State-of-the-art technology will be used for building underwater observatories to monitor underwater seismic activity in the eastern Mediterranean.

The work is part of the 'European Seas Observatory Network' (ESONET) project. The observatories are to be connected to the shore with data and power links via fibre optic cables. Constant monitoring aims to allow resolution of quasi-instantaneous hazardous events such as slides, earthquakes, tsunamis and benthic storms.

The technology of deep-water scientific cabled observatories is still in its initial stages. However the undersea laboratories will be a segment of Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) and Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) initiatives and will, thus, contribute to the provision of information on global change, natural hazards and sustainable management of the European Seas.

One of the sites in the ESONET project is in the Sea of Marmara, which connects the Black Sea to the Mediterranean south of Istanbul, Turkey. The seismic activity along with the water quality need to be monitored, given the size and location of the Sea of Marmara. Underwater observatories are comparable to laboratories placed on the ocean floor. A set of measuring tools will allow the recording of different types of data, and, in extent, the understanding of oceanic phenomena.

Further information:

• Original source - Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) Website
• CORDIS Website
• French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (Institut français de recherche pour l'exploitation de la mer, IFREMER) Website