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In the FAR-DWO DS1 oceanographic cruise we analyze the hydrographic and sedimentological variability of the Denmark Strait Overflow using water column and seafloor observation and sampling techniques. We also deploy multi-instrumented mooring lines at depths between 1000 m and 2000 m to record information of the dense current during a whole year. The FAR-DWO DS1 cruise will last from July 19th to August 12th 2023 onboard the oceanographic vessel Sarmiento de Gamboa (CSIC). We are a team of around thirty experts from the Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER), University of Iceland (UI), and the company specialized in satellite technology Lobelia Earth, and we count on the technical support of Unidad de Tecnología Marina (UTM-CSIC)

The FAR-DWO project aims to investigate the physical processes involved in the spread of dense water cascades, quantify their erosion capacity, transport and deposit sediment and analyze its conservation in the past climate. The objective of the CCC2-4 campaigns is to carry out a CTD and ADCP mesh for the Characterization of hydrological conditions during submarine waterfall events. In addition, if oceanographic conditions allow it, it is planned to carry out a mapping bathymetry and characterization of the seabed in great detail of a specific sector of the head (less than 500 m deep) of the Cap de Creus canyon by using of the AUV Girona 500

Quan pensem en els oceans i allò del mar endins sempre ens ve al cap Jacques Costeau explicant-los als mars del sud. Però, tot i que invisibles i invisibilitzades, la història està plena d'oceanògrafes remant i nedant contra corrent. En aquest programa ens endinsem en el mar per celebrar-les, per reivindicar-les, perquè elles lideren projectes capdavanters i crucials per a la biodiversitat dels oceans i del planeta. Coneixerem Marta Estrada, pionera, de les primeres dones que van anar a l'Antàrtida. Anirem a la Barceloneta per parlar amb Anna Sànchez-Vidal, professora agregada de la Facultat de ciències de la terra de la Universitat de Barcelona, sobre contaminació per microplàstics. I entrevistarem Emma Cebrian, biòloga marina del Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes; Marta Coll, oceanògrafa i vicedirectora d'estratègia científica de l'Institut de Ciències del Mar, i Cristina Llinares, coordinadora de seguiment de la biodiversitat del mateix centre

Increasing amount of anthropogenic litter in the marine environment has provided an enormous number of substrates for a wide range of marine organisms, thus serving as a potential vector for the transport of fouling organisms. Here, we examined the fouling organisms on different types of stranded litter (plastic, glass, rubber, foam sponge, cloth, metal and wood) on eight beaches along the southeast coast of India. In total, 17 encrusting species belonging to seven phyla (Arthropoda, Bryozoa, Mollusca, Annelida, Cnidaria, Chlorophyta and Foraminifera) were identified on 367 items, with one invasive species, the mussel Mytella strigata, detected. The most common species associated with marine litter were the cosmopolitan bryozoans Jellyella tuberculata (%O = 31.64 %) and J. eburnea (28.61 %), the barnacle species Lepas anserifera (29.97 %), Amphibalanus amphitrite (22.34 %) and Amphibalanus sp. (14.16 %), and the oyster species Saccostrea cucullata (13.62 %) and Magallana bilineata (5.44 %). We also reported the first records on stranded litter of four species: the gastropod species Pirenella cingulata and Umbonium vestiarium, the foraminiferan Ammonia beccarii, and the oyster M. bilineata. This study is thus the first documentation of marine litter as a vector for species dispersal in India, where the production and consumption of plastic rank among the highest in the world. We also highlight the increasing risk of invasions by non-indigenous organisms attached to debris along the southeast coast of India. Comprehensive monitoring efforts are thus needed to elucidate the type of vectors responsible for the arrival of invasive species in this region. Raising awareness and promoting education are vital components in fostering sustainable solutions to combat plastic pollution in the country and globally

A simulation based on a hydro-sedimentary model was conducted for the period between summer 2010 and spring 2012 in the Gulf of Lion (northwestern Mediterranean Sea) to understand the spatial and temporal variability of sediment transport, erosion and deposition on the continental shelf and slope. Datasets of both simulated and observed current, temperature and suspended matter from the shelf and the Cap de Creus Canyon which is the main export route towards the continental slope, were first compared to assess the reliability of the simulation. The simulation shows the massive sediment accumulation near the Rhone River mouth (∼56 % of the inputs), the accretion along the mid-shelf mud belt, and the impact of dense shelf water cascading on sediment resuspension and erosion inside the Cap de Creus Canyon. The two studied autumn–winter periods were strongly contrasted in terms of meteorological conditions and subsequent impacts on the sediment dynamics. During the first period (2010–2011) dominated by marine storms, the shelf sediment underwent strong changes, the Rhone River sediment load accumulated in a relatively small area, stock of littoral sands moved to the inner shelf (20–40 m) while inner shelf fine particles fed the mid-shelf mud belt and the upper Cap de Creus Canyon. During the second period (2011–2012) with very little marine wind and a particularly cold winter, sediment on the shelf underwent little change except for a southwestward growth of the Rhone River prodeltaic deposit. Sediment from the southwestern end of the shelf as well as from the upper Cap de Creus Canyon was flushed toward deeper reaches by dense shelf water cascading. Cascading also had a more moderate impact in the various canyons incising the continental shelf. Our work supports the view of an unbalanced sedimentary system, with a deficit mainly over the inner shelf, whose main driver is probably the strong and fast reduction of particulate matter inputs from the Rhone River (by a fact

The FAR-DWO project aims to investigate the physical processes involved in the propagation of dense water cascades, quantify their ability to erode, transport and deposit sediment, and analyze their variability in past climate. The objective of the CCC1 campaign is to carry out a CTD and ADCP mesh to characterize the hydrological conditions, and obtain sediment cores to determine the sedimentary conditions of the Cap de Creus canyon.

Submarine canyons are deep, large-scale incisions that occur on the continental shelf and slope of all ocean margins. These landforms serve as preferential particle-transport conduits that connect the coastal zone with the deep-sea. Canyons have been studied for decades and are among the most iconic submarine geomorphic features. Advances in marine technology are increasingly providing new understanding of the physical and biological processes that take place in canyons, which are also notoriously affected by the impact of anthropogenic activities. In this article we describe the main geomorphic characteristics of submarine canyons and synthesize the past and current knowledge on their formation, evolution, global distribution and hydrodynamical and ecological significance.

Plastic debris provides long-lasting substrates for benthic organisms, thus acting as a potential vector for their dispersion. Its interaction with these colonizers is, however, still poorly known. This study examines fouling communities on beached, buoyant and benthic plastic debris in the Catalan Sea (NW Mediterranean), and characterizes the plastic type. We found 14 specimens belonging to two phyla (Annelida and Foraminifera) on microplastics, and more than 400 specimens belonging to 26 species in 10 phyla (Annelida, Arthropoda, Brachiopoda, Bryozoa, Chordata, Cnidaria, Echinodermata, Mollusca, Porifera and Sipuncula) on macroplastics. With 15 species, bryozoans are the most diverse group on plastics. We also report 17 egg cases of the catshark Scyliorhinus sp., and highlight the implications for their dispersal. Our results suggest that plastic polymers may be relevant for distinct fouling communities, likely due to their chemical structure and/or surface properties. Our study provides evidence that biofouling may play a role in the sinking of plastic debris, as the most abundant fouled plastics had lower densities than seawater, and all bryozoan species were characteristic of shallower depths than those sampled. More studies at low taxonomic level are needed in order to detect new species introduction and potential invasive species associated with plastic debris