Plattform Platform	Reise-Nr. Cruise-No.	Zeitraum Period	Projekt Project	Arbeitsgebiet Working area
Maria S. Merian	MSM13-03	25.10.2009 - 18.11.2009	HERMIONE	Mediterranean Sea, Eastern Basin

Fahrtleiter Chief Scientist	Institut Institute	Auslaufhafen Port of departure	Einlaufhafen Port of return	Stationskarte Station map	Schiffsroute Trackchart
Boetius Antje	Max-Planck-Institut, Marine Mikrobiologie, Biogeochemie	Limassol	Limassol

Ziel der Reise / Objectives of Cruise:

During last decade, numerous geological structures releasing mud, fluids and gas were discovered in the deep Eastern Mediterranean, including mud volcanoes, pockmarks, carbonate cements, brine lakes is highly variable. Fluids emanating from these geostructures are rich in energy which is utilized by diverse chemosynthetic communities. The cruise MSM13/3 contributed to the 7th FP EU-project HERMIONE Workpackage "Chemosynthetic ecosystems", which deals with the investigation of the biogeochemistry, biodiversity and distribution of chemosynthetic hotspot ecosystems on Europe's continental margins. Furthermore, the work contributed to the GDRE project DIWOOD and to the ESF EUROCORES program CHEMECO, which experimentally investigate the development of chemosynthetic environments at sunken woods. The main objectives of the MSM13/3 were 1) to obtain a quantitative insight in element cycling and export at different types of fluid seeps in the Eastern Mediterranean and 2) to understand the relation and interaction between fluid seepage and seep biodiversity and community distribution. Main technologies were the ROV QUEST4000 (MARUM) and the TV-guided multicorer for targeted, coupled videographic and biogeochemical as well as ecological investigations.

Messungen / Measurements