Maltese Waters, western Ionian and southern Tyrrhenian seas. N30E010.

Bacteria environmental parameters; Zooplankton and zoobenthos development stage parameters

CTD

Measurement of oceanographic parameters by the Nu-Shuttle (Chelsea Instruments). The device is equipped with a Minipack CDT-F comprising temperature, conductivity, pressure and fluorescence sensors. The measured parameters were: pressure, temperature, salinity, fluorescence, dissolved oxygen. Collection of sea current profiles by means of an ADCP. For the whole period of the survey sea current profiles were collected by the Ocean Surveyor Broadband Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) produced by RD Instruments. Three hull-mounted electro-acoustic transducers (38, 75 and 150 kHz) allow estimation of water current parameters on a 3D field. Planktonic sampling by means of CalVET and Bongo40 nets. The Bongo40 net is composed by two joint landing-nets, with 40 cm diameter mouths, held by a two-ring steel structure and with a depressor for the stability during the net hauling. The nets were lowered from the starboard side using a winch with double drum and a 6000 m length steel cable of 8mm diameter. The Bongo40 net hauls describe an oblique trajectory from the surface to 100m depth, at a constant speed of 2 knots with a cable inclination of 45 degrees. The CalVET net haul describes a vertical trajectory, and it is used to sample anchovy eggs in the water column, from 100m depth to surface, in coastal areas.

Oceanography Malta Research Group, Department of Geosciences, University of Malta
Maths & Physics Building, University of Malta
Msida

MSD 2080
Malta