Plattform Platform	Reise-Nr. Cruise-No.	Zeitraum Period	Projekt Project	Arbeitsgebiet Working area
Heincke	HE460	06.04.2016 - 12.04.2016		North Sea German Bight

Fahrtleiter Chief Scientist	Institut Institute	Auslaufhafen Port of departure	Einlaufhafen Port of return	Stationskarte Station map	Schiffsroute Trackchart
Dannheim Jennifer	Alfred-Wegener-Institut fur Polar- und Meeresforschung	Bremerhaven	Bremerhaven

Ziel der Reise / Objectives of Cruise:

North Sea benthos ecological research of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research is based on two major approaches: long-term ecological research and geo-referenced ecological modeling. In combination, these two approaches will allow for predicting the future development of the benthic ecosystem, explaining current and upcoming developments, and developing strategies for a sustainable management of the North Sea ecosystem. The core of these approaches is (1) a continuous long-term ecological research program initiated 1969 and (2) an extensive data base on benthos ecological and environmental data. During the research cruise we conducted the annual sampling of the long-term research program. Further, we sampled macrozoobenthos and sediment samples for bioturbation experiments to analyse the macrofaunal impact on biogeochemical turnover in German Bight sediments by experiments. The aim of the experiments is to measure the effect of the most important North Sea species, as part of the benthic communities, on the biogeochemical processes and to model those spatially in the German exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The results will deliver new knowledge on spatial distribution of biogeochemical processes. As a third part, macrozoobenthic individuals were collected for the investigation of trophic interactions and trophic structure of different benthic communities. The outcomes will give new information on the spatial distribution of trophic processes and thus the spatial modelling of food web structures of benthic communities. The program of the cruise comprised sampling of soft-bottom in- and epifauna, as well as demersal fish fauna with van Veen grab and boxcorer, watersamples as well as beam trawl and otter trawl, respectively, and the determination of sedimentological parameters amd water samples for the trophic base of German Bight food webs.

Messungen / Measurements