Oceanographic campaign #PRE_SWOT begins on board the García del Cid (CSIC)

02/05/2018

Photo: Oceanographic Ship (R/V) García del Cid (CSIC)

Esporles, May 3, 2018. The oceanographic campaign #PRE_SWOT will start on Saturday 5th of May onboard the research vessel (R/V) García del Cid (CSIC), led by Dr. Ananda Pascual (IMEDEA), Dr. John Allen (SOCIB). The R/V will navigate the waters south of the Balearic until the 16th of May. During this time physical (temperature, salinity, current velocities) y biogeochemical (nutrients, oxygen, chlorophyll, phytoplankton, pigments) samples will be taken to try to understand the complex dynamics of this region which is of especial interest for the validation of the SWOT (Surface Water Ocean Topography) satellite. The satellite launch is expected for 2021, and its a joint mission of NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales) with contributions of the United Kingdom and Canadian Spatial Agencies, to provide sea surface height measurements at a high resolution over the global Ocean.

The #PRE_SWOT project is part of an International collaboration. In this coordinated programme participate SHOM (Service hydrographique et océanographique de la Marine, France), LOCEAN (Paris, France), MIO (Marseille, France), Univ. Caen (France), Woodshole Oceanographic Institution (USA) and Fisheries and Oceans (Canada). In synergy with with the R/V García del Cid, the French R/V Beautemps-Beaupré will sample the same region from the 30th of April to the 14th of May. This multiplatform, interdisciplinary and international oceanographic campaign will include the deployment of two gliders, drifting buoys, biogeochemical samplings and measurements from an airplane by LiDAR and hyperspectral cameras.

The union of forces by land, sea and air are vital for an oceanographical study of these characteristics in which the observation of small scale structures, which have an important impact on marine ecosystems, is expected.

The PRE-SWOT project (CTM2016-78607-P) is funded by the State Agency of Research and European Funds of Regional Development (AEI/FEDER, UE).

Source: IMEDEA (UIB-CSIC)

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