The T-6 sampling experience // La experiencia del muestreo en el T-6

Thanks Jan for your nice way of teaching us how to use the amazing Integrated Sampler Bottle!!!. We had a great time with you and our trace-metals colleagues! Cheers, the Ecophysiology Group from University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria ¡Jan! ¡¡Muchísimas gracias por enseñarnos tan bien cómo utilizar el increíble ISB!! Pasamos un día […]

Blue bottles, sharks and other challenges

„Did you see sharks“ or „Can I join you next time“ are usually the first reactions, you get to hear, when people realise you are one of the scientific divers for the KOSMOS team. We have to admit that first of all the nicest thing is the water temperature, around 1°C when we started last […]

How to set up mesocosms under water

Let´s start with the first task a diver has to do at the mesocosms, the first of many. Of course everything begins with putting the mesocosms in the water. This is not done by the divers but by a crane, we only have to be there on call, if some lines get entangled. Next is […]

Nine little large mesocosms sheltering from a storm

(sung to the tune of “Neun kleine Jaegermeister” by Die Toten Hosen) Nine little mesocosms assembled on a pier, huddling round and sitting tight for the windy weather to clear. Nine little mesocosms perched upon a quay, watching the massive swells roll by with fibre-glassy grins of glee. Nine little mesocosms sheltering from a storm, […]

Twenty-two railway wheels

Twenty-two railway wheels, in total about 9 tons of solid iron: These are the anchor weights, which will hopefully hold our mesocosms in place against all currents and waves for the next eleven weeks. Laying out these anchor weights precisely at the locations given to us by the local authorities and with even distances to […]

Unloading POSEIDON

Unloading Poseidon in Las Palmas harborFoto: Ulf Riebesell

Anchor weights, KOSMOS frames and bags, buoys, generator, deep-water collector, samplers, sensor, ropes and shekels, iron chains, hoses, cleaning rings, pumps, carts, more ropes, more weights, blinking lights, boxes, boxes and more boxes. In total over 24 tons of equipment arrived in Las Palmas with Poseidon and needed to be unloaded. Along with it came […]

POSEIDON’s arrival to Las Palmas

The first daylight accompanied the R/V POSEIDON this morning on its arrival to Las Palmas Harbour. I had the pleasure to meet the Captain and have a cup of coffee. Everything is ready for the next days: unloading the mesocosms, transfer to Taliarte, and a long etc. of hard working days that are yet to […]

Setting up the mesocosms

Because there was too little space onboard POSEIDON, three mesocosms had to be dismantled and brought to Gran Canaria in a container. Ralf Schwarz and Mario Deckelnick from GEOMAR’s Technology and Logistics Centre flew in a couple of days ago to put them together again and attach ropes and weights. They were glad about the […]