Title:
Environmental supervision on-board and biological analyses for exploratory offshore drilling operations in Block 6 – Cronos prospect area, EEZ Cyprus
Duration:
ca 4 months (March 2019 – June 2019)
Funded by:
ENI Cyprus Ltd.
Subcontracted by the joint venture:
HPC AG
Nicolaides & Associates Ltd
Pro Iter Ambiente S.r.l.
TEA Sistemi S.p.A.
Project Description:
In late March and early April 2019, eight zooplankton samples were collected with vertical tows of a plankton net (diameter: 50 cm; porosity: 200 μm), from 250 m to the surface in eight locations situated in the Cronos prospect area. Zooplankton identification and enumeration of samples collected was completed in June 2019 and the data processing revealed a total number of 59 taxa. At the same time, eight phytoplankton samples were collected at a sampling depth of 1 m from the surface in eight locations situated in the Cronos prospect area. The samples were preserved with Lugol iodine and stored in black polyethylene bottles at room temperature until the analysis. Overall, 33 taxa were identified employing the Utermohl method. In order to investigate the benthic community structure of Cronos prospect area, 94 samples were collected from all stations, consisting of 2 replicates each, collected via a 50 cm x 50 cm box corer of 82 L in volume at depths of 2185 to 2387 m. The examined samples yielded a total of 2091 individuals, belonging to 58 taxa.
