Plattform Platform	Reise-Nr. Cruise-No.	Zeitraum Period	Projekt Project	Arbeitsgebiet Working area
Meteor	M151 Athena	06.10.2018 - 31.10.2018	ATHENA	Tropical NE Atlantic Great Meteor Seamount

Fahrtleiter Chief Scientist	Institut Institute	Auslaufhafen Port of departure	Einlaufhafen Port of return	Stationskarte Station map	Schiffsroute Trackchart
Frank Norbert	Institut fur Umweltphysik, Universitat Heidelberg	Ponta Delgada	Funchal

Ziel der Reise / Objectives of Cruise:

The goals of this cruise were the exploration and sampling of modern and fossil cold-water coral habitats along the seamounts south of the Azores. The key objective being the reconstruction of climate driven changes of the Azores frontal system. To reach this goal we collected modern and fossil coral fragments as well as seawater and sediment, using a variety of instruments. Mapping, Parasound and ADCP measures provided the background information for ROV dives and subsequent grab sampler, multi-corer, box corer, and gravity corer deployments. CTD casts complemented the work-program. The region of interest was Atlantis-, Plato-, Hyeres-, and Great Meteor Seamounts. The cruise started on the 06.10 with a short ROV-Test during which we had a DFG delegation on Board. Given the bad weather, the ROV was not deployed but grab samplers were taken near S?o Miguel Island. After a short return to Ponta Delgada the M151-ATHENA cruise started on the 08.10. and remained to regions near the Azores (Jose Gaspar volcano, Mar da Prata slopes, Albatroz Seamount, and Acor Bank) until the 19.10 At the origin of this change was the severe weather an a defect on the ROV. This weather alternative program was most successful with many coral finds and a large number of stations. On the 20.10 we headed to Atlantis – Seamount but weather conditions did not permit for ROV deployments and bottom currents inhibited even a successful deployment of the grab sampler. Hence, on the evening of the 21.10 we continued southward to Great Meteor Seamount. Plato-, and Hyeres-Seamounts were skipped. Between the 22.10 and the 28.10 we focussed on different parts of the Great and Little Meteor Seamount. 5 successful ROV dives have been conducted and a large number of grab samplers. Gravity corer and Box corer were not deployed at the southern seamounts due to the lack of sufficiently large sediment patches along the rough volcanic slopes. Nevertheless, we successfully recovered fossil corals, seawater and sediments. On the 28.10 we headed early towards

Messungen / Measurements