Cruise MNG0310, coordinated by ISMAR-CNR of Bologna, has been dedicated to the EMMA-LIFE project , coordinated by Dr. Mariangela Ravaioli and to the ADRICOSM-STAR project (coordinating Institution CMCC, scientific Coordinator Prof. Nadia Pinardi)
The EMMA project aims at understanding and possibly forecast the anoxic and hypoxic conditions occuring in the Norther Adriatic Sea. This is done by operational physical and biogeochemical modeling, that require both seasonal oceanographical cruises in the Adriatic Basin and the use of Near real Time Meteoceanographical Buoys (among them the ISMAR's E1 and S1 buoys).
The cruise planned to repeat classical and well known transects (Po-Rovinij, Rimini, Senigallia, Pescara, Gargano), as well as investigating structures near the Gargano Promontory and in the area of Bari Canyon, with particular regards to the North Adriatic Dense Water (NaDW) processes BIGNAMI1990-BARI, BIGNAMI1990-DWSAD, RIDENTE2007, TRINCARDI2007SEAFLOOR, CANALS2009.
ADRICOSM-STAR "... aims at the development and partial implementation of an integrated coastal area and river and urban waters management system that considers both observational and modelling components." The research area is the Montenegro and Albanian coastal and marginal zone, inclusive of Kotor Bay (Boka Kotorska). The project involves 19 public and private partners from Italy, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania and has a duration of 3 years starting from March 2007.
This is the fifth cruise in the area of Montenegro-Albania, following cruises ADR08 (R/V Dallaporta, July 2008), ADR02_08 (R/V Urania, October 2008 BIGNAMI2008), MNG01_09 (R/V Urania MNG0109-REP) and MNG02_09 (R/V Maria Grazia, july 2009 MNG0209-REP).
The cruise objectives were:
On the whole, Multibeam and CHIRP data will be used to assess the geological and surficial and subsurficial morphological setting, other than help to update bathymetric maps. Among the settings we may cite sediment transport pathways, such as accumulation and erosion areas, and risk and hazard studies.
This paper reports the shipboard activities during cruise MNG0310, including description of the ship, equipment and their usage, along with details of the general settings, performances and some scientific and technical results.
CHIRP SBP and Multibeam bathymetric data were acquired allover planned routes or during transits, from the SE to N, and the seafloor was sampled by box-corer and gravity corer in predetermined stations in front and to the south of the Bojana River. In particular, the planning of routes were dictated by the aim of obtaining full coverage multibeam images or to investigating geological features like one caused by submarine mass movements, depositional or erosional processes, or by fluid escapes.
Hydrological measurements included CTD vertical profiles (pressure, temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, light transmission, fluorimetry). Among the many parameters, T, S, Pressure were used to provide to the MBES the necessary water column speed of sound profile. Data were extracted from the 0.5 or 1 m averaged profiles, and input on the MBES console. A procedure was set up in order to ease the handling of the procedure, in particular for the extension of data to the depth of 12000m, as required by the SIS Kongsberg's software.