A scuba diving direct sediment sampling methodology on benthic transects in glacial lakes: procedure description, safety measures, and tests results

This work presents an in situ sediment sampling method on benthic transects, specifically intended for scientific scuba diver teams. It was originally designed and developed to sample benthic surface and subsurface sediments and subaqueous soils in glacial lakes up to a maximum depth of 25 m. Tests were conducted on the Sabocos and Banos tarns (i.e., cirque glacial lakes) in the Spanish Pyrenees. Two 100 m transects, ranging from 24.5 to 0 m of depth in Sabocos and 14 m to 0 m deep in Banos, were conducted. In each test, 10 sediment samples of 1 kg each were successfully collected and transported to the surface. This sampling method proved operative even in low visibility conditions (<2 m). Additional ice diving sampling tests were conducted in Sabocos and Truchas tarns. This sampling methodology can be easily adapted to accomplish underwater sampling campaigns in nonglacial lakes and other continental water or marine environments.