CE10005 MODOO – MOdular Deep Ocean Observatory (MODOO) and its application in the Porcupine Abyssal Plain area

MOdular Deep Ocean Observatory oceanographic survey in the Celtic Sea and North Atlantic Ocean. The principal objective is to maintain the Porcupine Abyssal Plain (PAP) observatory infrastructure. The main components of this are:- 1. A large ODAS buoy mooring with real time telemetry and multiple underwater and meteorological sensors. (PAP#1) (servicing of sensors, data download and redeployment) 2. A sediment trap mooring (PAP#3) (turn around) 3. A Bathysnap camera lander (turn around) Associated work will include CTD sensor calibration dips and deployment of 2 ARGO floats. The work proposed will be vital to maintaining the long standing time-series measurements at this site, and will also provide critical feedback on sensor and mooring design performance. An ancillary task led by Marine Institute (MI) involves the collection of samples as part of the Marine Biodiscovery project in NUI, Galway. The aim of this research is to investigate the possibility that phytoplankton species in Irish waters can produce biologically active compounds (bioactives) of significance for use as human medicines.