January 25th, 2010

A collaborative action between CEAB and ICM (CSIC) will allow studying bacterias at the station OOCS

A joined effort between the Institut de Cièncias del Mar (ICM-CSIC) and the Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC) will allow carry out a comparative study between the microbiological conditions at the OOCS station and the microbiological conditions at the BBMO (Blanes Bay Microbial Observatory) station. The study will start in February 2010.

The two sampling stations are located on the the continental shelf and on the upper slope off Blanes, at about 4 miles apart each other. The OOCS station is located closer to the Blanes submarine canyon, whereas the BBMO station is located closer to the coastline. The hidrodynamical and biogeochemical conditions driving the dynamics of procariota (bacteria and picophytoplankton) at the two stations is altered by a differencial influence of the continental runoff and marine currents driven by the canyon topography.

The present collaborative study will let getting a better approach to the dynamic of the pelagic ecosystem in the area, and the observations will provide support to validations of numerical models implemented by the OOCS group.