The OBS equipment tests at the pool were successful! Ready for sea trials

The ocean-bottom seismometers (OBS) underwent submersible testing at the EMEPC facilities.

The OBS is a seismometer that is designed to record acoustic and seismic events at the sea floor. These seismic and acoustic signals may be caused by different sources, such as earthquakes and tremors as well as by artificial sources. The deployment of three OBS’s in a triangular formation around the Cadiz Observatory, will give information about the deep structure of the Earth’s crust and upper mantle, and will complement data generated by the EGIM.

The OBS were designed and built by the IDL group at FCUL led by Luis Matias and Carlos Corela. Sea trials are scheduled for mid-April 2021.

Another successful test for the Cadiz Station profiler completed by CCMAR (member of EMSO-PT)

The second sea trials for the water column profiler were conducted on 26th October 2020 off the coast of Sesimbra aboard the IPMA Research Vessel Diplodus. The team was led by Carlos Sousa (CCMAR) assisted by Luciano Junior (CIMA-UAlg) and Zuzia Stroynowski (IPMA).

The trials were a great success. Under challenging conditions of 3 metre swells, the team were able to deploy the profiler and run four complete profiles before being successfully recovered. The water column profiler is a key component of the Cadiz Station that will provide water column data for the upper 150 metres.

The profiler is now ready to be permanently deployed in the southwest Portuguese waters in the scope of the EMSO-PT project.

First tests completed for the surface profiler

The first component of EMSO-PT’s Cadiz station was successfully tested off the coast of Olhão, Algarve. The tests were performed on one of IPMA’s vessels, the RV Diplodus, and carried out by Centro de Ciências do Mar (CCMar), which is one of the members of EMSO-PT. Paulo Relvas from CCMar and scientific investigator Carlos Sousa, were responsible for the tests carried out.

The equipment comprises of a water profiler called a “Wirewalker” that moves along the water column collecting measurements of various parameters. The profiler measures temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen turbidity and chlorophyll-A at down to 150 m water depth and is the first of its kind on the Portuguese coast. The new profiler will be installed later in the year.