Historically, The PIRATA network has also been a key component of the international AMMA program, following the AMMA/EGEE oceanographic campaigns (2005–2007), which demonstrated the major contribution of the ocean in preconditioning and influencing the intensity of the West African monsoon (e.g., Brandt et al., 2011; Caniaux et al., 2011; Coëtlogon et al., 2010; Hormann & Brandt, 2009; Marin et al., 2009). PIRATA has played a central role in European projects, including the FP7 PREFACE project (2013–2018) and, more recently, the H2020 projects AtlantOS (2015–2019), EUROSEA (2019–2023), and TRIATLAS (2019–2023).
- Programs linked to PIRATA
Ocean Tracking Network (OTN). Based at Dalhousie University in Halifax, this program aims to track previously tagged marine mammals across the world’s oceans using acoustic sensors. Since 2014, 18 PIRATA buoys (including 6 managed by the SNO PIRATA) have been equipped with autonomous sensors deployed at 200 m depth, which are replaced during each campaign. Developed since 2010, this program contributes to the WMO’s GOOS initiative as well as the EU-H2020 AtlantOS project.
Ocean Mixing Group Program (Oregon State University, PI: J. Moum). Supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) for five years, this program studies turbulent mixing within oceanic mixed layers using turbulence sensors (Chipods). During the PIRATA-FR24 cruise, the SNO PIRATA deployed two Chipods at 23°W–0°N and 10°W–0°N at 20 m depth; they were recovered in 2015, and ten Chipods (five at each site) were redeployed between 20 and 80 m depth in 2015 and 2016, remaining in place until 2022. A new project has since been funded to maintain these sensors and add four additional Chipods per site (totaling 18, nine at each site), deployed between 13 and 80 m depth since 2022.
CO₂ Measurement Collaborations (LOCEAN, PI: N. Lefèvre). PIRATA buoys have supported long-term CO₂ monitoring through partnerships with international programs such as CARBOOCEAN and EU-H2020 EuroSea. Sensors have been deployed at several key sites in the tropical Atlantic providing hourly measurements that capture both seasonal and long-term changes in surface ocean CO₂. Over the years, these deployments have involved multiple research teams from Europe and beyond, with sensors regularly replaced during PIRATA campaigns. These collaborative efforts illustrate how PIRATA serves as a critical platform for international research on ocean carbon dynamics and climate variability, enabling coordinated observations and long-term data continuity across the tropical Atlantic.
- PIRATA’s participation in other observational programs
On each cruise, approximately 90 XBT temperature profiles and 15 surface drifting buoys are deployed, providing real-time ocean data, while 5–7 Argo floats—including 2–3 biogeochemical or oxygen floats—contribute to the tropical Atlantic Argo program. For instance, more than 35% of the Argo profiles collected between 2021 and 2023 in the equatorial Atlantic band (5°S–5°N) were obtained from floats deployed during PIRATA cruises. Surface seawater is sampled for salinity, nutrients, chlorophyll, carbon parameters, and isotopes, supporting SNO SSS and COOL, CORIOLIS, ICOS.