Mediterranean, and specifically coastal seas around the Balearic Islands. The SOCIB modeling platform will comprise: Circulation models, forecast ocean currents Weather modeling Ecosystem modeling, provide forecasts and analysis of the ecosystems Wave modeling, to forecast wave conditions globally and locally Satellite data with particular emphasis on development of coastal products.

Gliders allows the autonomous and sustained collection of CTD data and biogeochemical measurements (fluorescence, oxygen, etc) at high spatial resolutions (1 km) and at low costs compared to conventional methods. Novel studies carried out in the last 2 years in the Mediterranean Sea have confirmed the feasibility of using coastal and deep gliders to monitor the spatial and low frequency variability of the coastal ocean.

A fast catamaran hull with overall length of approximately 24 m (less than 24 m registered LOA) has been constructed. Its design maximizes space, in terms of availability for scientific operations (wet and dry laboratories and an aft platform for one or two 10 foot containers) and accommodation for crew and scientists/technicians, whilst offering high speed capabilities and manoeuvrability. The flexibility of this modern design, in terms of space, speed, stability and layout, gives this vessel the ability to adapt to the goals of different projects making it a valuable tool for the scientific community of the region. The small crew requirements mean operations are at a minimal cost.

Surface currents are identified as a high priority product for coastal ocean observing systems. Shore-based high-frequency (HF) radars that broadcast and then observe back-scattered radio signals from the oceans surface are now a mature technology that has been implemented and is routinely operating in numerous locations worldwide. One installation of a long range HF system with 2 radar stations is deployed at Ibiza Channel to monitor North/South fluxes exchange. Note that to have total currents measurements one needs to install 2 radar stations to combine the radial velocity currents, one in Ibiza and the other in Formentera.

The Data Centre is the core of SOCIB. Through it, SOCIB is developing and implementing a general data management system to guarantee international standards, quality assurance and inter-operability. The combination of different sources and types of information (time series, profiles, trajectories, grids/meshes, images, acoustic data, etc.) requires appropriate methods to ingest, catalogue, display and distribute this information. The general goal of the SOCIB Data Centre is to provide users with a system to locate and download the data of interest (near real time and delayed mode) and to visualize and manage the information. Following SOCIB principles, data need to be: 1) discoverable and accessible; 2) freely available; 3) interoperable and standardized.

2 GLIDERS (underwater autonomous vehicles) for profound sampling and long autonomy, and 2 GLIDERS (underwater autonomous vehicles) for mesoscale studies.

MOCNESS consists of a sturdy rectangular frame that carries sensors and controls anywhere from 6 to 20 nets. A research vessel tows MOCNESS at a crawl - 2 to 3 knots. The cable connecting ship and instrument also carries the data and allows scientists to control the instrument’s depth. MOCNESS can sample as deep as 6,000 meters (3.7 miles). Sensors report conductivity (salinity), temperature, depth, and chlorophyll, oxygen and light levels.

CTD profiler for ocean data sampling.