ALBERT

Description: April 15th – April 24th 2021 Kiel (Germany) – Kiel (Germany) BALTIC APRIL 2021

Description: 31.05. - 10.07.2022, Mindelo - Pt. Delgada

Description: FS Meteor – M184 “LabSeaVar2022” 12.08. - 15.09.2022, St John’s - Hamburg 1. Wochenbericht (12. - 14.08.2022)

Description: FS Meteor – M184 “LabSeaVar2022” 12.08. - 15.09.2022, St John’s - Hamburg 2. Wochenbericht (15. - 21.08.2022)

Description: FS Meteor – M184 “LabSeaVar2022” 12.08. - 15.09.2022, St John’s - Hamburg 3. Wochenbericht (22. - 28.08.2022)

Description: 27 June – 3 July 2022

Description: 4 – 13 July 2022

Description: FS Meteor – M184 “LabSeaVar2022” 12.08. - 15.09.2022, St John’s - Hamburg 4. Wochenbericht (29.08. - 04.09.2022)

Description: FS Meteor – M184 “LabSeaVar2022” 12.08. - 15.09.2022, St John’s - Hamburg 5. Wochenbericht (05.09. - 11.09.2022)

Description: The ALKOR cruise AL547 represents a concluding milestone of the Helmholtz innovation project ARCHES (Autonomous Robotic Networks to Help Modern Societies). The aim was to implement a heterogeneous robotic sensing network to simultaneously monitor changes in the water column and at the seafloor. The network has been developed by a consortium of partners from AWI, DLR, GEOMAR and the University of Kiel. The participating sensing platforms allow for real-time data transfer and the entire network shall be able to autonomously respond to environmental changes in the ocean. The network comprised seven different mobile and stationary platforms. Tests were conducted at the Mittelgrund working area in the entrance of the Eckernförde Bay (western Baltic Sea). During 47 stations the various sensing platforms were deployed and recovered for maintenance. A total of 87853 messages were sent using hydro-acoustics, of which 71734 messages contained O 2 data, 15177 were status messages, 926 messages were commands to trigger a change of the measurement behavior of a platform and 16 messages represented broadcasts about the environmental status. We synoptically recorded short-term O 2 time series on the different platforms, which were placed along a depth gradient in the working area. As the Eckernförde Bay is known for sporadic fish kills by anoxia we hope to contribute to a better understanding of the O 2 dynamics in coastal areas.

Description: In the Helmholtz Future Project ARCHES (Autonomous Robotic Networks to Help Modern Societies) with a consortium of partners from AWI (Alfred-Wegener-Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research), DLR (German Aerospace Center), KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology), and the GEOMAR (Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel), several Digital Twins of ocean observation systems were developed by the GEOMAR and AWI. The ARCHES Digital Twin Framework is one of the results of this project. The software is based on the Robot Operating System (ROS) and is written in Python.

Description: Image Quality control / quality assurance and curation Tools (IQT) conceptualised and developed by the MareHub working group on Videos/Images (part of the DataHub, a research data manangement initiative by the Helmholtz association). The MarIQT core is a python package which is helpful on its own but is key to the more user-friendly jupyter notebooks that make extensive use of the python package. Auto-generated documentation (CI) of MarIQT is available here: https://datahub.pages.hzdr.de/marehub/ag-videosimages/mariqt (password-protected) Public documentation is also available here: https://marine-imaging.com/mariqt (manually uploaded, probably older than previous link)

Description: The objective of this cruise was to establish the first order functionality of the LIGHTHOUSE system in terms of mechanics, ROV operations, electrical components and data link. This is a highly integrated suite of optical and acoustic sensors to create a real time 360° scan of an underwater environment, in order to enhance the situational awareness of pilots and mission specialists. The tests were to be conducted in the clear, deep waters of the Norwegian Sognefjord. Due to severe technical malfunctions that became only apparent during mobilization in the port of Kiel, the vessel stayed moored to the east shore and west shore quays in Kiel Harbor, except for an excursion off Boknis Eck in the Eckernförde Bight. Despite these restrictions in locality, the majority of the work programme was carried out with great success.

Description: The objective of this cruise was to conduct the final and complete field test of the LIGHTHOUSE situational awareness system for remotely operated vehicles, developed in the HVF 0068 Project LIGHTHOUSE. This included three divesof the ROV PHOCAin the Norwegian Sognefjord, during which the optical and acoustic sensors were validated. Moreover, as part of the EU H2020 project iAtlantic (grant agreement 818123), we investigated the response of pelagic deep-sea fauna to warmingand suspended sediment (which will be introduced to pelagic ecosystems by deep-sea mining activities). To this end, we captured the jellyfish Periphylla periphyllaand conducted shipboard experiments.

Description: ALKOR cruise AL548 took place as part of the EMFF (European Maritime and Fisheries Fund)-funded project BASTA (Boost Applied munition detection through Smart data inTegration and AI workflows; https://www.basta-munition.eu) and as continuation of the munition monitoring started within the BMBF-funded project UDEMM (Environmental Monitoring for the Delaboration of Munition in the Sea; https://udemm.geomar.de/). In October 2018, a first cruise (POS530 MineMoni2018) was conducted, to gather data for a broad baseline study in the German Baltic Sea. Results show a moderate contamination level on regional and coastal scale, but indicate higher levels for specific local areas. Within UDEMM, expertise was developed to detect, exactly locate and monitor munition (e.g. torpedoes, sea mines, ground mines) on the seafloor using optical and hydroacoustic means. In addition, chemical analyses of dissolved contaminants in the water and sediments was performed. Data acquired during this cruise are used in BASTA, which aims for enhanced munition detection via AUV-based artificial intelligence applied on multi-sensor datasets. At the same time, the project ExPloTect (Ex-situ, near-real-time exPlosive compound deTection in seawater) (also EMFF-funded) addresses the need for an innovative approach to detect explosive compounds in seawater. A prototype system was used and successfully tested for the first time during this cruise. The main focus was placed onto the two already known dumpsites Kolberger Heide and Lübeck Bight. Additionally, new areas Falshöft (Schleswig-Holstein) and Cadet Channel, Trollegrund and Großklützhöved (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) were explored. In each area high-resolution multibeam mapping was performed and contact lists, indicating potential munition objects were produced on board. AUV surveys were conducted to ground-truth possible contacts via detailed photograph and magnetometer mapping. This was complemented with towed video (TV)-CTD profiles. The transits to and between those sites were planned along former constraint routes during WWII. These routes were main targets of the British Air Force and mines and bombs can be expected along these ways. During transits water samples were taken with on a CTD- (conductivity, temperature, depth) rosette-mounted Niskin bottles in regular distances, in order to obtain a comprehensive understanding munition compounds (inter alia trinitrotoluene (TNT)) measurements across the German Baltic Sea.

Description: Munition, darunter auch Flugabwehrgranaten, wurden während des Zweiten Weltkriegs in großem Umfang eingesetzt und während und nach dem Krieg in großen Mengen in der küstennahen Ostsee entsorgt. Neben der Primärladung aus Trinitrotoluol (TNT) enthielten viele Flugabwehrgranaten das hochgiftige Quecksilber(II)-fulminat (QF) als Initialzünder. Die Kolberger Heide (K) ist eine Munitionsdeponie in der Ostsee außerhalb der Kieler Bucht (KB) und liegt damit in der Nähe aktiver Schiffsrouten und dicht besiedelter Gebiete. Geophysikalische Beobachtungen haben gezeigt, dass K über 1000 Munitionsobjekte enthält, die schätzungsweise 30.000 Tonnen Munition enthalten (Kampmeier et al., 2020). Das Forschungsprojekt MUNISEE hat das primäre Ziel, das Ausmaß an Quecksilber (Hg)- Kontamination durch Munition in K, sowie in Dänisch-Nienhof (DN) außerhalb des ehemaligen dänischen Flakausbildungszentrums, zu untersuchen. Schätzungsweise sind etwa 10,5 km2 um DN herum mit Munition kontaminiert (HELCOM, 2015). Zu den spezifischen Forschungsaufgaben des Projekts gehört die Messung und Bewertung des Ausmaßes von organischem und anorganischem Hg in Gewässern, Organismen und Sedimenten. Eines der Hauptziele des MUNISEE-Projekts ist es, den Beitrag der Flugabwehrgranaten, die zur Freisetzung verschiedener Quecksilberverbindungen in die südliche Ostsee führen, in KB und DN zu bestimmen. Im Rahmen des MUNISEE-Projekts soll festgestellt werden, ob das Hg aus Flugabwehrgranaten dynamisch ist und sich lokal in der Ostsee verbreitet hat. Ein weiteres Projektziel ist die Bewertung der Hg-Mobilität, die den Hg-Transfer in die Nahrungskette umfasst. Die MUNISEE-Beobachtungen umfassten Messungen von Hg im Plankton, welcher die untere Ebene der Nahrungskette umfasst und in Fischen der Ostsee (KB und DN), um höhere Ebenen der Nahrungskette zu untersuchen. Für MUNISEE gab es vier Hauptprojektziele. Sie lassen sich wie folgt zusammenfassen: (1) Beprobung des Meerwassers und der Sedimente in DN und KB auf Quecksilber. (2) Bestimmung der Quecksilberflüsse durch den Abbau von QF und Sedimenten. (3) Bestimmung der Übertragungsrate von Quecksilberverbindungen in die Nahrungskette. (4) Präsentation der Daten für die wissenschaftliche Gemeinschaft und die Öffentlichkeit.

Description: DeepOASIS is a research proposal that was developed for the second call of research missions by the Deutsche Allianz Meeresforschung (DAM; German Alliance for Marine Reseach) in 2021. The proposal was successfully evaluated and selected for the final round of proposals. However, it was not prioritized for funding

Description: Walvis Bay - Recife, 14.10.-20.10.2019

Description: Walvis Bay - Recife, 19.09.-22.09.2019

Description: Walvis Bay - Recife, 07.10.-13.10.2019

Description: (18.09. – 22.09.2019)

Description: Walvis Bay - Recife, 19.09.-22.09.2019

Description: Walvis Bay - Recife, 30.09.-06.10.2019

Description: (23.09. – 29.09.2019 )

Description: We proposed to test the hypothesis that large gelatinous macrozooplankton (e.g. tunicates, hydrozoans) are a significant carbon storage in midwater, and a vector for carbon from midwater to the ocean floor in Cape Verde. To test this hypothesis, we studied 1) the distribution, diversity and abundance of gelatinous organisms in the epi-, meso-, and bathypelagic zone, 2) their role in transporting carbon through the pelagic foodweb to the seafloor and 3) their behavior and associations. We worked in the coastal deep sea off Santo Antão and Fogo as well as in the open ocean at the time series station CVOO and an eddy. A manned submersible was used for mesopelagic surveys, to document the behaviour and associations of deep-sea organisms and to collect living specimens. We performed pelagic video transects, discrete net sampling, and eDNA sampling down to 3000 m. ADCP and CTD transects allowed a detailed reconstruction of the effect of the islands on currents and productivity. To quantify the carbon flux of pelagic foodfalls, we also surveyed the seafloor. Sample and video analysis is still in progress, but first results indicate the impact of the pelagic tunicate Pyrosoma atlanticum, which is an upwelling-favored species largely absent from the oligotrophic open ocean, in the nearshore regions of Cape Verde as well as in the cyclonic eddy sampled. It was also observed on the seafloor and resembles a food source and a habitat in the water column and in the benthos. Specimens of pelagic fauna were collected that allow new species descriptions. New records and a new species for the region were also observed during benthic surveys. The cruise was documented in various outreach activities including national television in Cabo Verde.

Description: Port Calls: Gdynia, Poland: 19.08. – 20.08.2017

Description: R.V. POSEIDON Cruise No.: 511 Dates, Ports: 01.04.2017 (Heraklion) - 22.04.2017 (Heraklion) Research Subject: The Christiana-Santorini Volcanic Complex

Description: The ASTRA-OMZ SO243 cruise on board the R/V Sonne took place between the 5th and 22nd October 2015 from Guayaquil, Ecuador to Antofagasta, Chile. Scientists from Germany, the U.S.A, and Norway participated, spanning chemical, biological, and physical oceanography, as well as atmospheric science. The main goal of the cruise was to determine the impact of low oxygen conditions on trace element cycling and distributions, as well as to determine how air-sea exchange of trace elements is influenced by high productivity conditions. The subsequent impact of trace element ocean-atmosphere exchange on atmospheric chemistry and climate will be determined. A summary of the main preliminary results is below: - a strong source of nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon dioxide (CO2) was detected from surface waters in the Peruvian upwelling, particularly in the near-coastal area between 9°S and 18°S - generally, surface N2O during the SO-243 cruise was lower than previously observed, probably due to the reduced extent of upwelling events because of El Niño conditions - less dimethyl sulphide (DMS) (〈 2nmol L-1) and isoprene (at 20-30 pmol L-1) than on board previous cruises in the coastal upwelling region (8°-12°S) were detected, likely due to suppressed upwelling off of Peru because of the El Niño conditions - a strong source for atmospheric carbonyl sulphide (OCS) was observed, as well as a strong correlation with oxygen. OCS decreased below the detection limit in oxygen depleted zones. - a strong contrast between normal and El Niño conditions were detected for the halocarbon compounds. Both surface and deeper water was characterized by much larger concentrations of bromocarbons than of iodocarbons during ASTRA-OMZ, which stands in contrast to the previous M91 cruise during neutral conditions. - it appears that the direct flux eddy covariance method was successful for sea-to-air flux measurements of N2O (for the first time) - a pronounced atmospheric inversion layer at approximately 1 km altitude was striking, which was accompanied by an accumulation of high relative humidity and moderate to fresh southerly winds below this inversion. Convective activity was limited and very few precipitation events were detected. Tropospheric ozone levels reveal distinct fluctuations within 9.5°S and 16.5°S latitude. - the oxygen distribution measured at about 9°S showed that the upwelling in October 2015 was very weak. Low oxygen water with less than 5 μmol kg-1 was located only below 250 m in October 2015 - higher oxygen distribution in 2015, as well as the changes in water temperature, salinity and density indicate the influence of El Niño. We have already published our first paper related to El Niño during SO243 (Stramma et al. 2016).

Description: Objectives of the cruise The Baltic Sea is a marine ecosystem exposed to multiple stressors. Eutrophication sustains high phytoplankton productivity that fuels high oxygen demands in deeper waters. As a consequence of increasing biological oxygen consumption and high CO2 production, the expansion of hypoxic zones in the Baltic Sea has been predicted. A major process contributing to the consumption of oxygen is the microbial respiration of dissolved organic matter. Hence, the microbial production of organic matter and its subsequent remineralization are biological processes with a high potential to co-determine the direction and magnitude of future oxygen and pH changes in the Baltic Sea. However, little is known about how high nutrient loads and seawater CO2 concentration affect phytoplankton productivity. Furthermore, the relevance of organic matter composition, seawater pH and oxygen availability for carbon remineralization are largely unexplored. The proposed cruise aims at studying the production, composition and degradation of particulate and dissolved organic matter along natural gradients of inorganic nutrients, oxygen and seawater CO2 in the Baltic Sea. The cruise AL458 crossed the Southern Baltic Proper, the deep Gotland Basin and the Gulf of Riga. Sampling of depth profiles along transects was combined with onboard experiments that investigated (i) effects of oxygen concentration and organic matter composition on the bacterial turnover of dissolved organic matter (ii) effects of labile organic matter and nutrients on microbial activities under oxic and anoxic conditions (iii) degradation of halocarbons by microbial communities. The combination of field work and onboard experiments will help to better explain the environmental control of microbial processes and the contribution of microbial activity to organic carbon cycling in the Baltic Sea. In addition this cruise was part of the master program Biological Oceanography MNF-bioc.-201 (C2). Four students participated in the cruise.

Description: SO241 set out to test the hypothesis that rift-related magmatism is able to increase carbon emissions from sedimentary basins to the extent that they can actively force climate. To this end we investigated a study area in the Guaymas Basin in the Gulf of California which is one of very few geological settings where rift-related magmatism presently leads to magmatic intrusions into a sediment basin. During the cruise we collected 1100 km of 2D seismic lines to image the extent and volume of magmatic intrusions as well as the extent of metamorphic overprinting of the surrounding sediments and associated subsurface sediment mobilization. We selected three typical seep sites above magmatic intrusions for detailed geochemical studies using gravity corers, multicorers and TV grab. With these samples we will be able to determine the pore water composition to assess the amount and composition of hydrocarbon compounds that are released from these systems. Detailed ocean bottom seismometer measurements at a seep site in the center of the Guaymas Basin will provide further insights into effects of magmatic intrusions on carbon release and diagenetic overprinting of the sediments. It will be possible to reconstruct its long-term seepage history from big carbonate blocks that we have collected with a TV-grab. The northeastern margin of the Guaymas Basin is known for the presence of gas hydrates. During the cruise we collected several seismic lines, which show a clear but unusually shallow BSR indicating high heat flow in the region. Using the seismic data we discovered a previously unknown geological structure on the flank of the northern rift segment: a large mound that seems to consist entirely of black smoker deposits. It seems to be the result of a recent intrusion into the underlying sediments and changes the view how such systems function. The structure was investigated with a comprehensive geochemical, geothermal, and video surveying program which revealed at least seven vents that are active simultaneously. These vents inject methane and helium-rich vent fluids several hundred meters up into the water column. These findings suggest that large-scale magmatism, for example during the opening of an ocean basin under the influence of a hot spot, can be an effective way of liberating large amounts of carbon high up into the water column. The data collected during SO241 will allow us to constrain the amount of carbon that can escape into the atmosphere during LIP emplacement and their relevance on a global scale can be assessed. In addition to reaching the main objectives of the project we discovered a large landslide complex that was probably associated with a tsunami.