Proposal 8: PROTEAS
Exploration of the “twilight zone” of the Ionian Sea
When: July 2022
Where: Ionian Sea, SE of Zakynthos
What: Recording of environmental parametres, echosounding, collection of water samples for eDNA, zooplankton sampling, pelagic trawl
Who: Laboratory of Animal Biology, Department of Biology, University of Patras
The mesopelagic zone (also known as the “twilight zone) extends between the euphotic epipelagic zone and the aphotic bathypelagic (spanning between 200-1000 m of depth). It is very important ecosystem for the energy transfer from the surface sea layers to the deeper ones and is characterized by the diel vertical migration of plankton and fish.
The aim of the project PROTEAS is the study of the mesopelagic that is generally understudied globally and hardly studied in the Ionian Sea.
Onboard the research vessel “Philia” we recorded environmental parametres and collected water samples in order to detect environmental DNA (eDNA). Furthermore, zooplankton samples were collected and experimental fishing with a pelagic trawl was carried out in different depth strata on a day-night sampling scheme in order to map the bathymetric distribution of plankton and fish in the diel cycle.
The results will be useful for the comprehension of the bathymetric distribution and the diel migration of the biota of the mesopelagic zone.
#rephilproject #hcmr #ntua #researchvessel #fisheriesvessel #researchexpedition #fisheriesresearch
The mesopelagic zone (also known as the “twilight zone) extends between the euphotic epipelagic zone and the aphotic bathypelagic (spanning between 200-1000 m of depth). It is very important ecosystem for the energy transfer from the surface sea layers to the deeper ones and is characterized by the diel vertical migration of plankton and fish.
The aim of the project PROTEAS is the study of the mesopelagic that is generally understudied globally and hardly studied in the Ionian Sea.
Onboard the research vessel “Philia” we recorded environmental parametres and collected water samples in order to detect environmental DNA (eDNA). Furthermore, zooplankton samples were collected and experimental fishing with a pelagic trawl was carried out in different depth strata on a day-night sampling scheme in order to map the bathymetric distribution of plankton and fish in the diel cycle.
The results will be useful for the comprehension of the bathymetric distribution and the diel migration of the biota of the mesopelagic zone.
#rephilproject #hcmr #ntua #researchvessel #fisheriesvessel #researchexpedition #fisheriesresearch
