Infrastructure
(short name)
CNRS-INSU Glider National Facility
(GNF)
Installation
(short name)
CNRS-INSU Glider National Facility
(GNF)
Location
La Seyne sur mer, France
Coordinates/Routes
43.106°N - 5.8833°E
Bottom depth
Legal name of organisation
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Country
France
The National Glider Facility (GNF) is held by DT-INSU.
It is installed inside the Mediterranean Ifremer center and is part of the CETSM (European Centre of underwater technologies). GNF started in September 2008. It is manned by 3 engineers and 1 technician and operates 10 gliders.
The facility is fully equipped with: a glider ballasting tank, an electronic lab for pre-deployment preparation, servers and communications devices for glider operations. It is linked to the ego-network.org web page offering a collaborative work environment and tools for piloting gliders. The following sensors can be mounted on the gliders: CTD, Oxygen Optode, Fluorimeters (ChlA, CDOM, Phycoerythrine, turbidity), Back scattering (470-880 nm).
Web site address: http://www.dt.insu.cnrs.fr/gliders/gliders.php
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GliderCNRS
| Instrument | Measured Parameter(s) | Elevation / Depth | Sampling | Frequency of data recovery |
| All gliders | Temperature | 1000 m max | Vertical full resolution <<1m. Low resolution (real time), a few m. 1000 m-profile duration ~ 4 hours | Full resolution data provided immediately after recovery (80 days max, nominal). Low resolution available in real time |
| " | Conductivity | " | " | " |
| " | Chla | " | " | " |
| " | CDOM | " | " | " |
| " | Turbidity | " | " | " |
Remote: the measuring system is implemented by the operator of the installation and the presence of the user group is not required.
Unit of access (UA): day.
CNRS-INSU provides access to one or more gliders of the fleet for autonomous operation at sea. Access to the CNRS-INSU GNF by a user group is treated as a concession granted to use the infrastructure (one or several gliders, prior contact to CNRS-INSU required to assure piloting and operation capabilities) in a dedicated experiment to collect specific data following the implementation of an automated measurement programme agreed between the user group and CNRS-INSU.
TNA projects supported by JERICO-NEXT:
GNF is offering gliders as autonomous observing systems to collect data in specific experiments. The service is presently putting efforts for achieving high quality data through regular calibration/control procedures, as well as for providing users with full resolution post-processed data shortly after glider recovery.
The glider facility offers the complete coordination of data measurement using gliders; preparation (batteries installation, electronics/mechanical/informatics preparation, ballasting, compass calibration, testing in deep seawater pool, accurate checks of onboard CTDs using in-house bath), at sea operations (shipping, customs, deployment, recovery), maintenance, communication infrastructure including near real time data set for the scientist. It can deploy gliders for one time operation or work with observatories. A fully trained glider staff will support the user groups working on shift for continuous service (including piloting in close contact with the users).
To be verified with the facility provider.
