Obsea: A Decadal Balance for a Cabled Observatory Deployment
Joaquín del Río Fernández, Marc Nogueras, Daniel Mihai Toma, Enoc Martínez Padró, Carola Artero-Delgado, Ikram Bghiel, Marc Martínez, Javier Cadena, Albert García-Benadí, David Sarrià Gandul, Jacopo Aguzzi, Ivan Masmitjà Rusiñol, Matias Carandell Widmer, Joaquim Olivé, Spartacus Gomáriz Castro, Pep Santamaria, Antonio Manuel Lázaro
Abstract
The study of the effects of climate change on the marine environment requires the existence of sufficiently long time series of key parameters. The study of these series allows both to characterize the range of variability in each particular region and to detect trends or changes that could be attributed to anthropogenic causes. For this reason, networks of permanent cabled observation systems are being deployed in the ocean. This paper presents a balance of a decade of activity at the OBSEA cabled observatory, as an example of ocean monitoring success and drawbacks. It is not the objective of this article to analyze the scientific and technical aspects already presented by the authors in different publications ( <xref ref-type="table" rid="table4" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Table 4</xref> ). We will evaluate the overall experience by retracing the different steps of infrastructure deployment and maintenance, focusing on routines for <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">in situ</i> control, damages experienced, breakdowns and administrative constraints by local administrations. We will conclude by providing a set of guidelines to improve cabled observatories scientific outreach, societal projection, and economic efficiency. As a result of this work, a 10-years dataset has been published in Pangaea that is available for the community.