Image of the buoy installation work
Generalitat de Catalunya
The Catalan Government has installed a new system of oceanographic buoys to improve understanding of the marine environment in the natural parks of the Empordà, in the province of Girona, along the Mediterranean Sea.
The Department of Territory, Housing, and Ecological Transition has installed a total of four oceanographic buoys: two in the Montgrí, Medes Islands, and Bajo Ter Natural Park, and two in the Cap de Creus Natural Park.
The buoys are equipped with a series of sensors that provide data on salinity, currents, winds, and temperature, helping to enable more comprehensive monitoring and better management of the marine environment.
Moreover, this initiative will help continue the collection of the oldest oceanographic data series in the Mediterranean and the second oldest in the world, which has been and continues to be essential for ecological and environmental studies of the western Mediterranean.
Finally, the buoy located closest to the Medes Islands is equipped with a sensor, previously unused in Catalonia, that will measure turbidity and the amount of organic matter. The yellow buoys feature a 2.4-meter-diameter elastomer float and a marine-grade aluminum superstructure.
The project, funded with €2.1 million through the Next Generation funds, will also support actions to restore habitats and improve the management of protected marine areas in the natural parks of the Empordà.
Companies such as SAES and Satlink are developing Spanish smart buoys that represent significant technological advances in maritime operations, with a special focus on interoperability, command, and control.