News 2008 

The Norwegian seabed mapping programme, MAREANO, has just finished its fourth cruise off northern Norway with the research vessel G.O. Sars. The target of this cruise is deeper slope areas off the counties of Troms and Nordland. The investigation covers several very different marine landscapes including submarine canyons, coral reefs, moraines, sand dunes and consolidated clay with rough topography.

The MAREANO mapping in 2007 was characterised by dramatic sceneries and exciting observations from different seascapes. The spring survey covered remaining parts on the Tromsøflaket fishing bank, while the autumn was spent in the management areas of Troms II and Nordland VII. Gas vents, new coral reefs and rich biological communities were documented, and for the first time the equipment was tested in deep waters.