Hans W. Gerber

European Seafloor Observatory Offers New Possibilities For Deep Sea Study

The Geophysical and Oceanographic Station for Abyssal Research (GEOSTAR), an autonomous seafloor observatory that collects measurements benefiting a number of disciplines during missions up to 1 year long, will begin the second phase of its first mission in 2000. The 6–8 month investigation will take place at a depth of 3400 m in the southern Tyrrhenian basin of the central Mediterranean. GEOSTAR was funded by the European Community (EC) for

Single-frame multiparameter platforms for seafloor geophysical and environmental observations: projects and missions from GEOSTAR to ORION

2.4 million (U.S. dollars) in 1995 as part of the Marine Science and Technology programme (MAST). The innovative deployment and recovery procedure GEOSTAR uses was derived from the “two-module” concept successfully applied by NASA in the Apollo and space shuttle missions, where one module performs tasks for the other, including deployment, switching on and off, performing checks, and recovery. The observatory communication system, which takes advantage of satellite telemetry, and the simultaneous acquisition of a set of various measurements with a unique time reference make GEOSTAR the first fundamental element of a multiparameter ocean network.

GEOSTAR-class observatories 1995–2012: A technical overview

The paper presents an overview of recent seafloor long-term single-frame multiparameter platform developed in the framework of the European Commission and Italian projects starting from the GEOSTAR prototype. The main features of the different systems are described as well as the sea missions that led to their validation. The ORION seafloor observatory network recently developed, based on the GEOSTAR-type platforms and engaged in a deep-sea mission at 3300 m w.d. in the Mediterranean Sea, is also described

GEOSTAR benthic observatory: Technological results

From the scientific point of view, the deepwater environment represents the ultimate frontier for Earth observation and understanding fundamental processes (solid earth studies, as well as oceanographic, climatic and environmental investigations) (Kopf et al., 2012).

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

GEOSTAR (GEophysical and Oceanographic STation for Abyssal Research) is a project funded by European Commission, MAST III. The aim of the project was the development of the first prototype of an innovative deep‐sea benthic observatory capable of carrying out long‐term scientific observations at abyssal depths (up to −4000 m). The prototype has been realized and tested successfully in Adriatic Sea in late summer 1998. GEOSTAR is made up of two main subsystems: Bottom Station and Mobile Docker. The Bottom Station includes the acquisition and power systems, all the scientific sensors and hosts the Communications. The Mobile Docker is a dedicated tool for surface‐assisted deployment and recovery. GEOSTAR is characterized by a lightweight and modular frame, autonomous mission control capabilities, and multiple possibilities of interfacement with external devices. The Bottom Station is presently equipped with geophysical, geochemical, and oceanographic instruments (a triaxial seismometer, vectorial and scalar m...