A fleet of multiparameter observatories for geophysical and environmental monitoring at seafloor

Abstract

Seafloor long-term, multiparameter, single-frame observatories have been developed within the framework of European Commission and Italian projects since 1995. A fleet of five seafloor observatories, built-up starting from 1995 within the framework of an effective synergy among research institutes and industries, have carried out a series of long-term sea experiments. The observatories are able to operate from shallow waters to deep sea, down to 4,000 m w.d., and to simultaneously monitor a broad spectrum of geophysical and environmental processes, including seismicity, geomagnetic field variations, water temperature, pressure, salinity, chemistry, currents, and gas occurrence. Moreover, they can transmit data in (near)-real-time that can be integrated with those of the on-land networks. The architecture of the seafloor observatories follows the criteria of modularity, interoperability and standardisation in terms of materials, components and communication protocols. This paper describes the technical features of the observatories, their experiments and data.