News 2009 

Blue holothurians (sea cucumbers) amongst sea lilies together with brilliantly red shrimps and irregular sea urchins were just some of the astonishing creatures that scientists observed when they earlier this autumn they explored the sea bottom down to 2700 metres depths in Nordland VII, an area off the coast of Northern Norway.

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.

The MAREANO mapping in 2009 at the “Eggamargin” and in “Nordland VII” off Vesterålen/Lofoten is now completed. Altogether 129 localities were investigated during two 3 week long cruises conducting 132 video-transects (700 m long each) and 26 sampling stations.

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.