5 stations in the Porcupine seabight and 8 stations on the Porcupine Abyssal Plain

Bacteria generic abundance in sediment; Mineralogical composition; Chlorophyll pigment concentrations in sediment; Sediment grain size parameters; Nutrient concentrations in sediment pore waters; Redox potential in sediment; Zoobenthos taxonomic abundance

In the Porcupine seabight, sediment samples were collected along a depth transect ranging from 500 to 1500m depth. The samples were collected during a cruise of the RVS Challenger, coordinated by the IOS Deacon Laboratory. The aim of the study of this transect was to find out which factors structure the meiobenthos densities along the upper slope. For each sediment slice of 1cm unto 10cm, not only meiobenthos was investigated, but also the bacterial densities, the chlorophyll concentrations, the nutrient concentrations and the sediment composition. For the Porcupine Abyssal Plain (4850m), from which the sediment samples were collected during the same cruise, the aim of the study was to analyse the size and biomass spectra of the meiobenthos communities. Two replicates of 8 drops of the multiple corer in this area were processed in order to study the meiobenthos.

Ghent University, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology, Marine Biology Section
Krijgslaan 281-S8
Gent

B-9000
Belgium