Submarine Canyons are the main transport pathways between the shelf and the deep sea, and are often considered biodiversity hotspots. Their irregular topography can create specific oceanographic effects that result in extra primary productivity at the sea surface, which then gets transported to deeper waters through the canyon. At the same time, the steep canyon walls and enhanced sediment dynamics create a wide range of seabed substrates, providing different niches for a large variety in faunal communities.
On 9 August 2015, the CODEMAP team, together with a group of 28 scientists and engineers, finally set sail from Southampton for their long-awaited expedition back to Whittard Canyon!
Read all about their adventures, the cool technology they used and the science behind it here:
CUMECS-2 is a research expedition that will survey the Malta-Sicily Escarpment, one of the largest and least-explored underwater cliffs in the Mediterranean Sea. The expedition is a follow-on from the first, very successful CUMECS cruise in 2012, and will extend our mapping efforts and scientific understanding from that expedition into deeper waters.
On 9 August 2015, the CODEMAP team, together with a group of 30 scientists and engineers, will finally set sail from Southampton for their long-awaited expedition back to Whittard Canyon!
