Development of a mobile, multi component Down-The-Hole coring rig for recovery of high quality, long soft sediment cores

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The demand for multi-proxy-studies using high quality and long sediment records requires innovative coring devices that allow core recovery with extended reach and cost effective sampling of unconsolidated sediments. This proposal requests funding to develop and test a novel, highly mobile, offshore coring system for the recovery of soft sediments. A proven but so far manually operated piston corer will be modified and advanced by the addition of a down-the-hole-hammer, originally developed for the mining industry, that applies force directly to the top of the corer in order to penetrate hard layers and thus, reaching greater depths. This subsurface probing device is designed as a multi-component system with a mobile, floatable platform plus accessories that can easily be moved and transported. It will be engineered to recover continuous sediment cores of 20 to 100 m length on land, in lakes and shallow marine environments with water depths of up to 300 m. With its methodological innovation the system will close a gap in coring technology and allow cost-efficient recovery of soft sediments even in remote areas. The SPP 1006 will be supplied with a coring device that provides a base for new research qualities for ocean-continent-transects and thus, initiating a momentum for the cooperation between marine- and terrestrial-based research communities. This coring device will run on a much lower cost base compared to commercially available tools.