RV Belgica 2014-16
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RV Belgica (11BE) |
| Cruise identifier | 2014-16 |
| Cruise period | 2014-06-13 — 2014-06-23 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Porto, Portugal |
| Port of return | Zeebrugge, Belgium |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | The FWO research project "MINIMOUND" will investigate the palaeoceanography and evolution of "small" cold‐water coral mounds in the Bay of Biscay. This campaign aims to sample both "on‐mound" as "offmound" sites by means of a 3 m vibrocorer (BGS), in water depths of 400 m, in the UK sector of the Explorer & Dangeard Canyons (Armorican margin) and the Ferrol Canyon (Asturias margin). In each sector, a minimum of 3 days of activities will be scheduled. In case of bad weather on 1 sector, the program will be revised towards the other sector. With respect to the size of these mounds, the coring location of the vibrocorer will be steered by means of a USBL GAPS system. Additionally, the seafloor will be visually characterised using a small and light‐weight camera dropframe (University of Plymouth). During the nighttime, shallow ADCP and multibeam transects will be sailed, in combination with high‐resolution reflection seismics. |
| Chief scientist | David Van Rooij (University of Ghent Renard Centre of Marine Geology) |
| Cruise report |  (2.36 MB) |
| NPRC | (0.35 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | Celtic Sea Bay of Biscay North East Atlantic Ocean (limit 40W) |
| Specific | Celtic Margin, Dangeard & Explorer Canyons. Asturias Margin, Upper Ferrol Canyon. |
| Track charts | (0.49 MB) |
