1530 / 2024-09-27 22:18:14

Study processes at the seafloor with autonomous landers: methods & applications

Benthic landers, Incubation chambers, In situ benthic solute fluxes, Advanced incubation experiments, Incubation quality control, Sensors

Biological, chemical and physical processes at the seafloor plays an essential role for aquatic environments. In-situ incubations of sediment with overlying water provide valuable and consistent information on sediment-water solute exchanges. This presentation will describe experiences learned from use of Gothenburg University benthic chamber landers during more than 300 deployments/1000 incubations in water depths ranging from 5 to 5600 m. Measurements of different solutes/contaminants will be be presented as well as manipulative experiments to study the effects of hypoxia and anoxia, the N-cycle, phosphate retention and the effects of sediment re-suspension. Methods to increase the quality of the incubations will also be discussed.