The aim of this cruise was to collect surficial sediments from different areas of the Mediterranean Spanish coast for studying the spatial and temporal trends of persistent organic pollutants (organochlorinted pollutants, trace metals and aromatic hydrocarbons) and metal contamination in this environmental matrix. This cruise was included in the activities of the project 2-ESMARME from the IEO (Spanish Oceanographic Institute). This project gives fulfillment to the Annex II of the mission of management of the Ministry of Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs to the IEO on scientific and technical assistance related to the monitoring of the marine contamination and biological effects in the Mediterranean coast of Spain, within the framework of the Barcelona Convention for the protection of the marine environment and the coastal Region of the Mediterranean Sea.

Analyze and evaluate the environmental impact on the coastal area of Gibraltar caused by the dumping of concrete and rock blocks into the sea.

The objective of this campaign is the sampling of sediments. These sediments will be used to assess the organic and inorganic pollutants in the marine area, as well as the possible biological effects of contaminants. In this survey, along with the traditional pollutants, the presence of microplastics in sediments will also be evaluated.

Training of students of the Master of Marine Sciences: Oceanography and Marine Environment Management of the University of Barcelona.

The main target of the NUREIEVA-MAR-1 campaign is twofold. On the one hand, it aims to establish the geometry and the three-dimensional internal structure of the deposit of mineral discharges submerged in front of the Bay of Portmán and, on the other hand, it intends to verify the data obtained by obtaining witnesses from the deposit. During the campaign, a high resolution multibeam bathymetric cartography and a high density mesh of TOPAS PS18 parametric probe profiles will be carried out, and sediment tokens will be obtained by gravity or piston core grabs of the longest length possible, as well as by means of multicorer, box corer and dredge Van Veen for the upper part of the deposit. In addition, the discharge of dissolved metals from the deposit emerged at sea will be quantified using CTD profiles and sampling with hydrographic bottles. Floating microplastics will also be sampled.

The leg 1 of the NUREIEV 3 oceanographic cruise took place from 22 to 30 April 2016. The area of work has located on the continental margin of the SE of Iberian Peninsula, off the coast of Murcia and Almeria, with reference coordinates from 36º20'N to 37º36'N and 2º40'W to 0º40'W. The tasks performed consisted of: • Bathymetric mapping with multibeam echosounder for seabed mapping, from inner shelf to upper slope (50 to 1500 m depth). • Geophysical works with TOPAS, very high resolution seismic profiles, to characterize the sedimentary cover of the study area. • Recovery of 5 mooring lines, instrumented for the continuous monitoring of the hydrological (water masses) and sediment (particle fluxes) dynamics from the last cruise in September 2015. Each mooring line is composed by one current meter for measuring temperature, turbidity, velocity and direction of currents and one sediment trap for sampling sinking particles. In addition, each mooring is equipped with an acoustic release for recovery and with suitable buoyancy. Monitoring with instrumented mooring lines has covered an annual cycle, in two phases of 6 months each one. • CTD profiling and water sampling. Profiles have been made in each of the submarine canyons monitored for measuring physical and chemical variables of water column (temperature, salinity, turbidity, oxygen concentration and chlorophyll) and calibration of instruments of mooring lines. • Performing surface sampling of floating microplastics by neuston net. • Sampling of surface sediments by multicorer.

In this Cruise Plan we present a strategically collected suite of sediment coring stations that may help to study fluid flow system in the northern Tunisian margin extending to the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Evaluate transport of water salinity, temperature, carbon and other variables of the greenhouse

The objective of the DOS MARES project is twofold. First, we aim at understanding the effects of the atmospheric teleconnections between the Cantabrian Sea and the north-western Mediterranean Sea, and their impacts on the deep ecosystem, both pelagic and benthic. Second, we want to know in which way the transfer of the signal from the external forcings towards the deep ecosystem controls the community structure and the population dynamics. Thus, in March 2012 we deployed 6 mooring lines equipped with sediment traps and currentmeters in the Avilés and Gaviera canyons and the slope. In September 2012 the moorings were successfully recovered and redeployed again, and during this cruise DOSMARES BIOCANT3 they have been finally recovered and the 1-year monitoring effort finalised. In addition, CTD profiling has been performed to characterise the biological and physical structure of the water column (including the acquisition of discrete water samples), multicorers have been obtained to characterise the geochemical properties of surface sediments, and a multinet used to obtain macro- and meso-zooplankton community structure. Overall, data will allow to characterize the external forcings and abiotic conditions in the Cantabrian Sea, and thus establish the links between abiotic conditions, populations and pelagic and benthopelagic resources.