Deep sea ecosystem exploration and ‘health check’: sampling strategy and methods applied during the iAtlantic_BR10_Petrobras cruise in the Santos Basin, Southwest Atlantic
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/Keywords:
iAtlantic Project, Deep-sea Ecosystems, Seafloor MappingAbstract
The iAtlantic Project has established an international collaborative strategy to improve mapping and
characterization of deep and open ocean ecosystems in understudied regions of the Atlantic and evaluate
their health. In December 2022, the first iAtlantic expedition in the South Atlantic set off to map and explore
seafloor ecosystems in the Santos Basin slope (200-1,000 m depths) in collaboration with the Petrobras ‘Santos
Basin - Regional Characterization Project.’ The 17-day ‘iAtlantic_BR10-Petrobras’ cruise was conducted on
board the research vessel NPqHOc Vital de Oliveira (Brazilian Navy) and performed (a) water column structure
characterization, (b) seafloor morphology mapping, (c) description of benthic habitats and communities by
seafloor imagery and biological/ geological sampling, and (d) ex-situ experiments to assess the functioning of
sedimentary ecosystems and their responses to climate-related environmental changes. This study describes
the rationale behind the iAtlantic_BR10-Petrobras cruise science plan, reports its sampling strategy and
methods, and summarizes its collected data and preliminary results.
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