ALKOR AL420

From January to June 2013, more than 60 European scientists conducted a worldwide unique long-term experiment on ocean acidification at the west coast of Sweden. To study how natural marine communities develop in response to acidifying waters, research vessel ALKOR deployed a large-scale mesocosm facility in the Gullmar Fjord already in January. On her 420th cruise, ALKOR transports the mesocosms and a large variety of samples back to Kiel. The field experiment, which takes place in the framework of the German project on ocean acidification BIOACID (Biological Impacts of Ocean ACIDification), is coordinated by GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel.