ESONET - European Seas Observatory Network. Project Deliverable D45b. 3rd Demonstration Mission Periodic Report
Aim of this document is the reporting of the activities developing over the period June 2009 – December 2009 in the frame of WP4 the ESONET Demonstration Missions (DM, ref. ESONET NoE DoW). In addition, critical aspects for each DM are pointed out and suggestions are give in order to improve the mpact of the DMs work on ESONET and to help in the fully completion of the DM activities and achievements of the results.
In this period, the DMs approved in the 1st call (LIDO, LOOME, Marmara-DM, MOMAR-D, Fig.1)) are either at the completion of the first year or in the second year of activity. The DM implementation plans have in general a first work phase which include a significant effort of the partners for the integration/adaptation of the instrumentation and devices managed by each of them. This phase is completed for most of the DM and three of these DMs are presently in the phase of the development and follow-up of the sea experiments: LiDO in the Gulf of Cadiz, LOOME around the Hakon Mosby mud volcano (Norwegian margin) and MARMARA-DM in the Marmara Sea. The first results of this experiment phase are mainly represented by the technical achievement which are in turn related to the assessment/validation of the performance of the instrumentations/platforms. The logistics involved in the sea operations (e.g., research vessels, ROVs, etc.) has been made available by the partners in the frame of a high level collaboration and coordination effort. The running sea experiments are progressing with the acquisition of long-term measurements in the sub-sea, seafloor and water column. In particular the DMs LIDO, LOOME and Marmara-DM have been testing multisensor-platforms, either new or improved, and have been producing a significant amount of long-term multidisciplinary time series acquired in three ESONET key-sites (Hakon Mosby, Gulf of Cadiz, Marmara Sea) and related to seismic activity, heat-flow and fluid emissions, water-column temperature, etc.
The work progress presents delays for some DMs depending from the lab work or from ship time availability.
The technical results obtained so far by LIDO, LOOME and Marmara-DM are the premise for successful experiments and for the collection of long-term multidisciplinary high-quality data.
The status of MOMAR-D is delayed with respect to the original implementation plan and the sea experiment is foreseen by 2010.
In the period June 2009 – December 2010 the DMs approved in the 2nd Call (MODOO, and AOEM) have started their activities of preparation of the instruments and platforms. At the time of this report, The Grant Agreement (GA) signature process has been completed for MODOO while ESONET coordinator and AOEM coordinator are still negotiating some of the articles of the GA.