EMSO-Azores Infrastructure description

  • Date of Deployment: 29 July 2010
  • Location: South of Azores, Lucky Strike
  • Type: Non cabled observatory
  • Distance from land: 200 nautical miles WSW from Faial
  • Maximal depth: 1700 m
Transmission buoy, BOREL2

Coordinates:  37.3 °N  and  32.28 °W

Short description: Borel is the surface buoy, relaying bi-directionally measurement data or commands between seabed and shore, through underwater acoustics and satellite. Borel holds a geodetic Global Positioning System and can host near surface ocean sensors.

In 2023, BOREL was recovered. The surface measurement and the real time communication with the seabed stations are suspended.

SeaMoN West

Coordinates: 37.291 °N   and  32.279 °W

Short description: Seamon West is moored in the center of the fossil lava lake.  This node hosts an autonomous Ocean Bottom Seismometer (OBS) and an EGIM, EMSO Generic Intrsumental Module. SeaMoN West is dedicated to environmental (EOVs) and large scale geophysical studies.

EGIM with

  • Optode O2
  • Turbidity sensor
  • ADCP
  • Hydrophone
  • CTD
  • Pressure gauge (JPP)
  • Management unit, COSTOF2
  • Short-period Ocean Bottom Seismometer, OBS
SeaMoN East

Coordinates: 37.29 °N  and  32.28 °W

Short description: SEAMON East is deployed at the base of the Tour Eiffel active edifice to study the links between faunal dynamics and physico-chemical factors. An HD video camera equipped with 2 LED lights is located 10 meters away on the edifice. An array of 4 Ocean Bottom Hydrophones (Hydroctopus) is deployed south of the active edifice.

  • Hydroctopus
  • Optode O2
  • Turbidity sensor
  • Video equipment, SMOOVE
  • Management unit, COSTOF2
Hydrographic mooring

Coordinates: 37.299 °N  and  32.276 °W

Short description: The oceanographic mooring is anchored  at Lucky Strike and allows the study of hydrographic processes such as as internal tides or passing mesoscale eddies. The mooring is autonomous and is serviced during the maintenance cruise.

In 2023, the mooring was recovered.

  • Temperature, Pressure (-900m)
  • CTD (-1000m)
  • Temperature (-1200m)
  • Temperature (-1450m)
  • Temperature (-1500m)
  • Temperature (-1550m)
  • CTD, ADCP (-1600m)
  • Temperature (-1625m)
  • Temperature (-1650m)
  • Temperature (-1670m)
Autonomous devices

  • Array of OBS (4)
  • A hot fluid sequential sampler DEAFs
  • Array of temperature probes (29)
  • Array of Ocean Bottom Tilt Current Meters (7)
  • Array of autonomous buttons temperature probes (4)
  • Array of autonomous camera systems  (4)
  • Biological colonisers (10)
Data policy and access

  • Near real time transmitted data: The near real time data transmission stopped in 2023 with the recovery of BOREL
  • Periodically recovered data: Free access, previous year data treated by the quality assurance process, yearly recovery

Get to the data portal...

Maintenance

  • Maintenance frequency: 12 months, with the ambition to space out the cruises and reach one maintenance every 24 months
  • Duration of operations: 20 days
  • Available services: Cruise preparation, lab compatibility tests, implementation on site, data transmission, archiving and dissemination

Read more about the cruises...

Contacts
  • PI: Marjolaine Matabos2, Thibaut Barreyre1
  • Data management contact: Thierry Carval2
  • Maintenance contact (Technical supervisor): Laurent Gautier2

1 : CNRS, France
2 : Ifremer, France