NATO SfP Black Sea project: R/V AKVANAVT Cruise

R/V AKVANAVT CRUISE
Duration of the cruise: 11Sept.-29 October, 1999

In accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding, ratified by the Institute of Oceanology, Russia; Institute of Marine Sciences, Turkey and Marine Hydrophysical Institute, Ukraine), the international Russian-Turkish-Ukrainian expedition “Black Sea-99” was conducted in autumn 1999. During this expedition, two research vessels – Russian “Akvanavt” and Turkish “Bilim” -explored the ecosystem of the Black Sea in September-October.

The expedition started at September 11 and finished at October 29. It includes the field observations in three cruises – 11i, 11z and 11j; lab experiments; special observations on macrozooplankton gel-agregates in Blue Bay near town Gelendzhik.

Stations, dates, coordinates with biological data collected
R/V AKVANAVT CRUISE 11i

Stat. No	Date	Time	Latitude	Longtitute	Depth, m	Location
1	25.09	16:00	44.657	37.558	51	Shelf
2	25.09	18:50	44.6	37.5	550	Slope
6	26.09	7:30	43.737	36.785	2080	Divergence
7	26.09	10:50	43.767	37.1	2150	Divergence
8	26.09	13:30	43.903	37.238	2128
9	26.09	16:30	44.1	37.45	1650	Rim Current
10	26.09	20:40	44.4	37.42	1650	Rim Current
11	26.09	23:20	44.62	37.5	500	Rim Current
12	27.09	4:00	44.657	37.56	55	Shelf
13	27.09	6:00	44.382	38.198	85	Shelf
15	27.09	9:40	44.15	37.97	2000	Rim Current
18	27.09	19:00	43.792	37.522	2100	Cyclon
20	28.09	2:00	43.332	36.95	2150	Divergence
22	28.09	10:00	43.222	37.393	2160	Anticyclone
24	28.09	17:00	43.067	37.665	2145	Anticyclone
26	29.09	23:20	43.065	38.498	2100	Rim Current
29	29.09	10:30	43.552	37.92	2115	Cyclone
31	29.09	16:25	43.95	38.25	1900
32	29.09	19:50	44.1	38.45	1500	Rim Current
33	29.09	22:30	44.213	38.583	570	Rim Current
34	29.09	23:55	44.27	38.648	56	Shelf

Stations, dates, coordinates with biological data collected
R/V AKVANAVT CRUISE 11z

Stat. No	Date	Time	Latitude	Longtitute	Depth, m	Location
1	14.10.	18:30	44.55	37.955	47	Shelf
2	15.10	08:30	43.797	37.633	2150	Cyclone
3	16.10-17.10	10:00-06:00	44.528	38.065	10	Blue Bay
4	17.10	09:00	44.338	37.917	1400	Rim Current
5	17.10	19:00	43.857	37.65	2130	Cyclone
6	18.10	6:00	43.106	37.278	2100	Anticyclone
7	18:10	9:00	43.514	37.524	2100	Divergence

Stations, dates, coordinates with biological data collected
R/V AKVANAVT CRUISE 11j

Stat. No	Date	Time	Latitude	Longtitute	Depth, m	Location
4	25.10	19:00	44.24	38.95	60	Shelf
5	25.10	19.40	44.22	38.08	550
6	25.10	22:00	44.13	38.20	1900	Rim Current
7	25.10	23.55	44.38	37.56	2055
8	26.10	02.20	43.52	37.48	2055
9	26.10	05.00	43.42	37.43	2055
10	26.10	06:55	43.31	37.37	2055	Anticyclone
11	26.10	09.20	43.21	37.35	2140
12	26.10	11:15	43.11	37.32	2200	Anticyclone
13	26.10	13:15	43.02	37.29	2200	Anticyclone
14	26.10	16:30	42.53	37.36	2210	Anticyclone
15	26.10	18:55	42.47	37.45	2050	Anticyclone
16	26.10	21:35	42.40	38.06	2050
17	27.10	03.45	42.57	37.23	2150
18	27.10	06:25	43.07	37.21	2150	Anticyclone
19	27.10	08:55	43.19	37.15	2150	Anticyclone
20	27.10	10:40	43.28	37.07	2160
21	27.10	12:30	43.37	37.00	2150
22	27.10	14:20	43.46	36.54	2150	Cyclone
23	27.10	17:15	44.00	36.43	1900	Cyclone
24	27.10	19:30	44.11	36.49	1560	Cyclone
25	27.10	21:40	44.22	36.56	1811
26	27.10	21.40	44.22	36.56	1811
27	28.10	00.15	44.33	37.03	1070
28	28.10	02.30	44.43	37.09	740
29	28.10	04.20	44.49	37.13	66

Funds for expedition were received from Russian Ministry of Sciences and Technology, NATO SFP grant ODBMS and from Russian Fund of Fundamental Researches.

List of participants of the “Black Sea-99” expedition

Name	Institute	Country	Responsibilities
Dr. Alexander Mikaelyan	IO RAS	Russia, Moscow	Supervisor, head of 11z cruise, phytoplankton
Dr. Andrey Zatsepin	IO RAS	Russia, Moscow	Supervisor, head of 11i and 11j cruises, drifters, satellite data
Dr. Elena Arshkevitch	IO RAS	Russia, Moscow	Zooplankton and macrozooplankton grazing
Dr. Alexander Drits	IO RAS	Russia, Moscow	Noctiluca and macrozooplankton grazing
Dr. Eteri Mysaeva	IO RAS	Russia, Moscow	Distribution of mesozooplankton, macrozooplankton
Dr. Sergey Vostokov	IO RAS	Russia, Moscow	“marine snow”, distribution and physiology Beroe ovata, chlorophyll “a”, particular organic matter
Dr. Galina Korneeva	IO RAS	Russia, Moscow	Biochemical composition of marine detritus
Dr. Tatiana Zavyalova	SB IO RAS	Russia, Gelendzhik	Pico- and nanophytoplankton, heterotrophic phytolamkton
Dr. Valeri Yakybenko	SB IO RAS	Russia, Gelendzhik	Hydrophysical soundings
Dr. Eugenie Yakyshev	SB IO RAS	Russia, Gelendzhik	Hydrochemistry
Dr. Ludmila Georgieva	IBSS	Ukraine, Sevastopol	Microphytoplankton
Dr. Ludmila Senichkina	IBSS	Ukraine, Sevastopol	Microphytoplankton
Dr. Sergey Stanichny	MHI	Ukraine, Sevastopol	Receiving and processing satellite images
Dr. Vladimir Gagarin	IO RAS	Russia, Moscow	Distribution of mesozooplankton, macrozooplankton
Dr. Alexander Kopulov	IBIW RAS	Russia, Borok	Bacterioplankton, production, mushrooms, microheterotrophes
Dr. Dmitry Kosolapov	IBIW RAS	Russia, Borok	Bacterioplankton, production, mushrooms, microheterotrophes
Mrs. Galina Belyaeva	IO RAS	Russia, Moscow	Phytoplankton size structure
Mr. Alexander Tolomeev	IB RAS	Russia, Krasnoyarsk	Zooplankton grazing

IO RAS – Shirshov’s Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences; SB IO RAS – South Branch of Shirshov’s Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences; IBSS – Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas, Ukranian Academy of Sciences; MHI – Marine Hydrophysical Institute, Ukranian Academy of Sciences; IBIW RAS – Institute of Biology of Internal Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences; IB RAS – Institute of Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences

During the expedition the broad number of parameters have been investigated.

Amount of biological data collected

Item	Number of samples
Nano-, picophytoplankton	71
Microphytoplanktom	71
Division and size structure of phytoplankton	46
Mesozooplankton	30
Macrozooplankton	6
Bacterioplankton: size structure, numbers, colonies	36
Mushrooms	36
Bacterioplankton production	12
Nanoheterotrophes, grazing on bacteria	36
Particular organic matter	82
Chlorophyll “a”	82
Detritus composition, “marine snow”	30
Noctiluca grazing	40
Biochemistry of “marine snow”	17
Ferments activity in “marine snow”	23/200
Distribution of jelly-fish organisms in the Blue Bay by diving tecnique	10
Experiments on respiration rates of Beroe ovata	12
Experiments on egg production of Beroe ovata	23
Beroe ovata, Mnemiopsis leidyi, aurelia aurita.	100
Ration between the body length and biovolume of Beroe ovata	200

The chemical parameters determined in the sea water were dissolved oxygen; total alkalinity; phosphates; silicates; nitrates; nitrites; ammonia; hydrogen sulfide; dissolved manganese; methane.