Marine

For this trip, the sites chosen for investigation were the East of Gannet and Montrose Fields and the Norwegian Sedimentary Plain (shown below), which were selected as part of ongoing studies into Marine Protected Areas with special protected features.

After steaming east for around 10 hours, Scotia arrived on station in the East Gannet/Montrose area and started sampling using a 0.25m² Hamon grab, a large and heavy piece of kit ideal for working over coarse and mixed sediments. The grab samples around 25 litres of sand and mud per sample and deposits it in a catch tray, this sample is then passed through a 1mm mesh and anything remaining (including a variety of worms, shellfish, urchins and hermit crabs) is preserved in a tub or jar. We are planning to collect up to 276 samples over both sites followed by extensive observations of the seabed using TV and digital still camera systems on the Gannet/Montrose site only.

To date (30 October) we have successfully collected just over 200 grab samples and recorded 50 TV tows and we hope, weather permitting, to complete our objectives (with a few added extra sites) by early Sunday morning after which Scotia is scheduled to return to Aberdeen.

Picture 1 below shows the Hamon grab sampler while Picture 2 shows an example of a sample after having been sieved.

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Further Information

Figure 1: East of Gannet and Montrose Fields and the Norwegian Sedimentary Plain

Picture 1: Hamon grab sampler

Picture 2: Example of a sample after having been sieved

Previous Post:

MRV Scotia: Survey 1515S – dated 16th October

https://blogs.gov.scot/marine-scotland/2015/10/16/mrv-scotia-survey-1515s-programme/)