Objetivo
The general objectives of PELAGOS are to improve the knowledge about the hydrodynamics of the South Aegean Sea and in
particular of the Straits of the Cretan Arc, and to estimate the exchanges of water and dissolved and particulate matter
between the Aegean Sea and the adjacent open sea region of the Eastern Mediterranean Basin.
The development of a number of models (two-layered
hydrodynamical model, synoptic two-layered hydrodynamical and transport model, 3-D hydrodynamical model, 3-D mass transport model) will be combined with measurements of the currents in the Straits of the Cretan Arc (by self recording current
meters and a ship-mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler) and information derived from the space time distribution of
dissolved and suspended particulate matter. Large-scale water flows, especially around the islands, and frontal structures will be studied using a physical (laboratory) model.
Biogeochemical fluxes across the Straits of the Cretan Arc
will be determined from the results of the hydrodynamic
studies and a field measurement programme including:
1)analyses of water samples for dissolved oxygen, salinity,nutrients (phosphate, ammonium, nitrite, nitrate,
silicate), trace elements and dissolved phases of
radioisotopes;
2)analyses of suspended particulate matter for major and
trace elements, radioisotopes, organic compounds,
particulate organic carbon and particulate organic
nitrogen, supplemented by morphological, textural and
mineralogical description of particulate matter;
3)measurements of primary production, photosynthetic
pigments [chlorophyll (a, b, c), phaeophytin (a, b, c)],
phytoplankton cell counts along with size-fractionated
biomass estimates and zooplankton qualitative and
quantitative determinations; and
4)analyses of settling particle samples (collected by
time-series sediment traps) for major and trace elements,
rare earths and radioisotopes, in conjunction with
biogeochemical analyses of the organic fraction.
Ámbito científico
Tema(s)
Convocatoria de propuestas
Data not availableRégimen de financiación
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinador
16604 Athens
Grecia