Today – Sunday - was a beautiful day spent on the deck of Nansen sorting through sediment grab samples collected using a Van Veen grab sampler.
The Van Veen grab is a small grab system that, upon reaching the seabed, scoops and collects a small area (0.1 m2) of surface sediment.
The sediment is then washed through a series of sieves to separate animals of different sizes.
The team was very surprised to discover that at almost 2 km depth on the Madagascar Ridge the sediment consisted of a very fine sand covered with tiny shells of pelagic animals called pteropods, commonly known as sea butterflies.
Over the next few days the team will work to identify some of the organisms found in the samples.
We will continue to collect hydrography, benthic, plankton, and Manta trawl samples at the Madagascar Ridge tomorrow. Stay tuned! Questions? We’re happy to answer them.
23/07/2015