Preface The expedition ARK XIX/3 with the German icebreaking RV ...

EU 5 th framework programme. This has supported a suite of projects in the deep
waters of Europe’s Atlantic margin including the Atlantic Coral Ecosystem Study
(ACES) as well as two projects researching the formation and structure of deep-water
seabed mounds (ECOMOUND and GEOMOUND).
A second major driver for research into cold-water coral habitats has been growing
evidence of damage by deep-water trawl gear. Recent surveys by the Institute of
Marine Research in Bergen have shown that 30-50% of Norway’s cold-water coral
reefs already show signs of damage (Fosså et al. 2002). Around Tasmania, corals and
other sessile suspension feeding organisms have been removed by trawlers from
seamounts (Koslow et al. 2001). The evidence has provoked debate on whether such
areas should be protected. Indeed in both Norway and Tasmania several areas have
now been designated as marine protected areas and closed to any trawl gear.
The overall objectives of the lander development described here have been to
produce a simple, robust and flexible platform to deploy a variety of cameras and
other sensors to record both the environmental dynamics and the behaviour of the
benthic biological community. This equipment was developed by the Scottish
Association for Marine Science in collaboration with Oceanlab at the University of
Aberdeen. To date it has completed two offshore deployments at 300m water depth by
the Sula Ridge reef complex. The present Porcupine Seabight work represents the
deepest deployment to date and, given the availability of the "Victor 6000" ROV, the
first opportunity to target the complex topography inhabited by live cold-water corals.
It was decided to make the lander deployment on the "Galway mound" within the
"Belgica mound" province.
Photolander design and research objectives
An existing benthic lander design from Aberdeen University was adapted to provide a
tripod frame giving a stable platform for time-lapse photography on the rough
substrata found in and around cold-water coral reef areas. The SAMS Photolander
was deployed with the following payload:
- Benthos 5010 digital stills camera, adapted for mass picture storage
- CAMEL Camera Alive film camera
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