Observation Service in the Bay of Villefranche sur Mer, Hydrology and Biogeochemistry

SORade is the OOV coastal observation service OOV. RadeHydro in particular concerns the collection of physical, chemical and biological data (phytoplankton).

The Bay of Villefranche sur Mer is a historical location which is known as being a good place for studying plankton. Daily macroplankton observation began in 1898 and continued until 1917 under the initiative of the Russian biologist, A. de Korotneff. In 1957, hydrological measurements began on the site known as Point B, with GPS coordinates (WGS 84 system) : 43° 41,10 ' N - 7° 18.94 ' E. Stemming from this long tradition of observation, the Observation Service in the Bay of Villefranche sur Merr (SORade) is responsible for the weekly acquisition of a body of oceanographic parameters. The scientific objective is to monitor temporal variation of the hydroclimate together with those of abundance and holo- and meroplanktonic population composition.

At the same time, at the heart of the Villefranche sur Mer Oceanological Observatory (OOV), many scientific issues are linked to the Observation Service in the Bay of Villefranche sur Mer. Bacteriological counts, studies of phycotoxins (in partnership with IFREMER), and macro and mesoplankton populations, are examples of subjects which depend on observations recorded at Point B