News

A quick note from all on board the Norwegian research vessel ‘G.O. Sars’. We are making good progress with the first of two MAREANO cruises to be undertaken this year, and are now mid-way through the second and final leg of this research cruise.

Mapping the distribution of seabed nature types is an important component of MAREANO. Nature types follow, and contribute to the development of the Norwegian Nature Types classification scheme at the nature-system level.

R/V G.O. Sars left Tromsø harbour 18 September with steady course heading for the “Eggakanten”, the continental shelf break northwest off the Norwegian mainland, approximately half-way to the Bear Island. The mission was to map the seabed as part of the Norwegian mapping programme MAREANO. The cruise is divided in two legs; the first, which we report from here, was undertaken between 18 and 30 September and the second leg which runs from 30 September until 11 October. Onboard were 14 scientists and technicians within the fields of marine taxonomy, geology and chemistry.

In the beginning of August (2009) the Norwegian Journal of Geology published a thematic issue with 15 new articles mainly based on results from MAREANO.

Scientists from the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) and the Geological Survey of Norway (NGU) have started the April 2009 MAREANO cruise (2009105) aboard the "G.O. Sars". The scientific crew includes Norwegians, French, Danish, Canadian, German, Faroese and Finnish. The northernmost study area is located on the continental shelf, approximately 195 nm north of the Norway coast. The 9000 km2 large study area, covered by the cruise, includes depths ranging from 300 to 1000 meters, and will be mapped for benthic fauna, bottom types and environmental status.