BUSCADOR RECOLECTA

IDEADOS-09 Cruise (29SG20091130) carried out on the Research Vessel Sarmiento de Gamboa in 2009, Benthopelagic ecosystem structure in the western Mediterranean: a multidisciplinary approach and different time scales in the Balearic Islands.The overall objective is to determine relationships between environmental conditions and nekto-benthic slope communities in two areas of the western Mediterranean, with distinct geomorphologic and hydrodynamic characteristics. Sub- Objectives 1.To determine the effect that seasonal variability of the hydrodynamics has on the species and communities of the slope and on their trophic resources along the water column, by means of the study of the various compartments of the zooplankton (micro-, meso- and macro-zooplankton) and nekton (micro- and macro-nekton). 2. To determine the viability of applying acoustic methods for the characterization of the communities in the Deep Scattering Layers (DSL) of the meso-pelagic domain.3. To determine the influence of the high frequency variability (daily, fortnightly and/or monthly) of the oceanographic conditions on the biology and dynamics of the red shrimp. 4. To contextualize the oligotrophic ecosystems of the Balearic Islands from a global perspective, including adjacent areas of western Mediterranean, from: (i) the estimation of the degree of connectivity between populations of the continental margin of the north-western Mediterranean and the Balearic Islands, using geochemical markers in hake otoliths; and, (ii) the analysis of information from fishing exploitation on the peninsular coast and the archipelago

MEDOC Cruise (29SG20100407) carried out on the Research Vessel Sarmiento de Gamboa in 2010, The Western Mediterranean basin: a natural laboratory of the processes of formation of continental margins extension. During the cruise collected 16 Multichannel Seismic Reflection (MCS) profiles using a 3.75 km-long streamer and a 3000 c.i. G-II gun array. Each transect provides the tectonic structure, the geometry of sedimentary deposits, and P-wave seismic velocity distribution. This information allows to interpret the mechanisms of deformation, infer the importance and potential role of magmatism in the rifting process, and estimate the region of mantle exhumation, currently inferred from one drill site. The analysis of the data provides insight in the process of formation of asymmetry structure conjugated margins

EVENT-DEEP Cruise (29SG20100513) carried out on the Research Vessel Sarmiento de Gamboa in 2010, During the EVENT-DEEP survey (May 10th-June 7th 2010, research vessel B/O Sarmiento de Gamboa) the Yussuf Fault, located on the bisector of the Alboran Sea, and the Al-Hoceima Fault, located in the territorial waters of Morocco, have been investigated. Multibeam echosounder, high-resolution and high-penetration multichannel seismics, sub-bottom seismic profiling and gravity data have been acquired during the cruise. This new dataset will allow us to characterize the geometry of the faults and obtain earthquake recurrence intervals. In addition, images and samples of deep corals in the Bank of Chella and Alborán Ridge have also been acquired

SAGAS-BIS Cruise (29SG20100609) carried out on the Research Vessel Sarmiento de Gamboa in 2010, The Gibraltar Arc System: Geodynamic Processes in the South Margin. The SAGASbis project intends to study, through a multidisciplinary geological and geophysical approach, the recent evolution of the Spanish margin and the Alborán Sea basins, with the aim of 1) better understanding the dynamics of the external processes responsible for morphology and sedimentation in the South-Iberian continental margins 2) analyze the interrelation between deep and superficial processes 3) determine the stratigraphic architecture in adjacent margin and basin segments and 4) characterize submarine and paleoseismic morphologies, paying special attention to turbiditic and instability systems Plio-Quaternary sedimentary. The area under study is located in a region where there are considerable earthquakes and underwater landslides, which is why this project is of great interest in order to design preventive actions and contingency plans for geological and environmental risks. At the same time, the exploration of this area will serve to detect the presence of hydrocarbons. This project has carried out a geological campaign aimed at the acquisition of acoustic and seismic data from the seabed and the collection of sediment cores

SERCEL-2 Cruise (29SG20100625) carried out on the Research Vessel Sarmiento de Gamboa in 2010, Seismic instrumentation test cruise

IDEADOS-10 Cruise (29SG20100712) carried out on the Research Vessel Sarmiento de Gamboa in 2010, Benthopelagic ecosystem structure in the western Mediterranean: a multidisciplinary approach and different time scales in the Balearic Islands.The overall objective is to determine relationships between environmental conditions and nekto-benthic slope communities in two areas of the western Mediterranean, with distinct geomorphologic and hydrodynamic characteristics. Sub- Objectives 1.To determine the effect that seasonal variability of the hydrodynamics has on the species and communities of the slope and on their trophic resources along the water column, by means of the study of the various compartments of the zooplankton (micro-, meso- and macro-zooplankton) and nekton (micro- and macro-nekton). 2. To determine the viability of applying acoustic methods for the characterization of the communities in the Deep Scattering Layers (DSL) of the meso-pelagic domain.3. To determine the influence of the high frequency variability (daily, fortnightly and/or monthly) of the oceanographic conditions on the biology and dynamics of the red shrimp. 4. To contextualize the oligotrophic ecosystems of the Balearic Islands from a global perspective, including adjacent areas of western Mediterranean, from: (i) the estimation of the degree of connectivity between populations of the continental margin of the north-western Mediterranean and the Balearic Islands, using geochemical markers in hake otoliths; and, (ii) the analysis of information from fishing exploitation on the peninsular coast and the archipelago

CONTOURIBER-1 Cruise (29SG20100917) carried out on the Research Vessel Sarmiento de Gamboa in 2010, Depositional outline systems generated by Mediterranean water around the Iberian Peninsula: trends and enviaronmental implications.Objectives, 1. Characterize geological structures of the continental margin and how influence (and have influenced the past) in the circulation of water bodies. 2. Map, some for the first time, and determine how the contornitic deposits generated by the influence of Mediterranean water bodies are built 3. Determine its evolution in each one of the zones to reconstruct the climatic variations and sea level and how they influence marine circulation , past and present. 4. Know the implications of the water masses on the seabed, both in the presence of mineral resources, as on the development of specific geohabitats

CONSOLIDER-MALASPINA-2 Cruise (29SG20110127) carried out on the Research Vessel Sarmiento de Gamboa in 2011, Expedition within the Malaspina project. The expedition will navigate through a section of the ocean that runs along the 24º North parallel. The objective is to collect samples that predict more about climate change. The team of researchers has traveled the 24º North parallel and has measured the temperature, salinity, oxygen, alkalinity and the PH of the ocean, among other parameters. This latitude has been chosen because the heat flow that transports the Atlantic Ocean to the north is maximum. "Any variation in heat transport has very important consequences on the climate of the European continent,"

GEOSTAR-2 Cruise (29SG20110530) carried out on the Research Vessel Sarmiento de Gamboa in 2011, Recovery of the GEOSTAR Observatory deployed in 2009

ANTROMARE-3 Cruise (29SG20110616) carried out on the Research Vessel Sarmiento de Gamboa in 2011, ANTROMARE will incides in the natural variability and in the main factors induced by human activities (impacts derived from global warming, impact of trawling, pollution) in the deep sea ecosystems of the Mediterranean, with the aim of determining the parameters that may be more important in the changes experienced in the ecosystem. The high environmental stability of these floors in comparison with the littoral zones, especially below the 1000 m depth where they are intended to work, make them an optimal scenario for the study of the human impact on diversity. Antromare proposes considering different spatio-temporal scales, depending on the nature of the impact to be followed. The present project will address several key problems in relation to the anthropogenic impact of the marine environment:1) long-term temporal variability in the Mediterranean deep sea communities, and their relationship with climatic and hydrographic factors; 2) the impact of trawling on diversity in a vulnerable habitat such as the isidella elongata facies, with implications for the knowledge and protection of a potential marine protected area; 3) the incidence of pollution on the health status of species and ecosystems (parasitism, pathologies), within which the effects of pollutants on the environment (case of biomarkers of pollution) at great depth and in fauna is especially important (the bentopelagic or suprabenths) that seems especially susceptible to this contamination in the trophic networks of great depth (based on the first results of the biomare project, in course by the same team of the present application). The aim is to identify the possible connections between contamination and biological responses (histological alterations, changes in diet and degree of parasitic infestation). that is, to influence the state of the ecosystems in relation to exposure to pollutants / activities of anthropogenic origin, without ignoring the dynamics of the communities themselves. To cover these objectives, a multidisciplinary approach is planned that will cover the following activities: 1) sampling of deep mega and macro fauna communities, after ca. 20 years, in the same area, with identical methods, as well as the monitoring of series of catches for some key deep sea species and oceanographic / climatological data; 2) determination of the natural variability of the physical parameters (temperature, salinity, particles in suspension, etc.) and trophic (labile organic matter, pigments) of the water column and sediment, with special emphasis on the water-sediment interface ; 3) determination of the presence of contaminants (pcbs, ddts, heavy metals) in sediments and / or organisms in the study areas; 4) evaluation of biomarkers of effect at the cellular and physiological level through cytohistological and parasitological studies of the populations; 5) determination of changes at the ecosystem level (diversity, specific wealth, etc.); and 6) construction of models (eg mlrs, glms, anovas) or application of multivariate techniques that allow to correlate / test among them all the indicators observed in the study habitats to establish which are the variables that explain or indicate with greater reliability the state of alteration / degradation of the medium