This week, researchers from VLIZ - Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee, AWI - Alfred Wegener Institut and Ikerconsulting participated in a research trip on board of the Research Vessel Simon Stevin to collect the samples in the North Sea.
Research trip on 7-8th October. Pictures by Mathias Brenner © 2019
3 different locations off the Flemish coast were visited for gathering samples:
· Vorpostenboot V-1302 John Mahn
· Belwind Windmill farm
· HMS Basilisk.
The images above capture how divers went to the positions, brought back the mussel samples to the work boat. After return to the mother ship the sample bag was opened, the mussels dissected and deep frozen for further bio-chemical analysis at the Institute of Toxicology and Pharmacology (UKSH) of the University Medical School Schleswig-Holstein.
Chemical analysis is indispensable in the NSW project, as the detection of parent compounds, degradation products and metabolites of munition and wreck related pollutants (TNT and RDX) in tissues can be linked to the biological effects on organisms) in the field and the lab. In this project, researchers will analyse fish (bile and muscle tissue) and mussels (digestive gland) for parent compounds, degradation products and selected metabolites.
For more information, please visit: https://northsearegion.eu/nsw/collect-samples-off-oostende/
