Dana expeditions

[1] The two decided to focus first on the Atlantic and began planning and purchasing supplies for it, an endeavor that was complicated by the ongoing First World War and Schmidt's battle with bronchitis.

Andersen had agreed to loan Schmidt and Dreschel the vessel for their expedition and fund its operation for a three month period, but launching was delayed until 1920 so that equipment could be purchased at more reasonable prices.

[5] After the announcement, Schmidt rushed to execute their plans as he hoped to prove his theory that European eels migrate to the Sargasso Sea to spawn before other researchers could beat him to it.

They still retained a majority of funds that had been raised but had not gotten definitive evidence to support the claim that European eels spawned in the Sargasso Sea.

[15] In early December, the Carlsberg Foundation agreed to fund an extension of the expedition to travel through the Panama Canal, which it did on 10 January.

They also found an oxygen minimum zone around 500 metres (1,600 ft) below the surface, making those aboard Dana II the first researchers to document such a phenomenon.

High plankton densities helped the expedition observe upwelling and deep-level samples gave them an image of species richness greater than that in the Atlantic.

On 20 January, they left the Pacific and, after stopping in Lake Gatun—where they found large amounts of desmid algae, they returned to Europe from Bermuda on 30 May.

[17] From 1922 to 1923 Schmidt published his theory about the breeding of the eels,[18] and his expedition found growing fame in magazines, pottery, and various awards.

Nature wrote that "From North Iceland and the Davis Straits southwards to Brazil, and from the Baltic and Black Sea in the east to the United States and Panama in the west, Prof. Schmidt and his collaborators have studied methodically the physical, chemical, and biological conditions of the waters from surface to bottom.

[26] Based on the size and growth rate of the common eel, they estimated this larva would grow to be 30 metres (98 ft) long.

[26] Eleven years later Anton Frederik Bruun, who had helped lead the expedition, said "I believe in the sea serpent" and lectured on its possible existence.