Cruise inventory
RRS James Clark Ross JR20080214 (JR179)
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Cruise period | 2008-02-21 — 2008-04-11 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Stanley, Falkland Islands (Malvinas) |
| Port of return | Stanley, Falkland Islands (Malvinas) |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | On cruise JR179 a multidisciplinary programme was carried out in the Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas, including benthic marine biological studies and marine geological and geophysical investigations. RRS James Clark Ross became the first UK vessel to reach Pine Island Bay, and also ventured further west the ever before. In view of the large amount of passage required to reach some of the remote study sites it was clear that many days of ship time could be saved by combining different activities into a single multidisciplinary cruise. The different science teams worked well together and some interesting discussions resulted.
The data and samples collected on the cruise will provide new insights into the distribution and diversity of benthic marine fauna on the Pacific margin of Antarctica, the stability (or instability) of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet during the late Quaternary, and variations in palaeoclimatic and palaeoceanographic conditions in the region during the Holocene. The work carried out on the cruise will contribute to several International Polar Year programmes. |
| Chief scientist | Peter Enderlein (British Antarctic Survey), Robert D Larter (British Antarctic Survey) |
| Coordinating body | NOCS |
| Cruise report |  (3.99 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| Specific | Amundsen Sea and Bellingshausen Sea |
| Track charts | (0.04 MB) |
| Measurements | |
| Physical oceanography | |
| Surface measurements underway (T,S) | Quantity: activity duration in days = 50 Description: BAS oceanlogger, temperature, conductivity |
| Water bottle stations | Quantity: number of stations Description: Niskin bottles on CTD, sampled for salinity calibration |
| CTD stations | Quantity: number of stations Description: Seabird CTD, C, T, O2, transmissometer, fluorometer, PAR |
| Current profiler (eg ADCP) | Quantity: activity duration in days = 49 Description: RDI 75 kHz ADCP |
| Biology and fisheries | |
| Pelagic bacteria/micro-organisms | Quantity: number of stations Description: Filtered samples from Niskin bottles, for DGGE and clone library analyses |
| Pelagic bacteria/micro-organisms | Quantity: number of stations Description: Filtered samples from Niskin bottles, for diatom assemblages |
| Zoobenthos | Quantity: number of deployments = 41 Description: Aggasiz trawls |
| Zoobenthos | Quantity: number of stations Description: Epibenthic sledge trawls |
| Acoustic reflection on marine organisms. | Quantity: activity duration in days = 49 Description: Kongsberg EK60, backscatter amplitudes at 38, 120 and 200 kHz |
| Meteorology | |
| Routine standard measurements | Quantity: activity duration in days = 50 Description: BAS oceanlogger, temperature, pressure, wind speed and direction |
| Geology and geophysics | |
| Core - soft bottom | Quantity: number of stations = 29 Description: Box cores |
| Core - soft bottom | Quantity: number of stations = 17 Description: Piston cores up to 12 m in length |
| Core - soft bottom | Quantity: number of stations = 12 Description: Gravity cores up to 6 m in length |
| Single-beam echosounding | Quantity: activity duration in days = 49 Description: Kongsberg EA600, water depth and reflection amplitude |
| Multi-beam echosounding | Quantity: activity duration in days = 49 Description: Kongsberg EM120, water depth and backscatter amplitude |
| Magnetic measurements | Quantity: activity duration in days = 11 Description: SeaSpy proton precession magnetometer, total field |
| Magnetic measurements | Quantity: activity duration in days = 50 Description: BAS shipboard three-component magnetometer, x-y-z components of field |
| Other geological/geophysical measurements | Quantity: activity duration in days = 49 Description: TOPAS PS018 parametric sub-bottom profiler, reflection amplitude and travel time |
| Moorings, landers, buoys | |
| Biology and fisheries | |
| Zoobenthos | 62° 9' 59" S 57° 18' 59" W — Wood package deployed, for colonisation study. No instrumentation except homing beacon |
| Zoobenthos | 62° 9' 59" S 57° 19' 59" W — Whale bone package deployed, for colonisation study. No instrumentation except homing beacon |
