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What is EuroSITES?

EuroSITES is a FP7 Collaborative Project (2008-2011) which is integrating and enhancing the 9 deep-ocean (water depth >1000m) observatories into a coherent network. The EuroSITES network is coordinated by the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK and involves 13 Partners across Europe (7 member states) and the Cape Verde Islands.

EuroSITES is building on the work of FP6 EUR-OCEANS (Work Package 2.1 'Observing Systems') to integrate and enhance the existing European open-ocean observational capacity to encompass the ocean interior, seafloor and subseafloor.

EuroSITES is progressing fixed-point ocean infrastructure to a mature level. The diverse, high qulaity datasets of essential climate and ocean variables are key contributions to GMES MCS. Temperature and Salinity Data are already uploaded to the GTS as daily bulletins. In the near future delayed mode datasets (including more then 3 biogeochemical variables e.g. chlorophyll and nitrate) will be used in validation and reanalysis applications.

Emerging Sensors: EuroSITES is also funding the research and development of sensors for other key ocean variables to enhance the long-term in situ monitoring capability. This includes pH, oxygen consumption and mesozooplankton. EuroSITES also funds seafloor missions including fluid flow and seismic studies as well as benthic biology monitoring.

EuroSITES data will lead to a greater understanding of the impact of climate change and a changing ocean on mankind and ecosystems. Data are already used for products and services for society including modelling applications and for informing policy and industries.

European Deep ocean observatories: Contribution to GEOSS

EuroSITES will focus on in situ long-term time-series ocean observations. Working closely with other European projects such as ESONET and EMSO, MERSEA, HERMES and relevant International projects (e.g., ORION and NEPTUNE) EuroSITES will make a major contribution both to the subsea component of the European GMES programme for the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security and to the vision of GEOSS (The Global Earth Observation System of Systems) which aims '....to achieve comprehensive, coordinated and sustained observations of the Earth system, in order to improve monitoring of the state of the Earth, increase understanding of Earth processes, and enhance prediction of the behaviour of the Earth system' (GEOSS 10-Year Implementation Plan). EuroSITES will achieve this by integrating and coordinating the existing fixed point observing systems in the deep seas around Europe. It will upgrade these systems according to the currently percieved best practice and available technology and will identify future requirements, enhancing the links with industry and the rest of the international community. However, it is only through a coordinated approach with the entire ocean observational community that the ultimate goal of unified integrated European ocean observation activities will be achieved.

Structure of EuroSITES

Click here to find out more about the work packages related to EuroSITES.

EuroSITES Partners

1. NOCS: National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, U.K.

2. UiB: University of Bergen, Norway

3. HCMR: Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Greece

4. OGS: L'Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale, Trieste, Italy

5. CNR-ISSIA: Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Genoa, Italy

6. IFM-GEOMAR, Kiel, Germany

7. University of Aberdeen, U.K.

8. CNRS (Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche-sur-Mer, Centre d'Océanologie de Marseille, Centre de Physique des Particules Marseille)

9. IFREMER: Institut français de recherche pour l'exploitation de la mer, Brest, France

10. Océanopolis, Brest, France

11. ICCM: Instituto Canario de Ciencias Marinas, Gran Canaria, Spain

12. INDP: Instituto Nacional de Desenvolvimento das Pescas, Cape Verde, Mindelo, Cape Verde

13. ULPGC: Universidad de Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain

EuroSITES Oversight Committee

This is a body of internatioanally renowned scientists who are overviewing the project, and who monitor and advise on the project's progress.