Plattform Platform	Reise-Nr. Cruise-No.	Zeitraum Period	Projekt Project	Arbeitsgebiet Working area
Maria S. Merian	MSM15-1	12.04.2010 - 08.05.2010	HYPOX	Black Sea

Fahrtleiter Chief Scientist	Institut Institute	Auslaufhafen Port of departure	Einlaufhafen Port of return	Stationskarte Station map	Schiffsroute Trackchart
Boetius Antje	Max-Planck-Institut der Hansestadt Bremen	Istanbul	Istanbul

Ziel der Reise / Objectives of Cruise:

The research cruise MSM 15/1 was a major activity of the Project HYPOX "In situ monitoring of oxygen depletion in hypoxic ecosystems of coastal and open seas, and land-locked water bodies" of the EU 7th framework program "ENV.2008.4.1.2.1. Monitoring and observing oxygen dsepletion throughout the differ-ent Earth system components". HYPOX investigates the effect of oxygen depletion on biogeochemical processes in aquatic ecosystems. Hence, the research cruise HYPOX (MSM 15/1) aimed to quantify the concentration and uptake of oxygen at the anoxic boundaries in the water column and at the sediment water interface of the Black Sea, in parallel with the measurement of nitrogen, carbon, sulfur and iron fluxes. In addition to the aims of the HYPOX project, the expedition contributed to the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) and to the network programs ESONET and EMSO, by using newly developed underwater technology for long-term measurements of oxygen and other elements. During the MSM15/1 two regions of the Black Sea were visited which were located at the at the Bosporus and west of the Crimmaean penisula. During the first part of the cruise we investigated the inflow of oxic water bodies from the Marmara Sea into the anoxic Black Sea at high resolution. Already the first CTD casts along the main canyon north east of the Bosporus inflow showed that Intrusions of warm and salty but oxic waters were virtually absent. The canyons were sampled with different gravity cores of Istanbul Technical University (ITU), the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG) and MARUM to investigate traces of hypoxia in the geological record, noble gases, isotope geochemistry and biomarkers. At the same sites, we collected samples for the analysis of macro-, meio- and microfauna, using the TV guided multiple corer and the box corer. The fine scale distribution of water column chemical parameters was also investigated with a new "Pump CTD". Close by, the "PROVOR" float equipped with an autonomous CTD and an oxygen sensor was deployed for continuous profiling of the water column. The second part of the cruise focused on the Crimean shelf. In the primary research area transects with the MEDUSA system were performed. It carries several sensors to characterize the properties of the surrounding water, including oxygen, salinity, temperature, methane, and turbidity. Alternating with MEDUSA we carried out box core sampling for the Ukranian Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas (IBSS) and seafloor mapping with the high-resolution multibeam sonar EM1002 of MERIAN, to fill gaps in our bathymetry map. Furthermore, three moorings were deployed with hydrographical and oxygen sensors, to record temporal variation in the hypoxic region of the shelf edge between 160 and 120 m water depth. In the second area, several Jago dives were performed and MOVE was deployed with many different payloads, including a benthic chamber, a seafloor scanner, oxygen optodes and sediment profilers as well as a high resolution camera ("Megacam"). Furthermore, we deployed four autonomous in situ instruments, which measure oxygen concentrations and consumption together with a variety of environmental parameters. In addition to the Multifiber Optode (MUFO) and the Benthic Boundary Layer (BBL) profiler mentioned earlier, we use the eddy correlation system "EDDY" for integrated measurements of oxygen consumption at scales of 10-100 square meters of seafloor, and a "Lander" system. The Lander system combines a benthic chamber with a microprofiler for high-resolution measurements of benthic processes.

Messungen / Measurements