The Deep Gulf of Mexico Benthos Cruise
Biweekly report number 1
May 8, 2000
General remarks: We have now completed the biotic survey of 5 sites (WC5, WC12, B1, NB2, and NB3). These can be followed along on the list of stations in the cruise plan or on the map with the station sequence on it. This amounts to one site per day, which is right in line with what we had planned to do. We have completed a total of 54 'operations' at these sites. These include, at each site in this order, a CTD, 5 box cores, a camera lowering and a trawl.
The box cores are being subsampled for bacteria, meiofauna, geochemical properties, geological properties, trace metals, and trace organic contaminants. Of the total of 54 operations, we have had a high success rate: one trawl appears not to have hit bottom and one photographic lowering was blank. Other than these two 'misses,' we are successfully sampling according to plan. To the best of our knowledge, we have corrected the problems.
The digital images from a shipboard still camera and from the bottom camera are available to be transmitted as files over the internet. Selected images will be sent from each station as circumstances permit.
Problems: none to report
Unusual or Unexpected Events: We have nothing particularly unusual to report. However, we were surprised that in the trawl in the Pigmy Basin (B1) there was about as much trash as there was fauna.
General observations: The food is good; the weather is fine. The ship is in fine shape.
Gilbert T. Rowe, Ph.D. DGoMB Pgm. Mgr. Chief Scientist aboard the R/V GYRE Prof. of Oceanography, Texas A&M