Oceanography

General presentation

Oceanographic studies consist of the investigation of the marine environment from the water column to the seabed while taking into account the effects of atmospheric phenomena. It is a combination of different sciences (geophysical fluid dynamic, biology, chemistry, weather, etc.) which generally depends on the nature of the structures we are trying to describe.

The DHOC conducts seasonal oceanographic cruises on different areas of the Moroccan coast using the latest generation hydro-oceanographic ship "DAR AL BEIDA", which is equipped with recent scientific equipment meeting international standards.

Hydrological and dynamic measurements

"DAR AL BEIDA" contains specific equipment adapted to oceanographic cruises. The main objective is to gather hydrological and dynamic in-situ measurements.

Example of hydrological measurements

The acquisition of hydrological data (temperature, salinity, etc.) is done through either a CTD (Conductivity Temperature Depth) rosette sample or a XCTD probes (eXpendable Conductivity Temperature Depth).

Example of dynamic measurements

The current measurements are gathered via the Vessel Mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (VM-ADCP) used to measure water current velocities over a depth range using the Doppler effect with a specific working frequencies.

Sea level measurements

For a long time, the tide has been of particular interest within the hydrographic and oceanographic service of the Moroccan Royal Navy. Nowadays, the DHOC collects tidal data either for short durations during hydrographic surveys or for long durations for specific needs.