Mareano Survey Completed
MMT (Marin Mätteknik, Sweden) was awarded the 2011 Mareano survey contract by the Norwegian Hydrographic Service. The survey commenced in April and was finished in August 2011. It included bathymetric data acquisition and processing in the Nordland VI area of the Norwegian Sea, west of Bodø, Norway.
The area that was surveyed covered roughly 9,000 sq km and varied between approx. 200 and 1,200 metres in depth. The assignment was conducted by the MMT Survey vessel Franklin, length 56 metres, equipped with a Kongsberg EM710 multi-beam echo sounder.
The aim of the Mareano programme is to fill in gaps in knowledge about seabed conditions, habitats and biodiversity through detailed mapping of depth, sediments, bottom fauna and pollutants in Norwegian waters. The Mareano programme is coordinated by the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) working in collaboration with the Geological Survey of Norway (NGU) and the Norwegian Hydrographic Service (NHS). The programme is financed by the Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs, the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
Franklin has now headed toward the Barents Sea to cover an area outside the Finnmark Region, north of Kirkenes, Norway. The depth varies between 200 and 400 metres.
