The Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) has completed a new maintenance and renewal campaign at the EMSO-Canarias oceanic station, also known as ESTOC (European Station for Time-Series in the Ocean of the Canary Islands), located 112 km north of the archipelago at a depth of 3,610 meters. This infrastructure, operated by PLOCAN and part of the European EMSO-ERIC and ICOS networks, is key for long-term monitoring of meteorological and oceanographic parameters in the North Atlantic.
A team of researchers and technicians from PLOCAN, aboard the Dutch oceanographic vessel Pelagia, recovered the observatory to install new sensors that will ensure the continuity of observations on oceanographic variability at this strategic point.
The station employs advanced technologies in its fixed structure (deep mooring and surface buoy) to collect essential data on temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, pCO₂ (partial pressure of carbon dioxide), currents, and pigments.
Among the most relevant data obtained from ESTOC are the sea surface temperature (SST) observations. These in situ measurements are fundamental for validating data obtained via meteorological satellites. In this way, the reliability of global SST results is ensured, which are key for climate modeling, predicting extreme phenomena, and managing marine resources.
Comparative analysis of sea surface temperatures between the North Atlantic average-from the Equator to Greenland and from the east to the west coast- (https://climatereanalyzer.org/clim/sst_daily/?dm_id=natlan) and the specific data collected from ESTOC for the period between February 2024 and March 2025 has revealed significant patterns for the past year and the first quarter of the current year.
The ESTOC station has been recording data since 1994, with average temperatures of 18.5°C. During the first months of 2024, which are seasonally the coldest, temperatures higher than usual were recorded, reaching 20°C. In the same period of 2025, the average temperature was 19.7°C, still above typical values. Thus, the latest data confirm the sustained increase in sea temperature in the Canary Islands.
“The records from the first months of 2025 indicate temperatures slightly lower than those observed in 2024, but still above normal. The data also reflected a marked cold anomaly during July 2024, when the temperature dropped significantly,” explained Andrés Cianca, technologist at PLOCAN, who noted that “the ESTOC station shows greater daily variability and is more influenced by local and mesoscale phenomena than the North Atlantic average series. These phenomena generate variability as a result of the mixing of deeper, that is, colder waters. Nevertheless, the temperature recovered afterward, returning to anomalously high values towards the end of the year.”
He also added that “these thermal anomalies are part of a context of ocean warming already documented for the Canary region, reflecting a progressive pattern that has been manifesting over recent decades. This trend is consistent with climate projections for the Canary Islands, which anticipate a significant temperature increase, potentially reaching up to 4.2°C by the end of this century in the worst-case scenario, according to the Clivar report.” https://adaptecca.es/sites/default/files/2025-03/INFORME%20CLIVAR_clima%20en%20Espana_1.pdf).
The PLOCAN technologist highlighted that these winter temperature anomalies affect the exchange of oxygen and nutrients in the ocean, which are reduced, potentially impacting phytoplankton growth and marine biological cycles, and this, in turn, may have consequences for the marine ecosystem.
The strategic location of ESTOC, in the region influenced by the Canary Current, makes these records particularly relevant indicators of changes in ocean circulation.
