This month, Dr. Emilio Garcia participated in an oceanographic cruise in the East Tropical North Pacific Oxygen Minimum Zone on board of the research vessel Oceanus. During 3 weeks, 13 researchers from different countries (USA, Denmark, Island, Austria, Mexico and Spain) and institutions worked together to investigate the microbial community and the biogeochemical processes of the vast anoxic waters of the north Pacific. Different aspects of microbial ecology and biogeochemistry were studied, going from aerobic respiration at the oxygenated photic layer to the different processes involved in the complex nitrogen cycling (denitrification, anammox, nitrification, anaerobic methane oxidation…) going on inside the so called “dead zones”.

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Emilio (fourth from the left) with members from the cruise

In May, our research group finished a quarterly sampling in two transects conducted over one year. Aim of the study is to estimate the contribution of microphytobenthic production to the total primary production in the inner Cadiz Bay. Each transect has five sampling points, distributed along the intertidal zone. Sediment cores were collected by sediment sampler and were maintained in aquaria with sea water under constant irradiance. Microphytobenthic primary production was measured using oxygen microsensor. In addition, numerous samples (chlorophyll, molecular biology, bacterial abundance, extracellular polymeric substances,microbial community composition etc) were preserved for future analysis.

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Sediment core with seagrass