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Northwest Mediterranean Associated Investigators: Related Web Sites: Blanes Bay is an open East-facing bay in the NW Mediterranean Catalan coast, about 70 km North of the city of Barcelona. It was selected as a monitoring site because it is a good example of an oligotrophic (relatively nutrient-poor) coastal ecosystem which is relatively unaffected by human influences. It is also one of the sites for which more information exists on the ecology of the Mediterranean planktonic environment, with papers on phytoplankton dating back to the 1940s (Margalef 1945). The site is placed at about 0.5 miles offshore, over a water depth of 20 m. An oceanographic fully-operated buoy is nearby and the station is close to an automatic meteorological station and a directional wave buoy. The station is just placed at the limit between the rocky coast of the Costa Brava and the sandy coast southwards, with very limited riverine influence. The dominant South-western water circulation that characterises this location drives away the water from Tordera river, which outflows south of the site, a river system than only brings substantial amounts of water in winter (Guadayol et al. 2009). The site is nearby a submarine canyon, which facilitates the arrival of offshore seawater to this coastal site. |