- DYFAMED BENTHOS -

Although the DYFAMED site is near the coast (28 nautical miles from Nice), it is a model site as it is representative of ocean conditions, and is now recognized as a benchmark for oceanographic observation (OceanSITES).

DYFAMED-BENTHOS temporal monitoring which took place in parallel with DYFAMED water column monitoring aimed to study the connection between pelagic and benthic environments, and the benthic response to environmental modifications at depths of over 2300m in the north western Mediterranean. For 12 consecutive years (1991 – 2003), the interface between water and sediment was mainly sampled using multiple core samples, and was studied from a physical, biogeochemical and biological perspective (with an emphasis on Meiofauna), as often as possible, particularly during as “high frequency” period, which included almost monthly sampling ( 7 – 10 campaigns per year) between, 1993 and 1997. At the same time, particle flow was measured both in the water column (DYFAMED monitoring) and close to the sea floor (DYFAMED-BENTHOS monitoring) using particle traps.