BUSCADOR RECOLECTA

DEEPCORAL-II_CORAL-6 Cruise (29GD20070212) carried out on the Research Vessel García del Cid in 2007., Study of the communities of deep corals in the margin of the the mediterranean continental shelf.The main objective of the project is the study of the role of the communities of benthic suspensible organisms in the platform-slope areas in the processes of transfer of matter and energy, as important creators of habitat (three-dimensional structure), reservoirs of biological diversity and areas of protection and breeding ("nurseries") of numerous pelagic and nectonic species, some of them of commercial interest. The project is an integrated and multidisciplinary study of these communities in the north-western Mediterranean, with special emphasis on the headwaters of the submarine canyons. Knowledge of the specific composition of the communities, their distribution, both geographic and batimetric, their intra-interspecific and intra-occupational relationships and the environmental characteristics of the habitat are the first studies to be developed in the first phase of the project. Once these bases on diversity and structure have been established, a second phase of the project will be focused on the ecology (function) of these communities with the study of key species in the studied systems. Experimenting with living organisms (mainly cnidarians and sponges) will allow you to know different aspects of their ecology and the influence these communities have on the planktonic and benthonic system. Other important objectives of the project will be to analyze the influence of the benthic suspensible organisms on the microbial trophic chains of the layers of the water column closer to the bottom and the study of epibenthenic zooplankton communities. Knowledge of the dynamics of these communities will allow them to make a proper management plan for them, as well as, if necessary, the creation of reserve areas due to their importance as areas with high biodiversity, Commercial interest and role in the processes of transfer of matter and energy along the platform-slope axis. The project is carried out in collaboration with the company PRAESENTIS with the purpose of developing a new submarine vehicle prototype equipped with cameras of video and photography (EVO) and the Organization ADENA Spain (WWF) with which they are considering The strategies for conservation and dissemination of the state of seabed platforms in Mediterranean water

BIOMARE-0 Cruise (29GD20070223) carried out on the Research Vessel García del Cid in 2007, Identification of biomarkers of anthropogenic impact in marine communities: an ecosystem approach. In each BIOMARE campaign, 2 zones will be sampled located approximately 50-800 m deep in front of the mouth of the Besos River. CTD (temperature and salinity), Multicorer, Boxcorer, Plankton net, OTBS-14, supra-benthic sampler will be used

MPOCAT-1 Cruise (29GD20070611) carried out on the Research Vessel García del Cid in 2007., The main objective of the MPOCAT surveys was to assess the biomass of anchovy using the information from egg abundance samples according to DEPM( Daily Egg Production Method) . The area covered included all of the principal anchovy spawning grounds in the NW Mediterranean (GoL and Catalan Sea, and were performed during the peak spawning period (June) of this species. Vertical hauls were carried out using a 1-m mouth diameter net with a 150-m mesh size at a maximum depth of 50 m. Anchovy eggs and their stages were identified with a stereoscopic microscope

BIOMARE-2 Cruise (29GD20070702) carried out on the Research Vessel García del Cid in 2007., Identification of biomarkers of anthropogenic impact in marine communities: an ecosystem approach. In each BIOMARE campaign, 2 zones will be studied located approximately 50-800 m deep in front of the mouth of the Besos River. CTD (temperature and salinity), Multicorer, Boxcorer, Plankton net, OTBS-14, supra-benthic sampler will be used

HERMES-IV_CORAL-8 Cruise (29GD20070903) carried out on the Research Vessel García del Cid in 2007, Study of the communities of deep corals in the margin of the the mediterranean continental shelf. The main objective of the project is the study of the role of the communities of benthic suspensible organisms in the platform-slope areas in the processes of transfer of matter and energy, as important creators of habitat (three-dimensional structure), reservoirs of biological diversity and areas of protection and breeding ("nurseries") of numerous pelagic and nectonic species, some of them of commercial interest. The project is an integrated and multidisciplinary study of these communities in the north-western Mediterranean, with special emphasis on the headwaters of the submarine canyons. Knowledge of the specific composition of the communities, their distribution, both geographic and batimetric, their intra-interspecific and intra-occupational relationships and the environmental characteristics of the habitat are the first studies to be developed in the first phase of the project. Once these bases on diversity and structure have been established, a second phase of the project will be focused on the ecology (function) of these communities with the study of key species in the studied systems. Experimenting with living organisms (mainly cnidarians and sponges) will allow you to know different aspects of their ecology and the influence these communities have on the planktonic and benthonic system. Other important objectives of the project will be to analyze the influence of the benthic suspensible organisms on the microbial trophic chains of the layers of the water column closer to the bottom and the study of epibenthenic zooplankton communities. Knowledge of the dynamics of these communities will allow them to make a proper management plan for them, as well as, if necessary, the creation of reserve areas due to their importance as areas with high biodiversity, Commercial interest and role in the processes of transfer of matter and energy along the platform-slope axis. The project is carried out in collaboration with the company PRAESENTIS with the purpose of developing a new submarine vehicle prototype equipped with cameras of video and photography (EVO) and the Organization ADENA Spain (WWF) with which they are considering The strategies for conservation and dissemination of the state of seabed platforms in Mediterranean water

MODIVUS Cruise (29GD20070917) carried out on the Research Vessel García del Cid in 2007, Dissolved organic matter serves as a source of energy for aquatic ecosystems. However, most of it is uncharacterized, and the processes that regulate its composition are practically unknown. The heterotrophic bacteria are responsible for the biotic mineralization of organic matter (OM) and therefore control their fate. But we do not know to what extent the mineralization is conditioned by the structure of the community of mineralizing microorganisms. The mineralization of MO by bacterial activity accounts for most of the CO2 production of the planktonic ecosystem, with which some of the most important functions of the ecosystems are directly influenced by the activity of the bacteria and the quality and types of OM , that probably interact. Three major objectives are at the base of the MODIVUS project: 1) the description of the sources of organic matter in a coastal ecosystem; 2) the relation of this organic matter, its composition and lability, with the structure of the communities of bacteria and 3) the relationship between the two components mentioned above (MO, bacterial diversity) and the functioning of the ecosystem (MO processing and respiration ). MODIVUS will combine in situ determinations with experimental approaches (disturbances in the laboratory and in nature). In situ (seasonal cycle in the coastal Mediterranean and small oceanographic campaign) the origin and degradability of the dissolved organic matter will be estimated (1), the composition and structure of the bacterial community is determined (2), and the functioning of the ecosystem in the processing of organic matter (lability, respiration, incorporation in the microbial trophic network) (3). The experiments are designed to determine the interactions between characteristics of dissolved organic matter and the structure of the bacterial community. Various types of experimental approaches will be used: microcosms, in situ incubations in dialysis bags, incubations with radiation manipulation. Our starting hypothesis is that it is possible to determine empirical relationships between the characteristics of the available organic matter, the structure of the bacterial community, and the functioning of the ecosystem with regard to the processing of that organic matter.water samples were collected during the MODIVUS cruise (17-27 September 2007) on board R/V García del Cid at three stations from coastal to open sea. Seawater (8 liters) was collected using Niskin bottles and was also prefiltered through 200-mm mesh net. A piece of 20-mm Nylon mesh was attached to the entrance tube cap of the filtration system and all environmental water samples were filtered first through a 3-mm pore-size polycarbonate filter (Poretics) and then through a 0.2-mm polycarbonate filter (Poretics) using a peristaltic pump (MasterFlex 7553-89 with cartridges Easy Load II 77200-62, Cole-Parmer Instrument Company) to collect the bacteria and picoeukaryotes. Filters were flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen and then stored at -80ºC until processed. Total RNA was extracted from the 0.2-mm polycarbonate filters

SEDMET-I Cruise (29GD20070927) carried out on the Research Vessel García del Cid in 2007, The objective of this cruise was to perform the hydrographic profiles to characterize the water column at this time of the year which corresponded to beginning of the study period, to deploy the equipment and to take representative samples of the bottom sediment. The proposed research project consists in the study of the sediments and associated heavy metals dynamics, and very specially in determining the effect that the floods and storms exert on them, in a coastal system affected by industrial and urban activities. The coastal system of Besòs is one of the most polluted areas known and presents a complex situation with different sources of pollution (river, outfall, collectors, pluvial) and with an important historical contamination (since the beginning of the 20th century) from some of the these sources, which now also constitutes a contaminating source in itself. Although the presence of high levels of contamination in the prodeltaic sediments of the Besòs River is well known, studies of the dynamic processes that affect them and their repercussions have still not been carried out. To advance in the knowledge of this subject, the present project foresees to register during the season of floods and storms temporary series of currents, temperature and salinity, concentration of sediment in suspension and vertical flows of particles through the anchoring of instrumented oceanographic tripods, as well as the periodic realization of hydrographic profiles and of sampling of matter in suspension and sediments. At the same time, it is proposed to monitor the surface plumes of river and stormwater discharges by means of time series of video images acquired by an Argus system, and water and particulate samples and to take sedimentary cores to study the recent evolution of the deposit and make measurements of the critical resuspension conditions. With all this, we intend to 1) characterize the discharges of solids and associated heavy metals and nutrients from the Besòs River and the pluvial waters of the Barcelona seafront and determine in which situations they occur. 2). Study the transport processes, and the resuspension processes that affect the contaminated sedimentary deposit. 3). Determine the critical conditions under which the erosion and remobilization of current and historical contaminated sediments occurs. 4). Quantify the associated sedimentary and heavy metal flows. 5). Determine if the corrective measures applied in the Besòs basin are contributing to reduce historical pollution levels in the marine system. 6) Characterize situations of maximum risk that can contribute to establishing actions to forecast and prevent adverse conditions for the development of activities in the coastal zone. All this, placing special emphasis during events of storms, fluvial avenues and heavy rains. The knowledge of this dynamic has an application for the definition of potential environmental risks that affect the coastal system, and can contribute to improve environmental management within the scope of the European Community Water Framework Directive.The concrete activities. Instrumented tripods. 2 tripods will be installed. The main tripod will have a coherent pulse Doppler profiler (PCADP) and an acoustic profiler to measure the suspended sediment (ABS). An RCM9 correntimeter will be added to the tripod with pressure sensors, turbulence, temperature and conductivity and a sequential sedimentary trap. The triopods will be installed at a depth of 30 meters, one in front of the mouth of the Besos River and the other in front of pluvial waters. The final position will be adjusted after making a reconnaissance bathymetric and bottom sediment. Hydrological stations. CTD / turbidity / fluorometry transects perpendicular to the continental shelf will be carried out. Samples of water will be taken with the rosette that will be filtered on board to obtain samples of matter in suspension. The water samples will also be used to analyze nutrients, chlorophyll and to account for phytoplankton. Sedimentary stations (dredge, HASP and Boxcores). The surface sediments will be sampled with the dredge where the hydrographic stations are made. Sediment core samples will be taken with HASP and Boxcore where the instrumented tripods will be installed. The sediment cores will be sub-sampled for later sedimentological and geochemical analysis (granulometry, radiographs, heavy metals, C, N, CaCO3, dating with Pb)

CANOA-07 Cruise (29GD20071025) carried out on the Research Vessel García del Cid in 2007, The main objective of the cruise is to study the distribution of water masses in the coastal transition zone off the northwestern Morocco coastline,between the strait of Gibraltar and the Canary Island.This is the region where a substantial inflow of oceanic waters take place.These waters recirculate southwest as a narrow band along the continental slope ,with a fraction probably being diverted offsshore near Cape Ghir.The cruise will have a high resolution grid of hydrographic stations that should serve to understand the recirculation patterns.In each station we will lower a CTD to measure the salinity and temperature of the water, and we will take samples at 12 different depths with 12 botlle rosette.During the survey the ship will make continous measurements of surface salinity ,temperature and velocity.Finally during the cruise we will install two subsurface moorings at the continental slope.These moorings will contain both moroocan and spanish instruments to internally register the water flow velocity(currenmeters and spectrophotometer).The instruments will not reach the surface, the shallowest instrument being at a depth of about 100 m ,so they will caouse no sort of interference with navigation in the area.These instruments will be recovered in a second joint cruise, between Morooco and Spain ,to be carried out one year later

DEEPCORAL-III_CORAL-7 Cruise (29GD20070419) carried out on the Research Vessel García del Cid in 2007., DEEP CORAL 3 – CORAL 6 (19-04-07 / 23-04-07) on board the oceanographic vessel Garcia del. Cid for the study of the benthic communities of the Cap de Creus canyon

TOM-TEIDEVS Cruise (29HE20070116) carried out on the Research Vessel Hespérides in 2007, The TOM-TEIDEVS project is an active seismic experiment carried out on the volcanic Island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, to study the internal structure of Teide Volcano. The multinational experiment involved institutes from Spain, United Kingdom, Italy, Ireland and Mexico. The main objective of TOM-TEIDEVS is to obtain a 3-D structural image of Teide Volcano using seismic tomography, seismic reflection/refraction, and receiver function imaging techniques. During the active seismic experiment in January 2007 more than 6,500 air gun shots were recorded on a dense local seismic network consisting of 150 independent seismic stations