N. Atlantic

The cruise is 36 days in duration and will involve primarily geophysical data acquisition (multibeam, gravity, magnetics) on the flanks of the Reykjanes Ridge to study how transform faults formed and were later eliminated from this ridge.

Study the on- and off-axis regions with respect to:

(a) hydrothermal activity on shallow, thick-crust ridges

(b) crustal thinning southwards away from Iceland

(c) off-axis extend of hydrothermal activity

Providing multidisciplinary time-series data sets for hydrothermal systems in the Azores region of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The observatory maintenance.

http://www.emso-fr.org/EMSO-Azores

The aim of the cruise OPEN-BAY is to provide new insights into the birth, the life and the death of the oceanic spreading center of the Bay of Biscay from ~110Ma to ~87Ma

1) Fine geochemical characterization of two deep-sea hydrothermal sites and surrounding areas as well as inactive sites habitats

2) Inventory of the biodiversity in these habitats (biology and microbiology), and assemblages description with regard to geochemical constraints, their succession in time and space

3) Complete the life cycle study of Rimicaris sp., in situ larvae and sex repartition survey, in vivo experimentations to test seasonality hypothesis to better appreciate Adaptation/dispersion capabilities, and infer connectivity

Aim: better understand the constraints on biomass formation in hydrothermal ecosystems and their influence on chemical fluxes exported by plumes

EMSO Azores deep sea observatory