ATL2MED Mission - From Atlantic to Mediterranean

The Hydrographic Institute (IH) is one of the 12 oceanographic institutions of 7 countries participating in the international mission “Atlantic to Mediterranean” (ATL2MED) (https://www.saildrone. Com/mission/atl2med).

This mission uses two saildrones, unmanned surface (USV) vehicles that combine wind driven propulsion technology and solar-powered meteorological and oceanographic sensors. These vehicles are prepared to autonomously carry out long-range missions in the most adverse environments of the ocean.

The IH integrates the partners of this experience with the interest of inter-comparing the data collected by these vehicles (meteorology, maritime agitation, surface temperature and current ADCP profile) with the data measured by their MONIZEE network buoys (http://www.hydrographic. pt/iproject/3). The observations of the Saildrones are still of interest for the studies of dynamics in the global Gulf Cadiz area.

The two sailrones started the mission in Cape Verde in October 2019 and then headed for the Canary Islands, where they made measurements near one of the fixed platforms of the PLOCAN project (https://www.plocan. me).

From the Canaries the vehicles headed for the multiparametric buoy of the IH, the CSA81, located off Faro. At this time, on 3 March 2020, the IH carried out a mission aboard the NRP Admiral Gago Coutinho, along with this buoy to obtain data from the water column with traditional means (CTD and current profiler), with the aim of using them as a comparison term between the data obtained by the two vehicles and those received by the buoy.

The vehicles are now moving to Gibraltar, starting the observation programme in the Mediterranean. The mission is due to end in Trieste, Italy, in the Adriatic Sea, in March 2020, completing about 3,200 nautical miles.

The researchers of these institutions are following the trajectories of the two sailrones and are contributing to the ATL2MED mission plan as the various planned phases are reached.