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04/03/2009 Preparations for DIVA 3 on the way |
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 At the Senckenberg Institute in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, activities in the hallways and storage buildings are putting an end to the stillness of winter- just as spring finally arrives in middle Europe. The next CeDAMar cruise is just weeks away! Read more about the scientific background, schedule and participants below.
Expedition DIVA 3 10 July – 23 August, 2009 from Montevideo (Uruguay) to Ponta Delgada (Azores) aboard the RV METEOR
The cruise is devoted to the study of benthic deep-sea biodiversity along a latitudinal gradient from 45° South to the Equator.
It is planned to take quantitative samples in the Brazilian and the Argentinean Basin (western South Atlantic). In
approximately 5,000m depth, the organismic biodiversity of all size
classes (from nano- up to megafauna) shall be recorded and correlated
with biotic, abiotic, and historical variables. The aim is to recognize
possible relationships between the primary production in the water
column and the benthic biodiversity.
 Moreover, possible biogeographic barriers between the two deep-sea basins shall be detected. The recorded data will allow a comparison with those of deep-sea basins of the eastern South Atlantic, which are separated from the western part by the mid-Atlantic ridge. An additional goal is to prove whether there exists a latitudinal diversity gradient along a southwardly directed transect, and to compare the results with data reported from the former expeditions DIVA 1, DIVA 2 and ANDEEP I-III. Sampling will ensure well-supported estimates of the biodiversity in this deep-sea region. Time allowing, additional sampling of few single stations at the Atlantis Meteor Seamount Complex is planned during the trip to Ponta Delgada (Azores). These samples will serve for preliminary studies in preparation of planned scientific cruises to the Atlantis Seamount and the Great Meteor Seamount (2010).
Five stations will be sampled with a standardised set of gear to assess all size classes of benthic organisms. Stations will be located along a transect from southwest to northeast in the northern Argentinean Basin (2) and the Brasilian Basin (3), with the northern most station being very near to the Equator. Twenty-nine scientists from eight institutions in Germany, Spain, Switzerland and Canada will participate.
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