Spain’s first seafloor laboratory opens

Via AlphaGalileo

Spain’s first seafloor laboratory, the Expandable Seafloor Observatory (OBSEA), located three miles off the coast of Vilanova i la Geltrú at a depth of 20 meters, has begun real-time transmissions to the laboratories of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). The data it collects will make it possible to study the Mediterranean seafloor via the Internet. This pioneering underwater platform, installed in March with the help of the CSIC’s oceanographic research ship Sarmiento de Gamboa, has successfully completed its two-month test period.

The platform will make it possible to assess water quality by studying slight variations in temperature and/or salinity, determine the level of noise pollution by studying acoustic signals from natural or manmade sources, and evaluate the degree of pollution caused by waste and sea transport. The Observatory will be able to record underwater processes uninterruptedly, thanks to a 4.5-km optical-fiber power supply cable that eliminates the need for limited-life energy sources such as batteries. The project forms part of the European Seafloor Observatory Network (ESONET).

Read the entire Press Release at AlphaGalileo