Resources

RV Maria S. Merian MSM26

Cruise summary report

Cruise Info. 
Ship name (ship code)RV Maria S. Merian (06M2)
Cruise identifierMSM26
Cruise period2013-03-20 — 2013-04-16
StatusCompleted
Port of departureCork, Ireland
Port of returnSt. John's, Canada
PurposeResearch
ObjectivesThe scientific programme of cruise MSM 26 focused on a broad scale survey of the North Atlantic pelagic ecosystem as well as targeted process studies in different habitats. The activities were designed to establish habitat utilization of different taxa as well as their impacts on carbon flux using a combination of field sampling with conventional and new equipment as well as on board process studies. The EU (Germany and Norway) based synoptic cruises as part of the EU funded EURO-BASIN program will allow a basin-wide assessment of habitats, vital rates and plasticity of response of key rates relative to abiotic forcing. The ultimate goal of these activities is to identify the critical abiotic habitats utilized by key ecosystem and biogeochemical players. The occurrence of these habitats then can be linked to coupled atmosphere ocean ecosystem models enabling an assessment of the future dynamics of marine ecosystems and their services.

Poor weather meant that no scientific activity took place in UK waters.
Chief scientistBernd Christiansen (Hamburg University Institute for Hydrobiology and Fisheries Science)
Cruise reportRV Maria S. Merian MSM26 cruise report mariasmerian_msm26.pdf (2.22 MB) 
Ocean/sea areas 
GeneralNorth Atlantic Ocean
Irish Sea and St. George's Channel
Celtic Sea
SpecificTransect across the subpolar North Atlantic with stations in the Iceland Basin, Irminger Basin and Labrador Basin.
Track chartsRV Maria S. Merian MSM26 cruise track — mariasmerian_msm26trk.pdf (0.85 MB)