Large-scale scientific sampling equipment

The equipment used during the expedition.

During AleutBio, the equipment used during the KuramBio expeditions with RV Sonne is largely the same. In addition, a plankton or multinet is used. A multicorer (MUC) is used to collect micro- and meiofaunal samples, a large box corer (GKG) and an epibenthos sledge (EBS) or a camera epibenthos sledge (C-EBS) for macrofauna, and the Agassiz trawl (AGT) in combination with the OFOS (Ocean Floor Observing System) for megafauna (see below). The EM 122 multibeam echo sounder will help us improve our knowledge of the bottom topography, which is crucial before deploying the grab systems and trawl. Due to the very long fier and heave times, the number of repetitions will be reduced to a minimum. The EBS is equipped with a video and photo camera and a CTD for measurements of temperature, salinity, conductivity, oxygen and flow direction. It has already been used successfully on previous expeditions (SoJaBio, SokhoBio and KuramBio I and II). With the CTD we will also catch plankton from the surface water for biochemical investigations and measurements of the surface productivity, furthermore the deployment is needed for the calibration of the EM 122. 

In addition, a free-fall lander system is used for biogeochemical analyses and microbiology, which will be supervised by the Glud/Wenzhöfer working group. This system is deployed autonomously about 2 nautical miles off the sampling area.