AleutBio backstage
The success of a deep-sea expedition depends on many factors. Some of them can hardly be influenced (the weather, for example). Others depend on precise planning and, above all, a lot of work. The samples that arrive here on deck every day are visible to everyone, the “main act” so to speak. However, the many small steps that take place in the background, which ensure that everything is documented and processed accordingly for later work on the deep-sea material, often remain hidden. Considering that our material is highly precious, each collected sample or individual will be recorded and will get a number in the on board data base. And as we have now approached halfway through the expedition, it’s time for an interim score.
After 25 working days, we deployed 88 stations, i.e. with epibenthic sledge, plankton net & Co. 88 times to the deep sea and back, which (roughly estimated) corresponds to about 750 km or roughly the distance from Hamburg to Munich. This resulted in 1,200 individual samples that have been already sorted on board, which will be further investigated at home in the laboratory. But the sorting will also continue on land for a long time. Yet, already, a large number of animals have been picked out of the sediment one by one by many diligent helpers. This number will likely increase significantly in a few months when all the samples have been sorted. We hope to gain a better understanding of the distribution of individual animal groups and their adaptation to different habitats (yes, even in the apparently “monotonous” deep sea, the habitat can be quite variable!).
There are still a few days ahead of us and the weather seems to be holding up. As such, we are confident of obtaining more samples from great depths. Working on them will also keep us busy for some times after the expedition. But we hope that the material will then help us to solve some mysteries of the deep, but will probably also raise many new questions (just stay tuned!).
Karen Jeskulke (DZMB – Senckenberg am Meer, Hamburg), Franziska Iwan (DZMB – Senckenberg am Meer, Wilhelmshaven), Stefanie Kaiser (Senckenberg, Frankfurt)