COSYNA (COastal Observation SYstem of the Norther- and Arctic Seas) is a German marine coastal monitoring system aiming to provide quality-controlled environmental near-realtime data from the North-Sea and selected areas of the Arctic ocean. COSYNA is managed by the Helmholtz Center Geesthacht and comprises four working groups, "Coastal fixed measuriung stations" - managed by University Oldenburg, "Underwater nodes" - Managed by the AWI,  "Mobile lander systems" - managed by MARUM and "Data management" - managed by HZG.

The observation systems comprise a variety of new in situ techniques which have been developped within the COSYNA framework. The main focus of the AWI within COSYNA is the developpment and operation of cabled underwater observatories with so called underwater nodes  as central unit providing power and internet data access for marine sensors.

For more information on COSYNA and the related projects see COSYNA@HZG.

 

Furthermore, the structures serve as carrier system for in situ experimental installations.

The technical systems of the COSYNA node are operated by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht (HZG) in close cooperation with the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research. The AWI Center for Scientific Diving, located on Helgoland, provide access to the experimental field all the year round. 
The experimental field MarGate and its technological components are specifically designed for national and international cooperation in the field of climate change related sciences and offer joint projects to both internal and external researchers.

The field is designed as experimental facility to study processes in costal hard-bottom ecosystems and to develop and test state-of-the art scientific equipment in high-energy (stormy) coastal environments.   

Since summer 2012, the MarGate “lab” contains the first German COSYNA (Coastal Observation System for Northern and Arctic Seas, www.cosyna.de) underwater node system. This system provides online measurements of the main abiotic and biotic variables (temperature, salinity, depth, tide, turbidity, oxygen, chl-a fluorescence, 3D-current) in real time (1 Hz). Recent projects at the node system focus e.g. on online zooplankton and fish recording devices.