The main aim of WP2 is to collect baseline long-term environmental data in relation to ecosystem functioning (i.e., maintenance and regulation of ecosystem processes such as energy and nutrient cycling)
Knowledge of environmental factors (e.g., ocean currents, food supply) and their variability is essential, as these factors greatly influence faunal patterns, community composition, and, therefore, ecosystem processes. The WP2, therefore, focuses on studying the environment along the water column and close to the seafloor, at hydrothermally active and non-active sites to answer the following research questions:
- What are the water-column and near-bottom environmental conditions along the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge, and how do they differ on spatial and temporal scales?
- What are the trophic interactions in the study area, and how do they differ among chemosynthetically active and non-active sites?
To determine water-column and near-bed characteristics, equipment with an array of sensors and the possibility to collect water samples is used:
- CTD deployments,
- Remotely Operated Vehicle,
- Bottom landers,
- Sediment trap,
- Particle pump.
To study trophic interactions, the following approaches will be used:
- Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes analysis,
- Compound-specific amino acid and fatty acid analyses
- Labeling experiments with stable isotopes.