On January 7, 2012 „Polarstern“ left Capetown for the Antarctic cruise ANT-XXVIII/3. Major objectives were investigations in different biogeographic provinces of the Southern Ocean. Numerous hydrographic stations were carried out along a transect and within two grids. The route led southwest until 44°S and 10°W. A transect with hydrographic stations was conducted along 10°W until 53°S crossing the Subantactic Front, the Antarctic Polar Front and the Southern Polar Front. During the transect the first large benthos station took place at 52°S. Passing stations at 52°S, 8°W and 52°S, 12°W the route led to the region around 51°12’S, 12°40’W where we sampled a grid of stations for more than 2 weeks. After a half-day visit at Grytviken (South Georgia) – combined with a visit at the station of the British Antarctic Survey – we steamed to the northwest of South Georgia. In the region around 50°S, 38°W a grid of 30 stations at intervals of 24 nautical miles was carried out. In the centre of a cyclonic mesoscale eddy at 49°40’S, 38°16’W a detailed sampling of the water column was performed in 5000 m water depth using all devices available. For the benthos sampling in this biogeographic province we chose a station at the southwest corner of the grid at 50°48’W, 39°24’W. The local water depth of 4100 m allows comparisons with prior benthos stations. During the whole cruise oceanographic and chemical measurements as well as investigations of the plankton and the deep-sea fauna were carried out. The station work was finished at March 7 and „Polarstern“ sailed to Punta Arenas, Chile, where the cruise ended on March 11, 2012 (Wolf-Gladrow, 2012).
Wolf-Gladrow, D., 2012, Cruise Summary Report.
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H.Leach, 25.09.12