The research cruise MSM86 of RV Maria S. Merian to the Vesteris Seamount area in the Greenland Sea aimed at improving the understanding of its evolution, investigating the local diversity of sponges and their associated microbiota, examining the colonization of volcanic rocks by microbes, and determining the relation between rock alteration and endolithic life. Four main areas were investigated: (1) the main edifice of the Vesteris Seamount, (2) the volcanic edifices along the Logi Ridge and Southern Seamount, (3) the northeastern area, and (4) Luise Boyd Seamount on the northern flank of Mohns Ridge.

See https://www.ldf.uni-hamburg.de/en/merian/wochenberichte.html for weekly reports and for the cruise report.

Location              

The Vesteris Seamount ist located in the Greenland Sea between Iceland and Svalbard (work area 73.6°N, 7.2°W to 73.3°N, 7.1°W, water depths between 135 and 3000m).

Ports Longyearbyen (Svalbard, Norway), Emden (Germany)

Date August 18 – September 17, 2019

Chief Scientist Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Bach (University of Bremen)

GEOMAR RD3-MS participants Dr. Beate Slaby, Ieva Caraite