Summary of sizes, weights, counts and coverage of poly-metallic nodules from box cores taken during SONNE cruises SO268/1 and SO268/2

Abstract

Aggregation of single nodule measurements (see https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.904962) to values describing the entire box corer: - Nodules [#]: Total number of nodules sampled in the box corer (N). Includes surface nodules (N_s) and those from deeper layers (N_d) - Nodules [#](buried): Number of nodules from deeper layers (N_d) in the box corer that were not visible on the sea floor surface - Nodules size [cm^2]: The area A_i [cm^2] of an individual nodule n_i was computed from its two main axes (a_i [mm] & b_i [mm]) and the ellipsoidal formula (A_i = pi * a_i/2 * b_i/2 * 0.01). The value given here represents the median value of all nodule sizes in this box corer (Nodules size [cm^2] = MEDIAN(A_i,i=1..N) - Nodules m [kg]: Sum of the weights w_i [g] of all nodules in the box corer (surface and deeper layers; Nodules m [kg] = SUM(n_i,i=1..N)) * 0.001. To quantify nodule abundance per square meter, multiply this value by 4! - Nodules [%]: The sum of all nodule sizes A_i [cm^2] (i=1..N_s) visible at the seafloor, divided by the area of the box corer (50x50 cm^2): Nodules [%] = SUM(A_i,i=1..N_s) / 250