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Winter conditions in the NW Mediterranean cause instability of the water column and non-geostrophic dynamics, such as vertical mixing and convection are significant. These events involve nutrient supply to the photic zone that can sustain high productivity. In this study, we aim to investigate the role of winter hydrodynamics on the spawning strategies of Sardina pilchardus and Micromesistius poutassou. Data were obtained on two oceanographic cruises (February 2017 and 2018) off the Catalan coast. The occurrence of S. pilchardus eggs very close to the coast indicated a clear preference of the species for spawning in coastal areas. Preflexion and postflexion larvae exhibited a slightly wider distribution showing a clear association with the cold, less saline and more productive coastal waters. Preflexion larvae of M. poutassou were found on the upper slope and over the shelf, being offshore limited by the shelf/slope front present all along the slope. The front would act as a barrier preventing their dispersion towards the open sea. M. poutassou larvae in advanced developmental stages were located close to the coast in the productive shelf waters, with instabilities of the front contributing to larval transport from offshore waters to the coast. The vertical distribution of both species showed high variability, not only related with the daily cycle or developmental stage, but also with the vertical structure of the water column. Overall, the results provide some clues on how the spawning strategies of both species may evolve under future scenarios of higher winter-stratification, because of the global warming

The Vendée Globe is the world’s most famous solo, non-stop, unassisted sailing race. The Institute of Marine Sciences and the Barcelona Ocean Sailing Foundation installed a MicroCAT on the One Ocean One Planet boat. The skipper, Dídac Costa, completed the round trip in 97 days, from 8 November 2020 to 13 February 2021, providing one measurement of temperature and conductivity every 30 s during navigation. More than half of the ship’s route was in the sub-Antarctic zone, between the tropical and polar fronts, and it passed through areas of oceanographic interest such as Southern Patagonia (affected by glacier melting), the Brazil–Malvinas confluence, the Southern Pacific Ocean, and the entire Southern Indian Ocean. This sailing race gave a rare opportunity to measure in-situ sea surface salinity in a region where satellite salinity measurements are not reliable. Due to the decreased sensitivity of brightness temperature to salinity in cold seas, retrieving sea surface salinity at high latitudes remains a major challenge. This paper describes how the data are processed and uses the data to validate satellite salinity products in the sub-Antarctic zone. The sailing race measurements represent surface information (60 cm depth) not available from drifters or Argo floats. Acquiring measurements using round-the-world sailing races would allow us to analyse the evolution of ocean salinity and the impact of changes in the ice extent around Antarctica

La temperatura mitjana de la superfície dels oceans ha assolit els 21,1 graus, la més alta d'un mes d'abril en els últims 40 anys

The Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO, Spanish Institute of Oceanography) has maintained different monitoring programs in the Spanish Mediterranean waters (Western Mediterranean) since 1992. All these monitoring programs were unified in 2007 under the current program RADMED (series temporales de datos oceanográficos en el Mediterráneo), which is devoted to the in situ multidisciplinary sampling of the water column of coastal and open-sea waters by means of periodic oceanographic campaigns. These campaigns, together with a network of tide-gauges, are part of the IEO Observing system (IEOOS). In some cases, the temperature and salinity time series collected in the frame of these monitoring programs are now more than 30 years long, whereas sea level time series date to the beginning of the 1940s. This information has been complemented with international databases and has been analyzed in numerous works by the Grupo mediterráneo de Cambio Climático (GCC; Mediterranean Climate Change Group) for more than 20 years. These works have been devoted to the detection and quantification of the changes that climate change is producing on the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the Spanish Mediterranean waters. In this work, we review the results obtained by the GCC since 2005 in relation to the changes in the physical properties of the sea: water column temperature, salinity, and density, heat content, mixed layer depth, and sea level. Time series and results are updated from the last works, and the reliability of the existing time series for the detection of climatologies and long-term trends are analyzed. Furthermore, the different sources of uncertainty in the estimation of linear trends are considered in the present work. Besides this review and update of the results obtained from the data collected in the frame of the IEOOS, we conduct a review of the existing monitoring capabilities from other institutions in the Spanish Mediterranean waters and a review o

El pròxim 8 de juny (Dia Mundial de l'Oceà) a les 18:30h tindrà lloc a l'ICM-CSIC la taula rodona "Navegació, ciència i ciutadania", en què parlarem de la connexió entre la navegació, les ciències del mar i el paper de la ciutadania. Així mateix, dedicarem una estona a parlar del llegat que pot deixar l'any vinent a la ciutat de Barcelona la 37a edició de la Copa Amèrica, un dels esdeveniments esportius amb més projecció internacional després dels Jocs Olímpics i el Mundial de Futbol. Participants: Ignasi Armengol: Director general de la Fundació Barcelona Capital Nàutica. Host de la Copa Amèrica. Nacho Dean: Naturalista i explorador professional. Acaba de tornar de “La España Azul”, una exploració científica i divulgativa navegant a vela al llarg de tota la costa espanyola. Guiomar Rotllant: Investigadora de l'Institut de Ciències del Mar i navegant. Santi Serrat: Enginyer i periodista divulgatiu, exdirector de l'Editorial de la Barcelona World Race. Marta Umbert: Oceanògrafa física a l'Institut de Ciències del Mar. Fa servir les dades obtingudes en regates com la Barcelona World Race o la Vendeé Globe per a validar dades de teledetecció oceànica. Modera: Jordi Salat: Investigador de l'Institut de Ciències del Mar, ha desenvolupat projectes d'investigació vinculats a la Barcelona World Race

Josep Pascual fährt seit 50 Jahren regelmäßig mit seinem kleinen Bootchen an der Costa Brava raus aufs Meer, um die Temperatur zu messen. Es ist die längste Serie von Temperaturaufzeichnungen im Mittelmeer – selbst die Wissenschaft greift auf die Daten zurück

The definition of a sensor monitoring strategy is based on the location for water monitoring, sensor performances, data storage and transmission. For any new sensor, available instruments currently used in oceanographic studies are identified to perform comparisons. Suitable transmission technology is selected according to the test conditions: open sea, coastal areas, remote locations, etc. Sensitivity and stress tests are designed to establish confidence limits under different environmental situations, so that the results obtained in planned testing exercises are enabled to certify the performance of the new instruments. In this paper, we will address three key phases to test and certify the performance of new sensors: (1) RD basis for cost-effective sensor development, (2) sensor development, sensor web platform and integration, and (3) field testing

Employed for over a century, the traditional way of monitoring sea level variability by tide gauges – in combination with modern observational techniques like satellite altimetry – is an inevitable ingredient in sea level studies over the climate scales and in coastal seas. The development of the instrumentation, remote data acquisition, processing, and archiving in the last decades has allowed the extension of the applications to a variety of users and coastal hazard managers. The Mediterranean and Black seas are examples of such a transition – while having a long tradition of sea level observations with several records spanning over a century, the number of modern tide gauge stations is growing rapidly, with data available both in real time and as a research product at different time resolutions. As no comprehensive survey of the tide gauge networks has been carried out recently in these basins, the aim of this paper is to map the existing coastal sea level monitoring infrastructures and the respective data availability. The survey encompasses a description of major monitoring networks in the Mediterranean and Black seas and their characteristics, including the type of sea level sensors, measuring resolutions, data availability, and existence of ancillary measurements, altogether collecting information about 240 presently operational tide gauge stations. The availability of the Mediterranean and Black seas sea level data in the global and European sea level repositories has been also screened and classified following their sampling interval and level of quality check, pointing to the necessity of harmonization of the data available with different metadata and series in different repositories. Finally, an assessment of the networks' capabilities for their use in different sea level applications has been done, with recommendations that might mitigate the bottlenecks and ensure further development of the networks in a coordinated way, a critical need in the era of hu

Cambrils, el delta de l'Ebre i Barcelona, alguns dels llocs on destaca aquest fenomen, anomenat subsidència i que segons els experts no és preocupant

A detailed study of phytoplankton composition and dynamics was carried out during three contrasting situations (cruises F1, F2, and F3) in the northwestern (NW) Mediterranean Sea. Haptophytes, diatoms, and green algae dominated in F1, during the spring bloom, with high nutrients and high phytoplankton biomass. In F2, the post-bloom situation with a still weak stratification and lower nutrient concentrations, we found a high spatial variability. Stations were clearly dominated by either Synechococcus, haptophytes or cryptophytes; with Synechococcus reaching the highest abundance (4 × 105 cells mL−1, 60% of the integrated chlorophyll a) reported to date for the open Mediterranean Sea. Cryptophytes accumulated close to the surface in very shallow mixed layer stations. In late summer, F3 revealed a fully developed stratification with low nutrients and a marked deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM). Prochlorococcus was present only during this cruise, mainly in deep layers together with haptophytes and pelagophytes, while haptophytes and Synechococcus dominated the upper mixed layer. Flow cytometry (FCM) and pigment-based abundance estimates for Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus and cryptophytes were well correlated, as happened also between small picoeukaryotes (FCM) and green algae (pigments), and between large picoeukaryotes (FCM) and haptophytes (pigments). Dinoflagellate abundance by microscopy and by pigments did not agree well, probably due to the presence of heterotrophic forms or because they contained pigments other than peridinin, the standard dinoflagellate marker. The decrease in size of the FCM large picoeukaryotes group with depth was presumably related to the increasing contribution of pelagophytes, with smaller cells than haptophytes, the other main component of this fraction. Cell size increase of Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus with depth suggests vertical segregation of genotypes or photoadaptation. The groups' ecological preferences are presented with respec

[EN] In 1987, Konstantin Fedorov, a prominent Soviet oceanographer of the time, dedicated one of his popular science talks to the salinity of the ocean and called it “The Cinderella of Dynamic Oceanology”. Fedorov said that “The fate of salinity as a physical parameter is closely related to the dynamics of ocean waters and is very similar to the fate of poor Cinderella in Charles Perrault’s fairy tale. And, like the fate of poor Cinderella, salinity has long cried out for justice”. […], [ES] En 1987, el Prof. Fedorov, destacado oceanógrafo soviético de la época, dedicó una de sus charlas divulgativas a la salinidad del océano y la llamó “La Cenicienta de la oceanología dinámica”. Fedorov decía que “El destino de la salinidad como parámetro físico está estrechamente relacionado con la dinámica de las aguas del océano y es muy similar al destino de la pobre Cenicienta del cuento de hadas de Charles Perrault. Y, como el destino de la pobre Cenicienta, hace tiempo que la salinidad clama justicia”. […], [CAT] El 1987, el Prof. Fedorov, destacat oceanògraf soviètic de l’època, va dedicar una de les seves xerrades divulgatives a la salinitat de l’oceà i la va anomenar “La Ventafocs de l’oceanologia dinàmica”. Fedorov deia que “El destí de la salinitat com a paràmetre físic està estretament relacionat amb la dinàmica de les aigües de l’oceà i és molt similar al destí de la pobra Ventafocs del conte de fades de Charles Perrault. I, com la pobra Ventafocs, fa temps que la salinitat clama justícia”. […]

The RETRO-BMC oceanographic cruise was designed to characterize the spatial structures and variability of the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence (BMC) region. The cruise was carried in April 2017 on board the R/V Hespérides, departing from Ushuaia (Argentina) and arriving to Santos (Brazil). There were a total of 33 hydrographic stations, carried out between 13 and 25 April 2017. All stations were offshore from the continental platform and within 42ºS-36ºS and 58ºW-52ºW. Conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) data were obtained with a SeaBird 911 Plus multi-parametric probe, with redundant salinity and temperature sensors, and additional dissolved oxygen (SBE-43) and fluorescence and turbidity (Wetlabs AFL-NTU-RTD) sensors. Water velocity data was obtained at the stations with a lowered acoustic Doppler current profiler (LADCP) and along the ship’s track with the vessel-mounted ADCP (VADCP). During the entire ship’s track inside the study region, the VADCP gathered velocity data in low-range mode (one velocity profile every 2 min between about 20 and 800 m at 8-m depth bins) and a thermosalinograph gathered salinity and temperature data (every 5 s at a depth of 5 m). The LADCP was attached, together with the CTD, to a 12-liters 24-Niskin-bottle rosette that was used to gather water samples at discrete depths, which were frozen and later analyzed to determine the concentration of inorganic nutrients. In addition, two high-resolution three-dimensional surveys were carried out at the Confluence front with a SeaSoar covering the area between 40.6-39.0°S and 55.6°W-53.8°W. The first transect was completed between the 16 and 17 April, 46 hours covering 620 km, while the second sampled 751 km between the 19 and 21 April 2017, during 52 hours. The SeaSoar was equipped with a SeaBird 911 CTD with the same sensors as in the hydrographic stations, and recorded data in a sawtooth pattern between 5 and 360 m, with a horizontal spacing between apogees of 4 km. Finally, five subsurface drif

The analysis of a 24-year time series of Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) casts collected in the Balearic Channels (1996–2019) has allowed detecting and quantifying long-term changes in water mass properties in the Western Mediterranean. For the complete period, the intermediate waters have experienced warming and salting at rates of 1.4°C/100yr and 0.3–0.6/100yr for the Western Intermediate Water, and 1°C/100yr and 0.3–0.4/100yr for the Levantine Intermediate Water. The density of these two water masses has not changed. The deep waters, defined as those denser than 29.1 kg/m3, showed positive trends in temperature, salinity, and density (0.8°C/100yr, 0.2/100yr, and 0.02 kg.m–3/100yr, respectively). The high temporal variability of the upper layer makes the detection of long-term changes more difficult. Nevertheless, combining CTD data with temperature data from the oceanographic station at L’Estartit and simulated data from the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis, it can be established that the Atlantic Water increased its temperature at a rate of 2.1–2.8°C/100yr and likely its salinity at a rate of 0.6/100yr. The water column absorbed heat at a rate equivalent to 1–1.2 W/m2. All these trends are much higher than those reported in previous works (more than double in some cases). The warming of the water column produced an increase in the thermosteric component of sea level. However, this increase was compensated by the decrease in the halosteric component. Besides these changes, other alterations related to the Western Mediterranean Transition have been observed over shorter periods. The temperature and salinity of the intermediate waters increased before the winter of 2004/2005 and then the temperature and salinity of the deep waters increased dramatically in 2005. The density of the deep water reached values unprecedented before 2005. Deep and intermediate waters were uplifted by the presence of such dense deep waters. The arrival of warmer and saltier intermediate waters f

Deep Water Formation (DWF) appeared almost regularly every year, during central winter months, in an area located offshore the Gulf of Lions in the NW Mediterranean Sea. Since the early 1960s, the processes involved in the DWF have been monitored, more or less intensively by regular hydrographic surveys or by moored instruments. It is worth noting the international efforts carried out in late 60s-early 70s by the so-called MEDOC Group to obtain a quite precise description of the whole process. Although the intensity of the DWF, as well as the amount of the newly formed Western Mediterranean Deep Water (WMDW), have shown high interanual variability, those years when the DWF was absent were exceptional, e.g. 1990, and those not reaching the bottom were scarce, e.g. 1997. Typically, they were years with almost no cold northerly winds during winter. By contrast, in some years the amount of newly formed WMDW was exceptional, e.g. 1987, and in some cases, an extra amount of this water came from dense shelf cascading, e.g. 1999. Moreover, in some years, the so-called variable Bottom Water, a slightly warm and salty layer, appeared near the bottom. It was a layer not thicker than 300 m, attributed to a large area affected by DWF which caused an extra amount of Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW) involved in the process, e.g. 1973. Other concomitant conditions that contributed to the DWF variability across the years was the presence of a blocking anticyclone in the Balearic Sea, that would play a role in intensifying the exposure of surface water to the northerlies, e.g. 1999. In winter 2005, all the factors contributing to an intense DWF process acted simultaneously, resulting in a new structure within the WMDW. The amount of newly formed WMDW, with higher density, T and S, was so extraordinary that affected the entire western Mediterranean basin, and it was identified as the Western Mediterranean Transition (WMT). The remnants of the WMDW previous to the WMT have been uplif

[EN] The oceanographer Antonio Cruzado Alorda died on Christmas Day 2020 at the age of 80, a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic. After tirelessly dedicating himself to oceanography for more than 40 years, he spent his last years of retirement in the peaceful green mountains of Llívia, a Catalan village in the Pyrenees. [...], [ES] El oceanógrafo Antonio Cruzado Alorda falleció el día de Navidad de 2020, a los 80 años, víctima de la Pandemia COVID-19. Tras dedicarse incansa blemente a la oceanografía durante más de 40 años, pasó los últimos años de retiro en la tranquilidad de las verdes montañas de Llívia, un pueblo catalán en los Pirineos. [...]

The analysis of a 24-year time series of Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) casts collected in the Balearic Channels (1996¿2019) has allowed detecting and quantifying long-term changes in water mass properties in the Western Mediterranean. For the complete period, the intermediate waters have experienced warming and salting at rates of 1.4°C/100yr and 0.3¿0.6/100yr for the Western Intermediate Water, and 1°C/100yr and 0.3¿0.4/100yr for the Levantine Intermediate Water. The density of these two water masses has not changed. The deep waters, defined as those denser than 29.1 kg/m3, showed positive trends in temperature, salinity, and density (0.8°C/100yr, 0.2/100yr, and 0.02 kg.m¿3/100yr, respectively). The high temporal variability of the upper layer makes the detection of long-term changes more difficult. Nevertheless, combining CTD data with temperature data from the oceanographic station at L¿Estartit and simulated data from the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis, it can be established that the Atlantic Water increased its temperature at a rate of 2.1¿2.8°C/100yr and likely its salinity at a rate of 0.6/100yr. The water column absorbed heat at a rate equivalent to 1¿1.2 W/m2. All these trends are much higher than those reported in previous works (more than double in some cases). The warming of the water column produced an increase in the thermosteric component of sea level. However, this increase was compensated by the decrease in the halosteric component. Besides these changes, other alterations related to the Western Mediterranean Transition have been observed over shorter periods. The temperature and salinity of the intermediate waters increased before the winter of 2004/2005 and then the temperature and salinity of the deep waters increased dramatically in 2005. The density of the deep water reached values unprecedented before 2005. Deep and intermediate waters were uplifted by the presence of such dense deep waters. The arrival of warmer and saltier intermediate waters f

[ES] ¿Sabías que en los mares y océanos hay muchos más vegetales que en la superficie de la tierra? No se ven fácilmente, se mueven con el agua y son la base de la alimentación de todos los animales marinos. Si quieres descubrir qué come el pez pequeño y verlo con tus propios ojos, ¡no te pierdas este itinerario!, [CAT] Sabies que dins els mars i oceans hi ha molts més vegetals que a la superfície de la terra? No es veuen fàcilment, es mouen amb l'aigua i són la base de l'alimentació de tots els animals marins. Si vols descobrir què menja el peix petit i veure-ho amb els teus propis ulls, no et perdis aquest itinerari!

Un estudio de Climate Central ilustra las consecuencias del calentamiento global en 184 lugares del mundo. Los científicos consultados constatan la solidez abrumadora del informe del IPCC sobre el cambio climático, pero también recuerdan que las simulaciones de Climate Central están hechas calculando un espacio de tiempo de 2.000 años

El IIP se creó el 3 de octubre de 1951 con su sede central en Barcelona, inicialmente en la Universitat de Barcelona y desde el 1963 en la Barceloneta, y con laboratorios a Castelló y Blanes, a los que después se añadieron Vigo y Cádiz. En el año 1979 el IIP se separó en 4 centros: el mismo IIP en Barcelona (que en 1987 cambió de nombre a Instituto de Ciencias el Mar y que mantuvo el laboratorio de Blanes), el Instituto de Investigaciones Mariñas de Vigo, el Instituto de Acuicultura Torre de la Sal de Castelló y el Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias Marinas en Cádiz. Posteriormente, del laboratorio de Blanes surgió el Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Blanes y del mismo Instituto de Ciencias de Mar surgió la Unidad de Tecnología Marina -- Programa preliminar: 11:00 - Bienvenida - Josep Lluís Pelegrí. Retrospectiva histórica del IIP - Angel Guerra 11:30 - Mesas redondas: Pasado, presente y futuro de... … las pesquerías y recursos marinos. Enrique MacPherson (CEAB), Jaume Pérez (IATS), Francisco Prat (ICMAN), Francisco Saborido (IIM) … la obtención y uso de datos. Javier Prades (UTM), Susana Diez (UTM), Ariadna Sitjà (IATS), Jordi Salat (ICM). … la cultura oceánica y la sociedad. Luisa Martínez (CSIC Galicia), Pepe Pintado (IIM), Ignacio Moreno (ICMAN), Josep Maria Gili (ICM) 13:00 - Pica pica 13:30 - Concierto de L'Ultim Indi, [CAT] L'IIP es va crear el 3 d'octubre de 1951 amb la seva seu central a Barcelona, inicialment a la Universitat de Barcelona i des del 1963 a la Barceloneta, i amb laboratoris a Castelló i Blanes, als que després es van afegir Vigo i Cadis. L'any 1979 l'IIP es va separar en 4 centres: el mateix IIP a Barcelona (que el 1987 va canviar de nom a Institut de Ciències el Mar i que va mantenir el laboratori de Blanes), el Instituto de Investigaciones Mariñas de Vigo, l'Institut d'Acuicultura Torre de la Sal de Castelló i el Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias Marinas a Cadis. Posteriorment, del laboratori de Blanes va sorgir el Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes i del mateix Institut de Ciències del Mar en va sorgir la Unitat de Tecnologia Marina

Presentación del libro Homenatge a Antoni Ballester i Nolla : Recull d’escrits.

La Terra i la Lluna estan a la mateixa distància del Sol, per tant reben la mateixa radiació, però curiosament una té la temperatura mitjana de 15ºC i l’altre de -18ºC. Això és gràcies a l’atmosfera, la hidrosfera i la biosfera. L’atmosfera i la hidrosfera tenen una capacitat calorífica d’aproximadament en relació de 1.200 a 1. És a dir, que la capacitat calorífica que té l’atmosfera, és 1.200 vegades més petita que la hidrosfera. El mar reparteix el calor movent l’aigua i el retorna a l’atmosfera. Per moure el mar, el que es necessita és refredament i evaporació que fa que l’aigua s’enfonsi i, per tant, circuli. En el seu lloc, l’aigua que s’enfonsa substitueix a l’aigua superficial que és transportada a les zones on es refreda. Això és un cicle que s’anomena circulació general termohalina. Al pol nord, es situen dos focus de formació d’aigua, els principals impulsors de l’aigua en tot el món. Al pol sud, també n’hi ha altres dos, però funcionen amb certa periodicitat; tot i així també hi contribueixen molt. Al Mediterrani i al Mar Roig, també hi ha tres punts de formació d’aigua. Tenint en compte que l’aigua salada és més densa que l’aigua dolça, quan aquesta es troba a la superfície i es refreda, es queda a la superfície perquè l’aigua salada impedeix que s’enfonsi per la diferència de densitat. Això és un desencadenant del fre de la circulació que es produiria en cas que hi hagués un desglaç important. El calor ocult: dues aigües amb diferents salinitats que es barregen, donen lloc a una aigua amb més alta densitat que les dues inicials. És a dir, s’obtindrien aigües que es situarien per sota donant a lloc un escenari d’aigua freda superficial i aigua calenta al fons. Això passa al Mediterrani, per exemple. Al que hem après fins ara, s’hi sumen les següents condicions: el temps mig de residència de l’aigua dins l’oceà és de 3300 anys, un augment de la temperatura mitjana de la columna d’aigua fa pujar el nivell del mar, l’evaporació provoca un refredament superf