Plocan

Plataforma Oceánica de Canarias (PLOCAN) – Coastal Observatory
Installations:
1) PLOCAN Test Site area of 23 km2
2) PLOCAN Platform
3) PLOCAN Coastal buoy
4) PLOCAN Gliders
5) PLOCAN Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs)
6) PLOCAN Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV)
7) PLOCAN HF RADAR

Web site address: www.plocan.eu

Description of the infrastructure:
PLOCAN is a multipurpose service centre with land- and sea-based novel infrastructures to support marine research, technology development and innovation. The centre provides a cost-effective combination of services, such as an observatory, a test site, a base for underwater vehicles, laboratories, training and an innovation hub. In addition PLOCAN is configured as a Marine Test Site available to projects focused on testing and demonstrating of all kinds of marine devices, like those related to marine renewable energy but also submarine and surface autonomous vehicles, fixed buoys and marine observatories, profilers and sensors. Observing systems and installations support the environmental monitoring needs of the Test Site. Some installations are shared with the deep and extended observatories (e.g. surface gliders, lab facilities, e-infrastructure).
1) PLOCAN Test Site reserved area of 23 km2 with depths ranging from the coast to 600m managed by PLOCAN. It includes a multidisciplinary and permanent set of autonomous ocean observing platform and a subsea cable infrastructure prepared for the installation of ocean observing infrastructures.
2) PLOCAN Platform: A multipurpose autonomous ocean observing platform resting on the seabed over 30m depth, with several floors and up to 30m high. Observations are possible from this physical platform, which includes the access to power as well as high speed communication with PLOCAN onshore facilities.
3) PLOCAN Coastal buoy: Includes meteorological (air temperature, wind speed and direction, etc.) and oceanographic sensors in (sub) surface to measure variables like temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, CO2, Chla “a” and turbidity. Data is received on real time applying after the quality control. The continuous data is complemented with in situ discrete CTD/rosette sampling taken during cruises to measure physical and biogeochemical variables.
4) PLOCAN Gliders: 4 units which are operational till depths of 1000m, specifically 2 Slocum G3 glider from Teledyne Marine, a Seaglider from Kongsberg Maritime and a SeaExplorer from Alseamar. All the gliders are equipped with sensors to collect water column profiles, i.e. CTD, oxygen, Chla “a” and turbidity, plus CDOM (Seaglider) and hydrocarbon (SeaExplorer). They have been used in multiple actions, among them the periodical seasonal missions to the oceanic ESTOC station (included in TNA of FixO3).
5) PLOCAN Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs): Two are available, specifically one Wave Glider SV2 from Liquid Robotics and a Sail Buoy from Offsore Sensing.
6) PLOCAN Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV): Model Seabotix Vlbv-950 (deployable to 950 m.) manufactured by Seabotix. Payload: Bowtech cámara HD b/n, Bowtech camera HD color, Tritech Micron MK3 sonar, arm 2GL. It is used for taking videos of ocean deployments and underwater behavior of sensors and devices.
7) PLOCAN HF RADAR: Model Seasonde from CODAR, measures surface marine currents in the Test Site area.
Services currently offered by the infrastructure:
PLOCAN installations included in the coastal observatory are open to offer services to regional, national and international interested parties. Some of the installations are operated on a regular basis and others upon demand, with an increasing number of access demands along the years..
The coastal buoy is exchanged at least twice a year, and can host additional instrumentation for atmospheric and (sub)surface tests. Clamp systems and other mechanical adapters can be manufactured locally upon request.
Besides logistical, technological and scientific support for all installations, the gliders are available for complementary measurements in the vicinity of the Platform and Test Site. Our gliders operate four times a year to and from PLOCAN to our oceanic ESTOC site serving the Test Site too, and allowing for sensor inter-comparison and validation. Further to the regular variables measured it is possible to host additional instruments, since some of our gliders have an open architecture, and thus can host a variety of sensors and communication systems, e.g. radiometer, modem, and small autonomous instruments.
PLOCAN onshore facilities are equipped with laboratories where samples collected during research cruises are analysed. Laboratory use is transversal and also serves Test Site activities for cruise-based environmental monitoring and sensor/observing system testing and validation.
Complementary TNA logistics can include the preparatory work for testing equipment at the nearby harbor of Taliarte before using the installation offered, as well as support with our small ship for deployment.
PLOCAN Test Site is also part of the infrastructures offered under the Marinet2 project to test marine renewables. The gliders were included in the TNA of FixO3 project too, where 2 trans-national users were given access.

Location (town, country) of the infrastructure
1) PLOCAN Test Site of 23 km2: Northeast of Gran Canaria Island, Canary Islands, Spain. Test site is a polygon with latitudes ranging from 28.02 to 28.06 N and longitudes from 15.33 to 15.40 W.
2) PLOCAN Platform: Within Test Site area, located 1.5 km off the coast, at a latitude of 28,041 N and longitude of 15,305 W.
3) PLOCAN Coastal buoy: Located within Test Site at depths ranging 40-100m.
4) PLOCAN Gliders: Mainly Atlantic Ocean.
5) PLOCAN Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs): Atlantic Ocean
6) PLOCAN Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV): Canary Islands
7) HF Radar: The two antennas are located at Las Palmas Port (28º 9,148’ N, 15º 23,898’ W) and in our land-based facilities (27º 59.546’N, 15º 22,080’ W)

Modality of access under this proposal: MoA1/MoA2. UA: day Modality used to declare
access costs: TA-UC

  The centre provides a cost-effective combination of services, such as an observatory, a test site, a base for underwater vehicles, laboratories, training and an innovation hub. Services currently offered: PLOCAN installations included in the coastal observatory are open to offer services to regional, national and international interested parties. The coastal buoy can host additional instrumentation for atmospheric and (sub)surface tests. Gliders operate four times a year to and from PLOCAN to our oceanic ESTOC site serving the Test Site too.  Support offered under this proposal: PLOCAN installations included in the coastal observatory are open to offer services to regional, national and international interested parties. Besides logistical, technological and scientific support for all installations, the gliders are available for measurements in the vicinity of the Platform and Test Site.