For the sampling of virtually undisturbed deep-sea sediments we usually use a multiple corer (MUC). This device, lowered to the seafloor by the ships wire, is able to sample up to twelve sediment cores of approximately 30 cm in length. At great water depths (> 4,000 m), a single MUC deployment may take several hours. Even if the sampling sites are located in close vicinity, sampling with a conventional MUC thus generally needs a considerable amount of time.

The idea to develop a new sampling device, the so-called sequential multicorer (S-MUC), is to reduce total sampling time, especially when sampling sites are close by.

During a single operation, the S-MUC will be able to retrieve maximal four sediment cores from up to four different locations without recovering and reactivating the entire system. Cores may have a diameter of 62 or 95 mm. To allow a semi-targeted sampling at the seafloor, the S-MUC will be equipped with an online video-system.

The S-MUC was developed and and built by OKTOPUS GmbH, Germany.

Contact: B. Sablotny, I. Schewe