Bio-optical Gliders and Profiling floats in the MediterraneanARGO SCIENCE WORKSHOP MARCH 13 18, 2006Fabrizio DOrtenzio1, Katarzyna Niewiadomska1, Herv Claustre1, David Antoine1, Pierre Testor24 PROVOR floats equipped with:(CTD)+RadiometerEd(l)

+Transmissometerc(660)LOV / Dalhousie University IFREMER / MARTECSatlantic / Wetlabs1000 m Glider equipped with: Study of the secondary jet-front circulation and associated biological production Small scale temporal and spatial variability of the mixed layer (mesoscale and sub mesoscale)BIO-OPTICAL PROFILERSBIO-OPTICAL GLIDERSVolume increases => Density decreasesMass = constant; Volume = Fixed + 200g; D = M / VDownwelling Irradiance meterSeabird CTD2 Wetlabs BB2F sensors meassuringChla a & CDOM Fluorescence and backscatter (Red, Green, Blue)Upwelling Radiance meterAanderaa Oxygen OptodeDiurnal cycles of bio geochemical properties by performing continuous missions from Nice observatory to DYFAMED/BOUSSOLE sampling stationINTRODUCTIONRecent development of miniaturized low-energy sensors capable of retrieving several bio-geochemical parameters (i.e. chl a, POC, CDOM, Oxygen) have been made available for integration on autonomous platforms. At the emerging Operational Oceanography Observatory in Villefranche-sur-mer, some of these sensors are being integrated into two different autonomous systems: gliders and profiling floats. In the framework of the French project PROGLO (P.I. Herv Claustre), some of these platforms will be deployed in the NW Mediterranean, where a physical and biological sampling station has been active since 1991 (DYFAMED) and a bio-optical buoy has been in operation since 2002 (BOUSSOLE). As part of the European Union project SESAME, a glider will perform several missions in the Eastern Mediterranean. Projects are also being planned for the North Atlantic and the Arctic. OBJECTIVESThe main objectives of the bio-optical observatory is the acquisition of high temporal and spatial resolution bio-geochemical data and their derivatives for the purpose of:establishing an operational monitoring system of the bio- geochemical dynamics of the area,evaluating the feasibility of an ARGO-like system for bio- geochemical studies,calibrating and validating Ocean Color satellite data,and determining the link between vertical distribution of biomass and its surface signature, as observed from space.

THE OBSERVATIONS SYSTEM PLANNED STUDIES Improving interpretation of BOUSSOLE bio-optical data in terms of:CAL/VAL ocean color activitiesimpact of the physical and biological forcings on the bio-optical behavior BOUSSOLE Buoy for the acquisition of a long-term (bio)optical seriesA deep sea mooring, collecting data on a continuous basis, since 2003

Surface irradiance (Es)Downwelling irradiance (Ed)Upwelling irradiance (Eu) Upwelling radiance at nadir (Lu) Attenuation coefficient Backscattering coefficient, Chlorophyll fluorescenceTemperaturePressureSalinity