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Oceanographic findings
For the physical oceanographic studies, eight bottom-current-meter
stations with 13 current meters had been established in the BIE
experiment. The current meters had been placed at intervals from 5-120
metres above the bottom. Near-bottom current velocity, current direction
and temperature had been measured once an hour. From the data
provided by these stations, it had been established that the hydrodynamic
regime was characterised by low-energy currents, at a mean velocity of 3-4
m/second and a maximum of 10 m/s. Water temperature had been about
1.5 degrees Celsius and did not vary.
Chemical oceanographic data had been close to the numbers
reported by other speakers.
Biological studies
For macrofauna, sediment samples in BIE-II had been collected with
a 0.25-m² box corer similar to the USNEL model. During the latest
expedition, however, some of the box corers had a metal plate dividing
them into three parts – a half-section of 1250 centimetres² and quartersections
of 625 cm² each. This type had been found useful because there
was less water movement inside the corer once it was brought on deck.
The macrofauna specimens were collected in the half-section and one of
the quarter-sections, while the other quarter was used for geochemical and
geological studies and for meiofauna tubes.
Describing the procedure followed by the Russian researchers, he
said the top water had been removed from the box core through a 0.3-
millimetre screen, with the residue added later to the top 2-cm layer. The
samples had then been divided into three layers, 0-2, 2-5 and 5-10 cm from
the top. As soon as possible, the 0-2 cm layer had been put into 2-litre
bottles and fixed with 4 percent formalin, without washing. The 2-5 and 5-
10 cm layers had been passed through a 0.3-mm screen using an
elutriation technique. What was left on the screen had been put into 1-l
bottles and fixed with 4% formalin. After about three weeks, all macrofauna
samples had been washed with fresh water to remove the formalin and
seawater, and fixed with 80% pure alcohol. Rose bengal had been added to
each sample to stain the animals. All macrofauna samples had been
packed and transferred to the laboratory for further sorting and analysis. In
the laboratory, the samples had been sorted and the benthic macrofauna
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