About us

This page provides a general description of SOCIB, SOCIB’s Beach Monitoring Facility, and its modular beach integral monitoring system.

SOCIB

The Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System (SOCIB from the Spanish version, Sistema de Observación y Predicción Costero de las Illes Balears) is a Unique Scientific and Technical Infrastructure (ICTS, in its Spanish acronym), managed by a Consortium created by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science and the Autonomous Community of the Balearic Islands in 2007. In 2020, the CSIC was incorporated into the structure of the SOCIB Consortium. Located in Parc Bit, Palma, it has a multidisciplinary team of 50 people with a common goal: to monitor, observe and forecast the Mediterranean Sea and to advance in the knowledge, understanding, and sustainable management of the ocean in a context of global change. In order to achieve this, SOCIB operates an observing system that continuously monitors the western Mediterranean, collecting data through multiple platforms including high-frequency coastal radars, comprehensive beach monitoring systems, ocean gliders, Lagrangian observation platforms (ARGO profilers and surface drifting buoys), oceanographic buoys, meteorological and sea-level stations, and the Research Vessel (R/V SOCIB). Modelling and forecasting systems complement the observing infrastructures to integrate multi-platform and multidisciplinary observations and generate predictions. The data obtained from observations and model predictions can be accessed in real-time and in open access through the SOCIB website (www.socib.es) in line with EU open data strategy. As ICTS, it offers competitive access to the R/V SOCIB and the glider fleet and also offers other specific oceanographic services. Furthermore, through its Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) strategy, it encourages open access to its scientific and technical production and the transfer of knowledge, thus facilitating the application of its capabilities in R&D&I, connecting with researchers, marine and maritime end-users, decision-makers, companies, and citizens. To do this, it designs and implements viewers, early-warning and prediction systems, applications, among other ocean products, to promote evidence-based marine and coastal management and support the blue economy and mission oriented innovation. In addition, SOCIB works towards accelerating a shift in ocean literacy in Spanish culture, developing activities and resources for all audiences.

SOCIB BEACH MONITORING FACILITY

Coastal systems are sensitive environments where many processes operate at different space-time scales acting nonlinearly. Understanding nearshore processes and the response of coastal systems at all these scales is increasingly important because beaches are the first barrier in front of coastal flooding and, also, because of their economic and social relevance in terms of tourism economy and outdoor recreation. Additionally, the increased threat of global warming and the resulting rise in sea level may accelerate coastal erosion problems. A continuous, large, and high-resolution dataset on coastline evolution, nearshore waves and currents, sediments and beach bathymetry is a key issue in order to characterize and manage coastal systems properly. The aim of the SOCIB Beach Monitoring Facility is to contribute to this issue by means of the Modular Beach Integral Monitoring System (MOBIMS), a hybrid system of field campaigns and remote sensing. MOBIMS is composed of a low-cost open-source video monitoring system (SIRENA), an Acoustic Wave and Current Profiler (AWAC), and a weather station; coupled with bi-annual field campaigns during which high-resolution bathymetries and topographies, as well as sediment sampling, are performed. Therefore, Beach Monitoring Facility products consist of real-time data on beach images and weather variables, as well as periodic information on waves, sediments, and beach morphology.

GOALS/OBJECTIVES/MISSION

• Enabling optimum coastal management, including the detection of zones with coastal erosion problems, sustainable urban planning, the assessment of the damage after big storms, and the detection of environmental problems.

• Supporting research and education, allowing free and open access to the data for various coastal research projects to help develop new models or tackle the causes and effects of climate change, and providing information for graduate students.

• Bringing science closer to society; open data is displayed via apps accessible to the general public.

• Contributing to beach safety by detecting hazardous areas for swimmers or vessels, such as rip currents.

• Providing useful information about the beach conditions for recreational activities to tourists.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Users of the SOCIB Data Repository shall acknowledge properly (see Open Access Policy) the source of the data following the format:

“Data obtained from the Balearic Island Coastal and Observing Forecasting System (SOCIB) Data Repository. [year-of-data-download], [Title], [Data access URL], accessed [date-of-access]”

where the slice in orange is only mandatory in case of bibliographic references and in such cases placeholders within brackets are to be filled accordingly. Example:

“Data obtained from the Balearic Island Coastal Observing and Forecasting System (SOCIB) Data Repository. 2010, Data from instrument IME-MET002 on platform Station Salines, https://apps.socib.es/data-catalog, accessed 2010-10-18”

In addition, and if applicable, further organisations funding or contributing to the data used can be acknowledged next.

In the case of using data products, if a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is available, users are encouraged to better use the associated CITE US statement (see citation below), which will enable reproducibility.

CITATION

Users of the SOCIB Data Repository’s data products with a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) shall properly cite the source of the data with the CITE-US statement available on its landing page. Example for the HF Radar Ibiza data:

“Tintoré, J., Lana, A., Marmain, J., Fernández, V., Casas, B., & Reyes, E. (2020). HF Radar Ibiza data from date 2012-06-01 (Version {x.y.z}) [Data set]. Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System, SOCIB. https://doi.org/10.25704/17GS-2B59”.

where the version number within braces (in organe) is to be replaced by the particular version number used to guarantee reproducibility. Example:

“Tintoré, J., Lana, A., Marmain, J., Fernández, V., Casas, B., & Reyes, E. (2020). HF Radar Ibiza data from date 2012-06-01 (Version 1.0.1) [Data set]. Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System, SOCIB. https://doi.org/10.25704/17GS-2B59”.