MedSeaPOD-Mediterranean Sea People's Observatory Data. Citizen Science for Coastal Temperature Data

The acquisition of coastal data, especially in areas of the Mediterranean, is of fundamental importance in numerical forecasting and climatological studies. Islands are particularly significant due to their central location within the sub-basins of the Mediterranean Sea. It is equally important to obtain high-quality data acquired according to common standards, which can be achieved through the exchange of information. In Sardinia, western Mediterranean, an initial experiment was conducted on the small island of San Pietro through the Citizen Science project MedSeaPOD. Twenty temperature sensors were installed at 17 sites around the island for minimum of 12 months in very shallow waters between 3 and 30 metres depth, involving local not scientist people. This made it possible to provide high-quality scientific data to the European EMODnet database and to raise public awareness of climate change. This project has been recognized as having relevant scientific value by IOC UNESCO and it has received the endorsement as Action of the Ocean Decade (2021-2030), within which we have established contacts with scientists from neighbouring Corsica. Finally, to continue data acquisition and collaborate with other Mediterranean islands, the bilateral project named MISTRAL has been approved with Xjenzia Malta where similar measurements are planned.
Sea temperature, water pressure, and GPS data are acquired using small commercial sensors. At mid-October 2023, after having evaluated different sensors, the choice fell on the robust data loggers from Onset Corp. and TechnoSmart. Before the first deployment, tests occurred in the CNR laboratory in Oristano on Onset HOBO 1-800-loggers with temperature sensor. This was done to evaluate criticalities in data acquisition and start writing protocols in data collection, processing, and web applications. Sensors were first deployed early in May 2024 at 17 locations all around the island of San Pietro. Maintenance started at the end of September of the same year, thanks to the collaboration with various groups of citizens like free-divers, diving centres, and local fishers, our active participants in the Citizen Science activities. Their logistical support was fundamental to the success of the project, providing assistance in the selection of sites, their monitoring, and the recovery and deployment of the sensors. Once recovered, data have been downloaded from each Pod then re-deployed on the same site to continue acquisition and then sent to a server. Valid data have been included in an online dataset accessible freely to users directly from the website of the project. Here the first time series from six sites, just recovered, are present and prepared for the EMODnet repository: Geniò, Tonnara -30, Tonnara, Wreck (Relitto), Tempio, Tacche Bianche.
Within the MedSeaPOD project (https://www.medseapod.org/en/), two web-based visualisation systems were developed to address distinct objectives: (i) the rapid publication and dissemination of data, and (ii) the exploration of more immersive and unconventional approaches to data analysis. By offering user-friendly visualisation formats, MedSeaPOD democratises access to scientific information, making it usable for researchers, policymakers, and the general public.
The locations where the HOBO have been deployed, their depth and the type of Citizen involved