RRS James Clark Ross JR20120207 (JR255B, JR259, JR275)

Cruise summary report

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Cruise Info.

Ship name (ship code)

RRS James Clark Ross (74JC)

Cruise identifier

JR20120207 (JR255B, JR259, JR275)

Cruise period

2012-02-07 — 2012-03-22

Status

Completed

Port of departure

Stanley, Falkland Islands (Malvinas)

Port of return

Stanley, Falkland Islands (Malvinas)

Purpose

Research

Objectives

The cruise took place from 7th February 2012 to 22nd March 2012. It was a BAS National Capability cruise for the Geological Long Term Monitoring and Survey (LTMS) Work package.

It was joined with cruise JR275 (Evolutionary History Workpackage), specifically benthic biology, which belonged to the same BAS Science Programme (Environmental Change and Evolution). The main objectives of JR259 and JR275 were closely integrated. It was also joined with JR255B (retrieval of oceanographic gliders from the south Drake Passage and South Orkney area) a logistics visit to Halley and a logistic visit to Signy.

Five days were lost at the start of the cruise due to late arrival of the ship in the Falklands and engineering works. Small surveys and dredging in the West Scotia Ridge and Herdman Bank and the passage to the South Sandwich Islands were successful and completed in good time. Work in the South Sandwich arc was abandoned because of bad weather and shortage of time. Work in the Weddell Sea was mainly for cruise JR275, and consisted of benthic biology sampling on the Weddell Sea continental margin and continental slope using Agassiz trawls and an Epibenthic Sledge fitted with a camera. This sampling was very successful. During this time, JR259 provided swath bathymetry coverage of sites to be sampled by the biologists, and to provide data and assessments of suitability of sites. This combination was very effective at identifying good sites for the biology sampling. A swath bathymetry survey of the continental slope from the shelf brake to locally over 2000 m was completed for the eastern Weddell Sea, as far as ice conditions and time would allow.

After personnel uplift from Halley, and transect of the Weddell Sea, retrieval of oceanographic gliders for JR255B was attempted. This was partially successful, in that one of three gliders deployed was retrieved. Two gliders were not retrieved because their GPS location systems failed. A short swath survey of the South Scotia ridge was carried out before transit to Signy.

Chief scientist

Phil T Leat (British Antarctic Survey)

Project

Environmental Change and Evolution Programme (BAS)

Coordinating body

Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)

Cruise report

(2.56 MB)

(1.75 MB)

Ocean/sea areas

General

Southern Ocean

Specific

West Scotia Ridge, Herdman Bank, Continental slope, Eastern Weddell Sea, South Scotia Ridge

Track charts

(0.52 MB)

Measurements

Physical oceanography

Bathythermograph

Quantity: number of deployments = 12
Description: XBT bathythermograph deployments to obtain water temperature with depth profiles for callibrating multi-beam echosounder bathymetric data

CTD stations

Quantity: number of profiles = 22
Description: CTD casts

CTD stations

Quantity: number of profiles = 15
Description: CTD casts with water samples from Niskin bottles

Current profiler (eg ADCP)

Quantity: number of profiles = 22
Description: LADCP

Other physical oceanographic measurements

Quantity: number of recoveries = 1
Description: Glider recovery

Biology and fisheries

Phytobenthos

Quantity: number of deployments = 18
Description: Epibenthic Sledge

Zoobenthos

Quantity: number of deployments = 18
Description: Epibenthic Sledge

Exploratory fishing

Quantity: number of hauls = 56
Description: Agassiz trawl

Geology and geophysics

Dredge

Quantity: number of hauls = 3
Description: Dredges of sea floor rock outcrops of volcanic a granitic rock for geochronology and geochemical analysis to contribute to knowledge of tectonic evolution of Scotia Sea.

Core - soft bottom

Quantity: number of cores = 1
Description: Sub core of soft sediment from sea floor on continental shelf in Weddell Sea. 0.13 m length of core from 675 m water depth.

Multi-beam echosounding

Quantity: activity duration in days = 38
Description: Multi-beam echosounder bathymetric data. Hull-mounted EM122 system. Continuous recording except when ship stopped, passing over previous data, or in bad weather.

Other geological/geophysical measurements

Quantity: activity duration in days = .5
Description: Sub-bottom profiler data using TOPAS hull-mounted system. Discrete surveys around benthic biological trawl sites sampled on JR275.

Data held at BODC

Get data

Series/Profiles

12 Bathythermograph (MBT/XBT)

Sound velocity and travel time in the water column
Reference numbers
Temperature of the water column
Vertical spatial coordinates

[Show series]

Sound velocity and travel time in the water column
Reference numbers
Temperature of the water column
Vertical spatial coordinates

[Hide series]

BODC id	Date/Time	Location
1174396	2012-02-07 22:48	52° 28' 50" S 57° 8' 3" W
1174427	2012-02-13 12:42	59° 56' 17" S 31° 45' 36" W
1174440	2012-02-15 11:21	62° 56' 28" S 21° 58' 35" W
1174403	2012-02-08 20:52	56° 19' 50" S 55° 5' 44" W
1174415	2012-02-10 22:20	59° 53' 25" S 45° 53' 25" W
1174476	2012-02-18 18:22	76° 17' 1" S 32° 50' 38" W
1174452	2012-02-16 12:08	66° 58' 59" S 18° 53' 34" W
1174464	2012-02-18 11:40	75° 6' 19" S 29° 57' 8" W
1174488	2012-02-25 13:33	74° 20' 48" S 28° 34' 31" W
1174507	2012-03-09 19:31	62° 41' 18" S 37° 12' 29" W
1174439	2012-02-14 19:57	60° 10' 44" S 23° 9' 49" W
1174519	2012-03-16 14:12	60° 17' 12" S 49° 15' 23" W

22 CTD/STD cast

Reference numbers
Dissolved oxygen parameters in the water column
Salinity of the water column
Temperature of the water column
Vertical spatial coordinates
Visible waveband radiance and irradiance measurements in the water column
Raw oxygen sensor output
Density of the water column
Electrical conductivity of the water column
Chlorophyll pigment concentrations in water bodies

[Show series]

[Hide series]

BODC id	Date/Time	Location
1793026	2012-02-29 17:54	74° 42' 30" S 29° 30' 38" W
1792902	2012-02-21 11:17	76° 1' 28" S 27° 0' 7" W
1792975	2012-02-24 11:05	75° 4' 59" S 32° 13' 5" W
1792871	2012-02-19 15:41	77° 21' 38" S 35° 22' 42" W
1792914	2012-02-21 19:23	76° 10' 16" S 27° 47' 27" W
1792999	2012-02-26 10:02	74° 22' 48" S 28° 10' 34" W
1793038	2012-03-01 11:00	74° 37' 23" S 29° 3' 38" W
1792846	2012-03-12 16:02	60° 9' 49" S 50° 53' 56" W
1792895	2012-02-20 17:37	76° 12' 0" S 31° 51' 58" W
1792951	2012-02-23 11:04	75° 14' 29" S 30° 14' 34" W
1793002	2012-02-28 11:18	74° 31' 30" S 28° 45' 22" W
1793063	2012-03-04 17:45	75° 14' 14" S 27° 50' 25" W
1792938	2012-02-22 16:39	75° 44' 20" S 31° 14' 11" W
1792963	2012-02-23 17:30	75° 15' 43" S 31° 7' 7" W
1793014	2012-02-29 11:36	74° 40' 24" S 29° 25' 2" W
1792834	2012-03-14 16:28	57° 4' 27" S 50° 25' 6" W
1792858	2012-02-11 11:03	60° 40' 35" S 44° 0' 33" W
1793075	2012-03-07 19:32	69° 9' 3" S 25° 58' 57" W
1792883	2012-02-20 11:28	76° 19' 54" S 32° 54' 16" W
1792926	2012-02-22 11:07	75° 45' 35" S 30° 25' 56" W
1792987	2012-02-24 17:25	75° 10' 28" S 31° 52' 15" W
1793051	2012-03-04 10:57	75° 14' 30" S 28° 59' 58" W

Discrete samples

1 Box core

22 CTD frame plus rosette sampler

74 Epibenthic Sledge

13 Expendable Bathythermograph

Resources

RRS James Clark Ross JR20120207 (JR255B, JR259, JR275)

Cruise summary report

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BODC holdings

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