Cape Canyon Suspended Particulate Matter CTD water sample

The Cape Canyon, situated on the western continental shelf of South Africa, stands as the country's largest bathymetric feature. Despite its prominence, understanding of the food web dynamics within the system and the significance of the benthic community for higher trophic levels remains incomplete. In response to this knowledge gap, the DFFE: Oceans and Coasts launched a multidisciplinary expedition aboard the RV Algoa. The expedition aimed to characterise the physical environment and investigate food web connections in the vicinity of the Cape Canyon by analysing isotopic signatures in suspended particulate matter (SPM) relative to those found in benthic tissue samples. Prior to dredge operations, conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) water samples were collected at each dredge station. However, due to the inherent challenges associated with sampling in canyon systems, not all dredge operations were successful in obtaining samples, resulting in an unbalanced design where the number of CTD stations did not correspond with the dredge samples. Consequently, SPM was collected at 26 stations, comprising 14 non-canyon and 12 canyon stations.