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Location:   29^o10'N 15^o50'W

ESTOC was initiated in 1994 about 100 km north of the Canary islands and in 3618 m water depth. Its intention is to create a long time series on an inter- and multidisciplinary basis in order to monitor and help understanding oceanic long-term variability in the North atlantic's subtropical gyre in conjunction with the Bermuda station BATS. It is an open ocean site in the sense that it is located well outside the highly variable eastern boundary with its strong coastal upwelling regime (although interaction with this regime exists), is deep enough to encompass the eastern subtropical North Atlantic's major water masses including the North Atlantic Deep Water (however not the AABW), is windward of the Canary Islands to avoid wake effects of both the major currents and winds (Canary Current and Northeast Trade), and is far enough from coasts and islands (the Selvages 100 km northwards are very small and flat) to serve as reference for satellite images and altimetry. Thus, it is expected that long-term observations at ESTOC represent open-ocean eastern subtropical North Atlantic conditions and variability. Finally, ESTOC is easy to reach by and be serviced with small research vessels.

Diagram illustrating the various studies carried out at ESTOC

Diagram of DOLAN-ANIMATE mooring currently deployed carrying biogeochemical sensors

PI's / groups / laboratories / countries

Scientific Steering Committee: O. Llinas (ICCM, Telde de Gran Canaria), A. Rodriguez (IEO, Madrid), U. Send (IFM Kiel)and G. Wefer (GeoB, Bremen).

Status

Operational since 1994, as part of the EU project ANIMATE since late 2001.

Observational components: (i) monthly ship-based casts: full depth CTD with samples for O2 and nuts; upper 200 m samples for chlorophyll, (ii) moored current meters (6 levels, 200 m to near bottom) and particle traps (JGOFS levels 700 m, 3000 m), (iii) process and technological studies, (iv) from April 2002 on: daily telemetry of P, T, S from moored MicroCats in the upper 1200 m; near-surface moored sensors for pCO2, nutrient and fluorescence, (v) presently, discussion is going on to move ESTOC or part of it further west well into the Canary Basin.

Funds: work under (i) and (ii) by institutional funding; (iii) by national projects; (iv) EU project ANIMATE

Societal value / users / customers

ESTOC has served as reference station for process studies (e.g. EU project CANIGO) and fortechnological development (German project DOMEST, DOLAN). It has the potential to be used as ground truth for satellite observations.

Role in the integrated global observing system: ESTOC and BATS, together, monitor the variability of the subtropical gyre of the North Atlantic.

compiled by

Thomas J. Mueller, Institut fur Meerekunde, Kiel

13-Feb-2002