Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study

BBSR has a long history of oceanographic innovation. 1954 saw the implementation of the world's first significant deep-ocean time series, Hydrostation "S", from which data are still being collected. The longevity and success of the program eventually led to BBSR linking with the U.S. Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS) program to start the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS), another long-term time-series study examining biogeochemical cycles in the Sargasso Sea near Bermuda. The potential for acquiring more diverse and detailed time-series data was a key motivator in allowing BBSR to establish the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study. The BATS team is involved in making monthly measurements of important hydrographic, biological and chemical parameters throughout the water column at sites within the Sargasso Sea. Collaborative research efforts in the Sargasso Sea between BATS and other institutions include the Oceanic Flux Program (OFP), a continuing time-series study of sediment transport measurements into the deep sea (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), and the Bermuda Testbed Mooring site, where the latest high-technology moored platform is combined with hydrographic and bio-optical sensors (USC, UCSB, MBARI, LDEO).