SSLA@MM - Sea Waters Sensing Laboratory @MIO Marseille
SSLA@MM, a marine laboratory to monitor chemical and biogeochemical variables, and a nursery for new, innovative, low-energy and autonomous technologies for marine-environment monitoringMarine pelagic environments are complex and dynamical ecosystems, either through physical movements triggering biological and chemical distribution at minute scales or through processes that are linked to the fast interactions between planktonic microorganisms and their intrinsic cellular physiological activities. Innovative automated sensors are constructed to monitor marine environments and their biological and chemical properties, with the final aim to deploy these sensors on autonomous isolated platforms.
The Sea Water Sensing Laboratory @ MIO Marseille will pump sea water in the bay of Marseille (Endoume Marine Station, Marseille), and cutting-edge technologies that are available at the MIO will follow the natural marine ecosystem. The SSL@M will also provide ideal bench-top conditions with natural continuous available sea water for emerging technologies to be improved.
The SSL@M will welcome scientists and companies that wish to study, consolidate, compare and integrate the information that is registered by these sensors.
Scientific Committee :
Engineering and technical manager : Olivier Grosso
SSL@MM is 4 years old !
In September 2023, the SSL@MM (Sea Water Sensing Laboratory @ MIO Marseille, MIO's technical platform), led by Olivier Grosso and Melilotus Thyssen, and recently by Clémentine Gallot (CDD IR CNRS), celebrated its 4th year of operation and is now part of MIO's technical resources. The continuous, gentle pumping of seawater from the Calanque aux Cuivres to taps under laboratory conditions is a success, validated by its near-continuous operation. Similarly, the method of cleaning the seawater inlet pipes is a well-managed routine. The high-frequency, long-term strategy enables us to study the diurnal and seasonal cycles of a coastal marine ecosystem, and aims to capture the effects of impulse events such as gales, storms and rainfall on phytoplankton communities, certain chemical and hydrological elements, and their transformation products.