Cruises LEFE CYBER

The Bio-Argo-Med cruise will enable the successful deployment of the second half of the NAOS programme's fleet of biogeochemical floats, i.e. 14 instrument platforms. Our feedback from deploying the first half of the array (performed in 2012-2013 from several cruises of opportunity) showed that a single operation in the framework of a dedicated action would be more efficient in every way (in scientific, logistic and financial terms). Thus the Bio-Argo-Med cruise has two main aims:

• Assessment of seasonal and interannual cycles of biogeochemical dynamics in the basin, particularly by maintaining the Mediterranean Bio-Argo array
• Drawing up protocols (quality control, deployment, pre- and post-calibration of instruments) for the future global Bio-Argo array