BODC Cruise Metadata Report for RRS James Cook (740H) cruise JC055

Introduction

This report collates information from the BODC cruise inventory and oceanographic databases. It presents

Cruise Inventory Information
A summary of BODC data holdings for the cruise from the
- National Oceanographic Database
- Projects Database
References - including cruise tracks and cruise reports

Cruise Inventory Information

Long name	RRS James Cook (740H) cruise JC055
Short name	JC055
Objectives and Narrative	The whole programme of JC055 changed with the extensive damage to the ROV Isis on day 5 of the 42-day cruise. As a result Plan B, an over-the-side science programme was put in place and sampling with CTD/SAPs, Megacore, gravity cores and SHRIMP. This limited a number of aspects of the sampling and visual observation of the seabed but resulted in a programme that achieved a remarkably high proportion of the objectives of the cruise. In the Bransfield St, some hydrothermal activity was observed at Hook Ridge, together with areas of reducing sediment but no areas of extensive hydrothermal activity. A Middle Sister a small anomaly in the Eh readings on the CTD suggested hydrothermal release but visual observation of the seabed showed only sedimented and old areas of pillow lava. At the Axe (aka Edifice A), despite extensive CTDs, there was no evidence of any modern hydrothermal activity. At the three sites we did obtain excellent samples for geochemical and water analysis, as well as samples for microbial analysis, macrofaunal and isotope analysis. Megafauna and mosaic analysis was not possible because of the loss of use of Isis. On moving to the East Scotia Ridge at E9 we were able to use SHRIMP to locate the Twin Peaks area (first sighted in 2009) and obtain a third annual set of images over a specified area. Additional exploration did not find any additional vents to those found on JC42. Water column sampling in the plume for chemistry and microbiology was successful. At the Kemp seamount crater, there were successful stations for water chemistry and microbiology. A long SHRIMP transect over the venting area within the caldera was particularly successful and this together with fine scale mosaicing gave a clear map of this venting field. Planned fine scale sampling and ROV swath could not be completed. A SHRIMP transect at the nearby recently mapped Adventure caldera discovered a small vent site on the southern side of the crater. Lastly, we returned to the putative cold seep site off the southwestern end of South Georgia. High CH4 levels in the water column and reduced sediment in cores suggested methane release but two SHRIMP surveys revealed no evidence of surface expression of a cold seep.
Ship	RRS James Cook
Departure Port	Punta Arenas, Chile
Departure Date	2011-01-14
Arrival Port	Punta Arenas, Chile
Arrival Date	2011-02-22
Principal Scientist(s)	Paul A Tyler (University of Southampton School of Ocean and Earth Science)
Responsible Organisation	University of Southampton School of Ocean and Earth Science
Associated Project(s)	Chemosynthetically-driven Ecosystems in the Southern Ocean: Ecology and Biogeography (ChEsSo)
IHB Sea Areas Visited	South West Atlantic Ocean (limit 20W), Southern Ocean
Marsden Squares Visited	483/484/485/486/520/521
Work Area Description	Bransfield Strait, the East Scotia Ridge and the Kemp Seamount Calderas
Unable to lookup cruise bounds at this time
Work Area Bounding Polygon
Southern Limit	unknown
Northern Limit	unknown
Western Limit	unknown
Eastern Limit	unknown

Cruise Inventory Datasets

Physical oceanography
CTD stations	Quantity: number of profiles = 2 Description: Two CTD 2500m vertical casts (Sal. Temp, oxygen, Transp, Eh, LSS) at stations 83 and 84
CTD stations	Quantity: number of profiles = 50 Description: CTD vertical stations 2, 28, 39, 46, 52-53, 55-80, 82-89, 91, 93, 95-96, 101-102, 104-105, 109-110
Subsurface temperature and salinity measurements	Quantity: track kilometres = 67 Description: CTD Towyo (351 profiles in total) at stations 5, 8, 9, 10, 27, 41, 43, 44, 45
Chemical oceanography
Other chemical oceanographic measurements	Quantity: number of stations = 6 Description: SAPS. 30cm filter.
Biology and fisheries
Benthic bacteria/micro-organisms	Quantity: number of samples = 14 Description: Megacore sediment, 1cm slice from 50ml tube.
Pelagic bacteria/micro-organisms	Quantity: sample litres = 1260 Description: CTD water samples to be analysed by molecular analysis for microbes. Water filtered on board. Samples were stored on either 47mm 0.2 micrometre nitrocellulose filters at -80C; 25mm 0.2 micrometre isopore membrane filters at -80C; 50ml tubes at -80C or 4C
Pelagic bacteria/micro-organisms	Quantity: sample litres = 240 Description: Background water from CTD station 82. Water filtered on board. Samples were stored on either 47mm 0.2 micrometre nitrocellulose filters at -80C; 25mm 0.2 micrometre isopore membrane filters at -80C; 50ml tubes at -80C or 4C
Pelagic bacteria/micro-organisms	Quantity: sample litres = 740 Description: Plume samples to be analysed by molecular analysis for microbes. Water filtered on board. Samples were stored on either 47mm 0.2 micrometre nitrocellulose filters at -80C; 25mm 0.2 micrometre isopore membrane filters at -80C; 50ml tubes at -80C or 4C
Pelagic bacteria/micro-organisms	Quantity: number of image series = 7 Description: SHRIMP video platform at stations 17, 47, 90, 94, 103, 123-124. All videos to be analysed with ARCGIS.
Zoobenthos	Quantity: number of samples = 2 Description: 500ml vials at Usnel box core stn 38
Zoobenthos	Quantity: number of samples = 23 Description: 20-500ml vials at Agassiz trawl stn 37
Zoobenthos	Quantity: number of samples = 27 Description: 500ml vials taken at Megacore stations to be analysed for taxonomy
Zoobenthos	Quantity: number of samples = 5 Description: 50-200ml vials at USNEL box core Stn 36
Geology and geophysics
Core - soft bottom	Quantity: number of cores = 40 Description: Megacore for geochemical analysis at stations 11-16, 18-26, 30-35, 48-51, 77, 81, 92, 97-99, 111-113, 117-122
Core - soft bottom	Quantity: number of cores = 2 Description: Boxcore at stations 36 and 38
Core - soft bottom	Quantity: number of cores = 6 Description: Gravity cores at stations 29, 106-108, 114-115