The R/V Bilim-2 left its port in the Mediterranean coast on 20th May 2023, and headed for the Marmara Sea. R/V Bilim-2’s Marmara cruise aim was to complete measurements along the SWOT satellite track, as well as conducting regular seasonal measurements for monitoring projects (e.g. pollution, mucilage, hypoxia).
In the North West Pacific SWOT CalVal site four mooring arrays have been placed within SWOT swath in the Subtropicl Countercurrent (STCC) region.
On May 23rd and May 24th, 2 LiDAR flights were conducted synchronously to the SWOT 1-day orbit track.
The BioSWOT-Med campaign ended on Sunday 14th May after four weeks of navigation sampling an area characterized by a persistent front between modified Atlantic waters of different ages about 100 km north-est of Menorca Island (Spain) under one of SWOT swaths. The BioSWOT-Med scientific team is fully satisfied by the data that were acquired and thanks the Captain and the crew of R/V L'Atalante which allowed a great campaign despite challenging weather conditions.
INTERVIEW – Cédric Cotté is in charge of monitoring marine top predators during the BioSWOT-Med campaign. Here he explains how mesoscale features structure the foraging of marine top predators by generating favorable areas where preys are aggregated.
INTERVIEW – Laure Chirurgien is in charge of measuring oxygen dissolved in seawater and community production. Here she describes the different instruments she uses, some of which especially developed at MIO.
A new review paper summarizes advances in mechanistic understanding, arising in part from observational programmes using autonomous platforms, of the fine-scale processes (1–100 km, hours-seasons) influencing the Southern Ocean mixed layer and its variability. The paper also reviews progress in observing the ocean interior connections and the coupled interactions between the ocean, atmosphere and cryosphere that moderate air-sea fluxes of heat and carbon. Figure 1 from Swart et al. 2023 Interactions between the upper ocean and
INTERVIEW: Sandra Nunige is an expert in nutrient salt measurements. Here she describes the different analyses she will carry out during the BioSWOT-Med cruise.
INTERVIEW – Véronique Cornet is an expert of microphytoplankton and its role in the biological carbon pump. Here she explains what phytoplankton are, how to collect them at sea, and how to analyze their diversity.