Bringing deep to surface
One of our last activities with RRS James Cook was the collection of nutrient-rich deep water. With its volume of 100 cubic meter the deep water collector holds enough water to simulate a strong upwelling event in our mesocosms. The collector was filled with water from 340 m depth some 10 nautical miles southeast of Gran Canary. It was then towed slowly over night by James Cook to our experimental playground and anchored adjacent to the mesocosms the next morning.
Now the nutritious deep water is ready to be fed to the nutrient-starved surface plankton community. There are still a few more steps in the experimental protocol to be taken care of before the feast can begin. For now we say good-bye to the captain and crew of the James Cook. We know it has been quite an unusual mission for them, so we are extremely thankful for their great help, incredible flexibility and enthusiastic support. See you again at the end of our mesocosm journey the week before Christmas for the recovery of our floating babys.
