RRS Discovery Cruise 237, 25 Sep-08 Oct 1998. BENGAL: High resolution temporal and spatial study of the BENthic biology and Geochemistry of a north-eastern Atlantic abyssal Locality

RRS Discovery Cruise 237 was the sixth of series of cruises within a 3-year contract, funded under the MAST III Programme (Contract No. MAS3-5-0018) of the EU as part of the BENGAL Project, to study seasonal changes in the abyssal benthos. The cruise programme was designed to complete a full seasonal sampling programme at a single abyssal locality on the Porcupine Abyssal Plain (48° 50’N 16° 30’W). This last short cruise of the BENGAL Project aimed to fill the gaps in seasonal sampling of near bottom water, sediment and fauna and to recover long term moorings. Samples of the benthos, sediment and overlying water were collected using different gears: the Chalut à perche and the OTSB for megafauna, the USNEL Boxcorer (plain and vegematic) for macrofauna, the multiple corer for meiofauna, microfauna and chemical analysis. Only 5 working days out of 8 days on station was possible, as 34 hours were lost due to weather conditions and 24 hours to repair the winch.