EuroSITES will integrate the exiting fixed-point deep ocean observing systems around Europe. At the present the observatories autonomously measure biological, chemical and physical variables significant to our climate and the oceanic ecosystem.

EuroSITES will address two main objectives:

1. To integrate and enhance the exiting deep ocean observatories into a coherent European network.
2. To perform specific science missions that will, in the future, form the basis for sustained monitoring of key environmental features.

An important aspect of the project will be international co-operation and collaboration (e.g. with OceanSITES, ARGO) especially with a number of programmes in North America (e.g. NEPTUNE). The partners involved in EuroSITES are well connected with theses programmes and a crucial component of the programme is an Oversight Committee of international scientists who will provide two crucial roles: 1. To provide a direct link to "end-users" of the data such as modellers who have in the past had difficulty using data from observatories and

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2. To provide effective and direct links with international or other national programmes.

Similarly the links with existing EU programmes will be enhanced to ensure that all activities are mutually beneficial (e.g. MERSEA, ESONET and HERMES) and this will be facilitated by the fact that the PIs of EuroSITES are also key members of these other programmes. Currently, there are 9 long term water column observatories in the oceans around Europe. These measure such properties as temperature every few hours at 1000m depth (almost all sites) phytoplankton concentration every few hours at 40-100m depth (CIS, PAP & ESTOC) and the abundance of large organisms on the abyssal seabed once per year (PAP).

The project has a duration of three years starting in April 2008 and involves 13 public partners from whole Europe. The coordinating Institution is the National Oceanographic Centre, Southampton (NERC-NOCS) and the scientific coordinator is Dr. Richard Lampitt.

OGS is involved in EuroSITES all workpackages and is Workpackage leader of "the Infrastructure Development; Ocean Interior to Seafloor" (WP3).

Scientific responsible: V.Cardin