Mineral composition of 0.1-0.05 mm grain size fraction from the surface layer of bottom sediments in the West European province of the Atlantic Ocean

Rock material sampled from the Mir manned deep-sea submersibles and by dradges, grabs, and sediment cores over a vast area of the North Atlantic was analyzed to show that this material is of continental origin, unlike original rocks of the ocean floor. It is proved to be related to iceberg rafting during Quaternary glaciations. Independent data on distribution and composition of sandy and silty grains in sediment cores also support this relation to the recent glaciation. New criteria for identification of iceberg rock matter in pelagic sediments are presented on the base of analysis of all available data.

Analysis of Manganese nodules from Sonne cruises SO06/1 and /2, "Hawaii-Tahiti-Transect", Teilprojekt ICIME

Manganese nodules research has focused on the area between the Clarion Fracture Zone to the North and the Clipperton Fracture Zone to the South where significant concentrations were found ni Ni-Cu. During the CCOP/SOPAC-IOC/IDOE International workshop on the "Geology Mineral Resources and Geophysics of the South Pacific" held in Fiji in September 1975, a working group on manganese nodules was formed by scientists from: CNEXO, Brest, the Institute of Oceanography, New Zealand, Imperial College, London and the Technical University of Aachen. A draft project was presented in July 1976 by J. Andrews, University of Hawaii and G. Pautot, Cnexo on a joint survey under the name of: "Hawaii-Tahiti Transect program". Further details were worked on in September 1976 during the International Geological Congress in Sydney with the participation of D. Cronan, Imperial College, Glasby, New Zealand Geological Survey and G. Friedrich, Aachen TU. The scientific final program was established in July 1977, planning on the participation of three research vessels: the Suroit (CNEXO), the Kana Keoki (U. of Hawaii) and the Sonne (Aachen TU). Several survey areas were selected across the Pacific Ocean (Areas A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H) with about the same crustal age (about 40 million years) and a similar water depths. Being near large fault zones, the ares would be adequate to study the influences of biological productivity, sedimentation rate and possibly volcanic activity on the formation and growth of manganese nodules. The influnece of volcanic activity study would particularly apply to area G being situated near the Marquesas Fracture Zone. The cruise from R/V Sonne started in August 1978 over areas C, D, F, G K. The R/V suroit conducted a similar expedition in 1979 over areas A, B, C, D, E, H and I. Others cruises were planned during the 1979-1980 for the R/V Kana Keoki. The present text relates the R/V Sonne Cruises SO-06/1 and SO-06/2 held within the frame work of this international cooperative project.

(Table 1) Tagging date, total length and sex of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) tagged at Point Barrow, Alaska

Working with subsistence whale hunters, we tagged 19 mostly immature bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) with satellite-linked transmitters between May 2006 and September 2008 and documented their movements in the Chukchi Sea from late August through December. From Point Barrow, Alaska, most whales moved west through the Chukchi Sea between 71° and 74° N latitude; nine whales crossed in six to nine days. Three whales returned to Point Barrow for 13 to 33 days, two after traveling 300 km west and one after traveling ~725 km west to Wrangel Island, Russia; two then crossed the Chukchi Sea again while the other was the only whale to travel south along the Alaskan side of the Chukchi Sea. Seven whales spent from one to 21 days near Wrangel Island before moving south to northern Chukotka. Whales spent an average of 59 days following the Chukotka coast southeastward. Kernel density analysis identified Point Barrow, Wrangel Island, and the northern coast of Chukotka as areas of greater use by bowhead whales that might be important for feeding. All whales traveled through a potential petroleum development area at least once. Most whales crossed the development area in less than a week; however, one whale remained there for 30 days.