Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

SS08 Processes at the Benthic Interface (Environmental Connections)

Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2001, Time: 10:00:00 AM

Location: Ruidoso/Pecos

Tengberg, A, , Gothenburg Univ., Gothenburg, Sweden, anders@amc.chalmers.se

Smith, K, L, Scripps Inst. of Oceanography, San Diego, USA, ksmith@ucsd.edu

Glatts, R, , Scripps Inst. of Oceanography, San Diego, USA, rglatts@ucsd.edu

Baldwin, R, , Scripps Inst. of Oceanography, San Diego, USA, rbaldwin@ucsd.edu;

Uhlman, F, , Scripps Inst. of Oceanography, San Diego, USA,

Glud, R, N, Univ. of Copenhagen, Helsingor, Denmark, mblrg@mail.centrum.dk

Hall, P, O, Gothenburg Univ., Gothenburg, Sweden, per@amc.chalmers.se

Holst, G, , Max-Planck-Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany, gholst@mpi-bremen.de

Kühl, M, , Univ. of Copenhagen, Helsingor, Denmark, mblmik@mail.centrum.dk

Klimant, I, , Univ. of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany, ingo.klimant@chemie.uni-regensburg.de

HIGH RESOLUTION ACOUSTIC AND OPTIC STUDIES OF THE SEA FLOOR USING A GENTLY LANDING “SCANNER LANDER”

High-resolution biogeochemical studies of the seafloor were made possible by combining acoustical and optical methods into a “scanner lander”. Hydraulically dampened small diameter legs assure a gentle landing with no visible sediment disturbance. At the seafloor a scanning device investigates 1800 cm2 for sediment in-fauna (at 1 mm resolution) and for surface deposited organic material (at 1 cm resolution). The scanning is followed by a gentle, motor controlled, sediment insertion of an incubation chamber (equipped with a lifetime based oxygen optode) and a “planar oxygen optode” (with transparent foil). The chamber incubation gives a direct measure of the sediment oxygen uptake and collects a 400-cm2 sediment sample. The planar optode takes two-dimensional pictures (at 50-500 um resolution) of the oxygen distribution and the sediment texture. This lander is made for autonomous operation down to 6000 m and it is also equipped with a video camera, two acoustic current meters, CTD, external oxygen optode, turbidity sensor and a Niskin bottle.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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