Objectives: General oceanographic studies (physical, chemical, biological), contaminants in sediments and recording of prevailed hydrography and meteorology in RSA during summer season
Since the investigation and planned studies for the whole RSA during summer season couldn’t be achieved during summer 2000 Cruise, it was decided to organize this cruise during the following summer of 2001.
Along 15 transects, 83 stations were monitored and sampled as required in the Cruise scientific plan. Because of special circumstances, the Outer RSA stations in the Sea of Oman couldn’t be sampled.
Besides the measurements of hydrological and meteorological parameters along the Cruise track, water and sediment samples were collected for:
• Chemical analyses of nutrient salts, chlorophyll
• Biological investigation of phytoplankton, zooplankton and bacterioplankton
• Meiofauna and machrofauna in sediment
• Organic matter in sediment and grain size analysis
• Levels of inorganic and organic contaminants in sediment
The collected samples were distributed among specialized laboratories in the Region for analysis. It is planned to publish the results by ROPME Secretariat in a series technical reports.