2005 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA7 Kommandor Jack SEA7 Survey Leg 1 - geophysical survey (NE Atlantic west of Scotland)

As part of the Department of Trade and Industry's (now Department of Energy and Climate Change) Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA7) a geophysical survey was undertaken on Kommandor Jack over Anton Dohrn Seamount, Rockall Bank, Hatton Bank, George Bligh Bank and Rosemary Bank.

The objectives of the cruise were to collect EM120, and where water depths permit, EM1002 multibeam bathymetry and backscatter data, and also where desired, high resolution sidescan sonar data, over Anton Dohrn Seamount, George Bligh and Rosemary Banks, the eastern margin of Rockall Bank and selected areas of Hatton Bank. The aims were: to create high quality bathymetric maps of the survey areas; create acoustic backscatter maps over the same areas; when possible, define the extent of any potential coral habitats; create high resolution bathymetric, backscatter and sonar maps of specific features as may be discovered, such as mud diapers, carbonate mounds etc.; complete, during the cruise, a preliminary interpretation of the above data, to be used as a guide for the sampling and seabed photography cruise which followed immediately. This was a highly successful cruise with virtually all cruise objectives achieved. 6,384 line-km of multibeam bathymetry and backscatter data were obtained in water depths between 150 and 2,400 m. In addition, approximately 240 line-km of high resolution sidescan sonar were collected in depths between 150 and 1,500 m, and 6,323 line-km of high resolution CHIRP profiles were also collected.

A cruise report is available.