BUSCADOR RECOLECTA

CORAL Cruise (29GD20020923) carried out on the Research Vessel García del Cid in 2002, Red coral study campaign in the Palamós area, the campaign intends to carry out a minimum of 5 transects per day with a vehicle equipped with video and photo cameras in 5 different places in the study area

INDEMARES-5 Cruise (29GD20111031) carried out on the Research Vessel García del Cid in 2011, To study the benthic communities of the Cap de Creus canyon and the Menorca channel.The campaign was carried out on board the García del Cid Oceanographic Ship from October 31 to November 3, 2011, with the objective of carrying out as many ROV transects as possible in those areas that had not been explored in previous campaigns and to recover the Anchoring with the sediment trap of the Son Bou canyon for its maintenance and collection of accumulated samples.Each dive lasted approximately 2 to 4 hours, during which it was not possible to carry out any other type of activity on the deck (sets of dredges, CTD, etc.). A total of seven transects were made. Between dives and at dusk, after the last dive, they took advantage of activities such as trips with the Martin Rauschert dredge to characterize the infauna and megafauna communities. A total of 8 sets were made, of which two were failed. The hauls in the north zone of the channel were intensified because there is little information about the macrofauna and 5 were made in the vicinity of the Cap de Formentor, at depths ranging between 140 and 180 m. One set was made on the platform at a depth of 85 m. In order to characterize the water column at a physical-chemical level and the population of heterotrophic plankton on a seasonal basis, CTD profiles were made and water and plankton samples were collected at points previously sampled in INDEMARES 3 and 4 campaigns inside and outside of the canyon. At each sampling point, four zooplankton diurnal catches and four nocturnal zooplankton catches were made. During the course of the campaign, zooplankton fishing was attempted using two benthic light traps. On November 1, one of the traps was lost due to an incident during the haul maneuvers on deck. An attempt was made to recover the light trap using the ROV, but it was not possible to locate it. The second light trap could be recovered, although one of the mesh of the codend broke and the sample was lost. On October 31, the anchorage was recovered with a sediment trap and several sensors after having stayed a year and two months in the Son Bou canyon at a depth of 463 m. Once on the deck the jars were recovered with the sediment samples and replaced by empty bottles with 10% formaldehyde, the batteries of different sensors and the acoustic release were changed, the status of the different sensors was checked and the shackles were changed and damaged chains with the aim of prolonging the sampling one year and two months more. On November 1 the anchor was left at the same depth inside the canyon. On November 1 an attempt was made to obtain a sediment control with a HAPS sediment collector in the central zone of the Canal, however due to the characteristics of the sediment the guillotine of the collector did not complete its route and part of the sediment was lost. This campaign was the shortest of all due to bad weather. Different transects were made in lobster fishing grounds of the continental shelf in which numerous young individuals were observed. During this campaign the mooring of the Son Bou canyon was recovered and it was anchored again to prolong the sampling one more year. In the dives carried out on the platform, funds from Maërl with Paramuricea macrospina were observed. The transects made in the slope were very diverse. The transect made to the south of the channel, at the head of the Son Bou canyon, dominated the thick sand bottoms, while the transect made to the north of the channel was dominated by rock bottoms with several gorgonian species such as Viminella flagellum, Eunicella sp. and Callogorgia verticillata as well as antipathylates: Parantipathes larix, Antipathes dichotoma and Leiopathes glaberrima

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

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

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

DEEPCORAL-IV_CORAL-9 Cruise (29GD20090214) carried out on the Research Vessel García del Cid in 2009, 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 waters

INDEMARES-0 Cruise (29GD20090721) carried out on the Research Vessel García del Cid in 2009, To study the benthic communities of the Cap de Creus canyon and the Menorca channel. 1. Perform video transects using the ROV-EVO in order to be able to study the benthic communities, as well as the type of dominant substrate in each sampling area. 2. Collect samples of benthos using bottom dredges in order to complement the video material and obtain granulometry data from the land. 3. Carry out transects with trawl nets in order to capture organisms (macrofauna) for taxonomic identification and various analyzes

INDEMARES-1 Cruise (29GD20090921) carried out on the Research Vessel García del Cid in 2009, To study the benthic communities of the Cap de Creus canyon and the Menorca channel.The campaign was carried out both on the continental shelf and on the Creus Canyon. Divided into two halves, much of the efforts of the first half were used to consolidate and expand the work carried out on the platform in the INDEMARES-0 campaign, while in the second part of the campaign, samples were taken. Mainly video transects with ROV were made, which allowed to obtain excellent images in high resolution. A total of 25 dives were carried out, collecting both images to analyze quantitatively and close-ups to contribute to a better identification, later in the laboratory, of the most representative sessile species. Likewise, 17 trawl transects were carried out with the "Martin Rauschert" dredge for the study of megafauna communities and to characterize the macrofauna communities and the type of substrate, the bottom dredging was completed with the 33 sets of the dredge "Van Veen" ", And plankton trawls were made. In the second part of this campaign, samples were taken by 12 sets of CTD and Rossette, and work was done very specifically on the southern flank of the canyon. Finally, in the night shifts, the analysis of the bathymetric profile of the study area that still needed to be completed was carried out. A total of 20 of the 33 video transects of the INDEMARES 0 and I campaigns have been analyzed in detail, covering an area larger than 3,000 m2 that corresponds to more than 11,000 linear meters. This analysis has provided data on density and distribution of the 36 taxa identified on the continental shelf. Thus, video transects have identified (with the exception of sponges and ascidians) up to the lowest possible taxonomic level 14,950 benthic invertebrates, corresponding to 36 different taxonomic groups. Among them, 7 polychaetes, 18 cnidarians and 10 echinoderms, the rest being sponges, ascidians, equiuros and bivalves. In addition, it is observed that the species P. spinosum and A. palmatum are the most conspicuous and that the distribution of all the species analyzed is very heterogeneous

INDEMARES-2 Cruise (29GD20100606) carried out on the Research Vessel García del Cid in 2010, To study the benthic communities of the Cap de Creus canyon and the Menorca channel.The campaign began with the bathymetric and geomorphological characterization of the southern area of the canyon from which we had no information.Transects were made with the submarine JAGO

INDEMARES-3 Cruise (29GD20100903) carried out on the Research Vessel García del Cid in 2010, To study the benthic communities of the Cap de Creus canyon and the Menorca channel.The study area of the campaign is the north and south slope of the channel and the semi-deep zones of the southern canyon of Menorca adjacent to the channel, and the objective was to collect geological, oceanographic and bionomic information of the study area through transects of video of the benthic communities that inhabit the continental slope.The use of the submarine JAGO was a priority during the course of the campaign,A total of 10 dives were performed, in which video transects were made and samples were collected (rocks, benthic organisms and zooplankton).Dredge sets were made by Van Veen (24 hauls) and Martin Rauschert (10), to characterize the infauna and megafauna communities, respectively. Zooplankton fishing was also carried out through the zooplankton net (7 hauls) and zooplankton pump to characterize heterotrophic plankton populations in the area. In addition, water samples and profiles of CTD and rosette (9 hauls) were also obtained in order to characterize the water column at the physico-chemical level. We also proceeded to characterize the water column and the particulate matter fluxes of the Son Bou canyon through anchoring / mooring. During the night work shift, once all activities on the deck had been completed, sweeps were performed with the multibeam probe to characterize the bathymetry of the study areas