Aegean Sea: Methana, Nisyros, Milos, Santorini. North Sea: Geoteam and Northwest Pockmarks of the northern North Sea Western Skagerrak

Chlorophyll pigment concentrations in sediment; Sediment grain size parameters; Concentration of proteins in the water column; Zoobenthos taxonomic abundance; Zoobenthos taxonomy-related wet weight biomass per unit area of the bed; Concentration of proteins in sediment

Sediment grabs; unconsolidated sediment corers

This theme is concerned with the environmental effects of fluid seepage through the seafloor and the ecosystems and macrofauna found in these areas. The project has led to the major discovery of shallow water hot brine seeps and gaseohydrothermal vents along the Hellenic Volcanic Arc, covering extensive areas overlain by bacterial mats. The studies revealed unexpectedly enhanced biodiversity and productivity in the hydrothermal vent ecosystems of the Aegean Sea. The studies in the gas-charged sediments of the western Skagerrak along the Hellenic Volcanic Arc provided evidence for a localised effect of the seeps on the distribution of the infauna.

Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Oceanography
46.7 km Athinon-Souniou Av. P.O.Box 712
Anavyssos

19013
Greece