Within WP4 a team from the University of Madeira undertook a sampling trip off the south coast of Madeira Island on 19 June in order to establish the planned regular monitoring site. This was possible through the kind support of the Ocean Observatory of Madeira together with the Portuguese Hydrographic Institute onboard NRP Auriga. The site chosen is situated a couple of nautical miles off the south coast of Madeira where the depths quickly reaches several hundreds of meters, in the particular case over 550 m.
At that site we sampled planktonic organisms (microphytoplankton, micro- and mesozooplankton) with 3 different mesh-sized Apstein plankton nets, as well as physical data with a CTD (temperature, salinity, fluorescence and turbidity) and water samples which were treated at our laboratory onshore immediately after the trip. There, we filtered water samples for picophytoplankton, calcareous nanoflagellates, heterotrophic and autotrophic nanoflagellates, phytopigments, suspended particulate matter and major dissolved nutrients.
We intend to sample this site on a ± monthly basis and we are receiving support from other partners e.g. Plymouth Marine Laboratory who are providing satellite imagery putting our in situ data into a larger context.
Sampling trip bring together iFADO partners in Madeira
Within WP4 a team from the University of Madeira undertook a sampling trip off the south coast of Madeira Island on 19 June in order to establish the planned regular monitoring site. This was possible through the kind support of the Ocean Observatory of Madeira together with the Portuguese Hydrographic Institute onboard NRP Auriga. The site chosen is situated a couple of nautical miles off the south coast of Madeira where the depths quickly reaches several hundreds of meters, in the particular case over 550 m.
At that site we sampled planktonic organisms (microphytoplankton, micro- and mesozooplankton) with 3 different mesh-sized Apstein plankton nets, as well as physical data with a CTD (temperature, salinity, fluorescence and turbidity) and water samples which were treated at our laboratory onshore immediately after the trip. There, we filtered water samples for picophytoplankton, calcareous nanoflagellates, heterotrophic and autotrophic nanoflagellates, phytopigments, suspended particulate matter and major dissolved nutrients.
We intend to sample this site on a ± monthly basis and we are receiving support from other partners e.g. Plymouth Marine Laboratory who are providing satellite imagery putting our in situ data into a larger context.