Expedition Baltic Sea

Hi, I’m Caroline Slomp. I’m a geochemist from Utrecht University, the Netherlands. I study the chemistry of the seafloor in areas where the seawater is low in oxygen, such as the present-day Baltic Sea. I have a specific interest in understanding the history of low oxygen in seawater and identifying the causes. Low oxygen is a problem for fish and other higher organisms living near the seafloor. If we know what factors cause low oxygen in seawater, it is easier to design measures to improve the situation.  

I will soon be joining a cruise of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Programme (IODP). We’re going to study the history of the Baltic Sea. We’re sailing with the Greatship Manisha from Kiel and will be at sea for 60 days. One of our major targets is to obtain sediments from a previous warm period (“Eemian”) ca. 130.000 years ago, when the Baltic Sea was likely also low in oxygen. This will be the first time these sediments will be cored!

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On board, we’ll be working in 12-hour shifts so that the collection and processing of sediment samples can continue 24 hours a day. The European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD) is responsible for all practical procedures. We have a small but very motivated team of 17 scientists on board ship, led by two co-chiefs, Bo Barker Jorgensen and Thomas Andren, to process the samples and interpret preliminary results. We are ready to go!

For more information about the cruise, see the expedition webpage:

http://www.eso.ecord.org/expeditions/347/347.php