Image of the month: October

Sea floor observations in the North Sea

Our image of the month October shows a BIGO lander (Biogeochemical Observatory) during a research cruise in the stormy North Sea. Two scientists from GEOMAR, Stefan Sommer and Matthias Türk, are preparing the deployment of the BIGO. It will be placed at the seafloor for several days to independently measure fluxes between the seabed and the water column. During this particular expedition a major focus was on carbon dioxide (CO2) and oxygen. The expedition was conducted within the framework of the EU funded research project STEMM-CCS for the development of monitoring strategies and technologies of sub-seafloor CO2 storage operations. 

The BIGO is one of the lander systems used at the GEOMAR. This equipment is deployed to the seafloor where it collects samples or data autonomously. When the measurements are completed an acoustic signal releases the weights attached to the lander, causing it to rise to the surface. This happens thanks to the air-filled glasballs which are hidden inside the orange protections. Back at the surface the lander can be recovered by the crew on ship.

[Translate to English:] Zwei Männer arbeiten an Deck des Schiffs an einem großen Gerät, das im unteren Teil viele Kabel und technische Geräte hat und oben orangene Kugeln, die in Halterungen befestigt sind.