LOOME - Cruise No. MSM16/2 - September 24 - October 08, 2010 - Tromsø - Tromsø (Norway) (English)

The leg MSM16-2 started on the 24.09.10 in Tromsø (Norway) and ended on the 08.10.10 also in Tromsø. It carried out multidisciplinary research at the long-term deep water observatory Håkon Mosby Mud Volcano (72°N, 14° 43E) for the EU-Projects ESONET European Seas Observatory Network (Demonstration Mission LOOME Long term observations on mud volcano eruptions), HERMIONE Hotspot Ecosystem Research and Mans Impact on European Seas (Workpackage 5 Chemosynthetic Ecosystems) and the GDRE DIWOOD, a partner of the ESF EUROCORES EuroDeep project CHEMECO Colonization processes in chemosynthetic ecosystems. Specific objectives included the recovery of the LOOME observatory components deployed in 2009, and the completion of geological, physical and biogeochemical measurements for the analysis of ecosystem changes related to mud and gas eruptions. All components were successfully retrieved with the help of the ROV GENESIS and the excellent maneuverability of MARIA S. MERIAN. In addition, the use of the AUV Sentry equipped with a multibeam, subbottom profiler, CTD and photographic unit as well as with a mass spectrometer provided a systematic overview on changes associated with mud volcanism.