Skip to content Skip to footer
TA CALLS
SUBSCRIBE
Linkedin-in X-twitter Youtube Ri-facebook-fill Instagram Envelope
TA CALLS
SUBSCRIBE
Linkedin-in X-twitter Youtube Ri-facebook-fill Instagram Envelope
TA CALLS
SUBSCRIBE
Close

W1M3A - Western Mediterranean Research Facility

Mediterranean Moored Multi-Sensor Array - Western Mediterranean research facility

GO BACK TO CATALOGUE
W1M3AWestern Mediterranean Research Facility Western Mediterranean Sea
AQUARIUS_ W1M3A_8
AQUARIUS_ W1M3A_4
AQUARIUS_ W1M3A_2
AQUARIUS_ W1M3A_5
AQUARIUS_ W1M3A_6
AQUARIUS_ W1M3A_7

Infrastructure Profile

Infrastructure Provider

Location

Western Mediterranean Sea (Ligurian Sea)

Organisation & Address

Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Via de Marini 6, 16149 Genoa (Italy)

Infrastructure Webpage 

Visit Website

Link to Infrastructure Schedules (if applicable)

The infrastructure is moored at sea on a continuous basis. No removal of the buoy is planned, unless in case of accidents or for emergency reasons (i.e., mooring failure, buoy’s drift, etc.).

Normal Area of Operation

The Western Mediterranean research facility (W1M3A) is a fixed observatory moored at the following position: 009° 07.0898’ E 43° 50.0710’ N at the center of the Gulf of Genoa (Ligurian Sea), about 80 km offshore on a 1200 m deep seabed.

Maximum Number of Days Available

The infrastructure is available for any necessary period of time

Overview

Depth of Operation

The Western Mediterranean research facility (W1M3A) is moored on a 1200 m deep sea bed.
The W1M3A infrastructure comprises a large spar buoy (51 m. long, 12 tonne weight) kept in place through a 2 km long mooring line.
Deployment of instruments along the submerged part of the spar buoy is performed with divers.
Equipment installation along the mooring line is possible only using a dedicated support vessel.

Power Supply

Onboard scientific payload can be powered by batteries (12 V 180 Ah) recharged by solar panels and wind generator.
Limitation to current drain may be applied.

Communication System(s)

W1M3A data are telemetered ashore through satellite (iridium) and LTE transmission systems.
The satellite system can transfer only a limited subset of data due to bandwidth, power and cost limitations.
The connection through the LTE system cannot be guaranteed due to the distance from the coast. However, when the connection is available, a greater quantity of data can be available ashore in near real-time.
It has to be noted that in order to transmit data ashore, dedicated software interfaces to the onboard datalogger might be developed on purpose.

Dimensions

The spar buoy is 51 m long and 12 tons weight.
The buoy has a draft of about 36 m. The top part emerges from the sea surface for about 15 m.
The mooring line is 2 km long and it is composed of piece of polypropylene cables (dia 60 mm) joined by shackles and swivels.
Two pieces of heavy chain and an anchor lay on the sea bed.

Sensors Available, Scientific Payload etc.

The W1M3A scientific payload is the following:
Atmosphere: Atmospheric pressure at 8 meters asl; Horizontal wind speed at 10 m asl; Gust wind speed; Wind direction relative to true north at 10 m asl; Air temperature in dry bulb at 10 m asl; Relative humidity at 10 m asl; Total incoming radiation at 10 m asl; Hourly precipitation rate; Longwave incoming radiation at 10 m asl;
Ocean-Air interface: Sea surface temperature at surface level
Water column: Sea temperature at different depths (i.e., 0, 6, 12, 20, 28, 36, 100, 250, 500); Electrical conductivity at different depths (i.e., 6, 20, 36, 100 250, 500); Turbidity at 6 m depth; pCO2 at 6 m depth; dissolved oxygen at 6 m depth; chlorophyll-a fluorescence at 6 m depth; Underwater sound (36 m).

Scientific and Technical Specifications

General Information

The W1M3A observing system is one of the most important infrastructures of the National Research Council of Italy and it is moored in the North-Western Mediterranean Sea, inside the area known as the “Cetacean’s Sanctuary”. It is a region dominated by a quasi-permanent cyclonic circulation fed by two distinct fluxes, one from the Tyrrhenian Sea through the Corsica Channel and the other from the northwestern side of Corsica which merge there before cascading in the western part of the basin toward the deep canyons in front of Genoa.
This observatory allows the monitoring of the conditions and the sea state by continuously acquiring meteorological, physical, bio-geochemical, wave and underwater sound measurements. The buoy can be imagined as a “miniature island” able to offer a substrate for the development of a rich biological community as many organisms settle and develop on the buoy, colonizing its entire underwater surface.

Support offered to AQUARIUS users

Services offered consist of support to conduct tests, validation, inter-comparison, installation of new equipment, to explore new concepts in the domain of operational oceanography, to obtain data in near-real-time, to perform seawater sample analysis.
W1M3A offers access in the following modalities: remote access with sensor hosting and/or training; in person access at lab or during cruise with sensor hosting and/or training. Staff of W1M3A guarantee logistical, technological and scientific support for all components. Electronic laboratories and basic workshops are available to adapt or develop parts. Software interfaces can be developed on purpose. When feasible, the in-person access is scheduled during the periodic visits as well as during oceanographic cruises in the area.

Infrastructure Availability and Contact Details

Year 2025

The W1M3A can be accessed all year round.
Meteo-marine conditions can prevent physical access to the infrastructure.
Limitation to the duration of access may be subject to overall availability within the AQUARIUS project.

Year 2026

The W1M3A can be accessed all year round.
Meteo-marine conditions can prevent physical access to the infrastructure.
Limitation to the duration of access may be subject to overall availability within the AQUARIUS project.

Year 2027

The W1M3A can be accessed all year round.
Meteo-marine conditions can prevent physical access to the infrastructure.
Limitation to the duration of access may be subject to overall availability within the AQUARIUS project.

Contact email for applicants to discuss the initial feasibility of their work while they prepare their application

roberto.bozzano[at]cnr.it; sara.pensieri[at]cnr.it

Certification and Clearance Requirements

Diplomatic clearances or permits required for area or type of activity

No specific clearance is requested to access the infrastructure
GO BACK TO CATALOGUE