A Multiple Corer for Taking Virtually Undisturbed Samples from Shallow Water Sediments

A multiple corer is described, which samples sandy to muddy sediments in shallow coastal waters. Four tubes of 10 cm inner diameter and 60 cm length provide undisturbed sediment cores, as needed in the investigation of benthic communities, especially when the analysis of microbiological processes is needed. An example of application in different sediment types referring to basic parameters for microbial activity demonstrates the reliability of the equipment.