The BENGAL programme: introduction and overview

BENGAL (High-resolution temporal and spatial study of the BENthic biology a nd Geochemistry of a north-eastern Atlantic abyssal Locality) was a three-y ear multidisciplinary study of the abyssal benthic boundary layer in the no rtheast Atlantic. The aim of BENGAL was to determine how the, seabed commun ity and the geochemistry of the sediments change seasonally in response to a highly seasonal input of organic matter from the overlying water column. It did this by organising an intensive sampling programme on 14 research cr uises over a two-year period. This introductory paper sets the scene for th e subsequent scientific contributions. It describes the study area, samplin g strategy and techniques, and provides a brief overview of the contributio ns to the BENGAL Special Volume. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.