BODC Cruise Metadata Report for RRS James Clark Ross (74JC) cruise JR20080823 (JR211)
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
- References - including cruise tracks and cruise reports
Cruise Inventory Information
| Long name | RRS James Clark Ross (74JC) cruise JR20080823 (JR211) |
|---|---|
| Short name | JR20080823 (JR211) |
| Objectives and Narrative |
The cruise, which was part of the International Polar Year programme, investigated evidence for the existence of methane hydrate in the sediment of the continental margin of northwestern Svalbard, and evidence for the escape of methane gas released by the hydrate into the water column during the period following the last glaciation to the present day (approximately 15,000 years). It used geophysical and geological techniques to detect methane hydrate beneath the seabed, discovered and sampled features through which methane escapes to the seafloor, and measured methane concentration in the water column and the atmosphere.
The seabed was imaged and mapped using multibeam sonar (Simrad EM120), Simrad EK60 echo sounder, TOBI deep-towed sidescan sonar (30 kHz), and Widescan sidescan sonar (100 and 325 kHz). The sedimentary layers and geological structures beneath the seabed were imaged with the 7kHz profiler in TOBI, a TOPAS sub-bottom acoustic profiler and multichannel seismic reflection (96 channels with 6.25-metre group spacing) using two GI guns in true GI mode 45/105 cu. In. More accurate information on seismic velocity will be obtained by deploying 4 ocean-bottom seismometers on the seabed for two or three days at a time. Samples of sediment, two of them containing hydrate, were taken, using piston corer, gravity corer and box corer. Water chemistry was measured from samples taken with bottles attached to ctds and continuously from the ship using the uncontaminated seawater supply. Air samples were taken. |
| Ship | RRS James Clark Ross |
| Departure Port | Longyearbyen, Svalbard and Jan Mayen |
| Departure Date | 2008-08-23 |
| Arrival Port | Immingham, United Kingdom |
| Arrival Date | 2008-09-24 |
| Principal Scientist(s) | Graham K Westbrook (University of Birmingham School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences) |
| Responsible Organisation | National Oceanography Centre, Southampton |
| Associated Project(s) | IPY - Gas Hydrates |
| IHB Sea Areas Visited | Arctic Ocean |
| Marsden Squares Visited | 287/288 |
| Work Area Description | Arctic Ocean |
| 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 stations =
13
Description: CTD |
| Surface measurements underway (T,S) |
Quantity:
track kilometres =
6437
Description: Underway measurements of temperature, salinity |
| Water bottle stations |
Quantity:
number of stations =
13
Description: 24-bottle rosette |
| Chemical oceanography | |
| Other chemical oceanographic measurements |
Quantity:
number of measurements =
1100
Description: Flux of methane and carbon dioxide from surface seawater to air, using an automated equilibrator and Gas Chromatograph |
| Meteorology | |
| Atmospheric chemistry |
Quantity:
number of measurements =
1100
Description: Flux of methane and carbon dioxide from surface seawater to air, using an automated equilibrator and Gas Chromatograph |
| Atmospheric chemistry |
Quantity:
number of samples =
83
Description: 5-litre samples of air taken to measure methane concentration. |
| Geology and geophysics | |
| Core - soft bottom |
Quantity:
number of cores =
33
Description: 16 box cores, 15 gravity cores, 2 piston cores |
| Long/short range side scan sonar |
Quantity:
track kilometres =
249
Description: TOBI 30 kHz deep-towed sonar with maximum total swath width of 6 km |
| Long/short range side scan sonar |
Quantity:
track kilometres =
58
Description: Widescan 100 and 325 kHz deep-towed sonar with total swath widths of 200, 400 and 800 m |
| Multi-beam echosounding |
Quantity:
track kilometres =
5300
Description: SIMRAD EM120 multibeam echo sounder |
| Multichannel seismic reflection |
Quantity:
track kilometres =
1180
Description: Streamer: 96-channel, 6.25-m group spacing, Two GI guns 45/105 cu. in. |
| Other geological/geophysical measurements |
Quantity:
number of deployments =
13
Description: 13 4-component (hydrophone and 3 orthogonal geophones) ocean-bottom seismometers deployed at 5 locations. |
| Single-beam echosounding |
Quantity:
track kilometres =
5300
Description: SIMRAD EK60 multi-frequency single-beam sonar (echo-sounder), SIMRAD TOPAS parametric sub-bottom profiler |
Cruise Inventory Mooring/Buoy Operations
No information on datasets is currently available
Summary of BODC Data Holdings for the Cruise
National Oceanographic Database
Summary
| # Series | Instrument Description | Parameters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Single-beam echosounder |
Bathymetry and Elevation Horizontal spatial co-ordinates Reference numbers |
Note: Parameter terms are taken from the BODC Parameter Discovery Vocabulary XML (SKOS)
Full List
| BODC Reference | Instrument Description | Date/Time | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1171313 | Single-beam echosounder | 2008-08-23 00:00Z to 2008-09-24 00:00Z | 77° 34' N to 80° 0' N; 5° 3' E to 10° 4' E | Click for more |
Project Database
| # Events | Gear Type | Parameters Held |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Gravity Corer |
Concentration of aliphatic hydrocarbons in sediment samples
Trace metalloid and inorganic selenium concentrations in sediment pore water Concentration of inorganic sulphur species in sediment pore water Stable isotopes in sediment Dissolved concentration parameters for other gases in sediment pore waters Sediment water content, porosity and surface area Carbonate chemistry in sediment pore waters Metal concentrations in sediment pore waters Concentration of inorganic halogens in sediment pore waters |
| 16 | Box core |
Concentration of aliphatic hydrocarbons in sediment samples
Trace metalloid and inorganic selenium concentrations in sediment pore water Concentration of inorganic sulphur species in sediment pore water Dissolved concentration parameters for other gases in sediment pore waters Sediment water content, porosity and surface area Carbonate chemistry in sediment pore waters Metal concentrations in sediment pore waters Concentration of inorganic halogens in sediment pore waters |
| 65 | Atmospheric air sampling pump |
Concentration of alkanes in the atmosphere
Stable isotopes in the atmosphere |
| 2 | Piston corer |
Concentration of aliphatic hydrocarbons in sediment samples
Trace metalloid and inorganic selenium concentrations in sediment pore water Concentration of inorganic sulphur species in sediment pore water Dissolved concentration parameters for other gases in sediment pore waters Sediment water content, porosity and surface area Carbonate chemistry in sediment pore waters Metal concentrations in sediment pore waters Concentration of inorganic halogens in sediment pore waters |
| 13 | CTD frame plus rosette sampler |
Dissolved oxygen parameters in the water column
Concentration of alkanes in the water column |
Note: Parameter terms are taken from the BODC Parameter Discovery Vocabulary XML (SKOS)
