BODC Cruise Metadata Report for RRS James Cook (740H) cruise JC278
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 Cook (740H) cruise JC278 |
|---|---|
| Short name | JC278 |
| Objectives and Narrative |
The primary aim of RRS James Cook Cruise 278 (JC278) was to study multidecadal change in the NE Atlantic by continuing long-term observations at the Porcupine Abyssal Plain Sustained Observatory (PAP-SO) and Whittard Canyon. Both sites are part of the Natural Environment Research Council's "AtlantiS" National Capability project that is managed by the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) - https://noc.ac.uk/projects/atlantic-climate-environment-strategic-science. The cruise also aimed to demonstrate a range of innovative sensors and platforms to observe carbonate chemistry through the water column to the seabed as part of the Next Generation Multiplatform Ocean Observing Technologies for Research Infrastructures (GEORGE) Project. Additional aims included deployment of moorings in the Canyons MCZ ahead of other research cruises later in 2025 Processes drIving Submarine Canyon fluxES (PISCES).
Specific objectives of JC278 were: - Mooring turnaround and CTDs at Whittard Canyon and Canyons MCZ - Underway data collection including addition of IFCB instrument - Met Office / NOC atmospheric and upper ocean autonomous mooring turnaround ("PAP1") - CTD profiles and sampling - Argo deployment x 2 - Glider deployments and validation with CTD casts and underway drift surveys. - EMSO Generic Instrument Module deployment - PAP sediment trap mooring turnaround (?PAP3?) - Benthic sampling and ex situ experiments (Megacorer) - Time series benthic imaging survey (HyBIS) - Seabed time-lapse photography (Bathysnap) - Baited trap experiments - Trials of benthic chamber lander RRS James Cook departed Southampton 30th May 2025 on JC278 to Porcupine Abyssal Plain Sustained Observatory via the Canyons MCZ and Whittard Canyon Eastern Branch. The first stop was a shallow test CTD in the Channel. On arrival at the Canyons MCZ on 01/06/2025 a CTD and camera survey were carried out on the interfluve, before two physical oceanography moorings and a hydrophone lander were deployed. Two further camera surveys were completed overnight before moving to the Eastern Branch of Whittard Canyon in the Irish EEZ for a CTD and turnaround of a long-running mooring. Work in the Whttard Canyon area was completed on 3rd June. On arrival at PAP-SO a programme of operations started with a Megacore deployment (05/06/2025). A schedule of moorings operations, CTDs and glider deployments by day and core sampling at night continued until a transit to Falmouth was required. On arrival back at PAP-SO (11/06/2025) the weather was perfect for deployment of the large Met Office ODAS buoy. The schedule returned to CTD?s moorings and glider work during day shifts and photographic seabed survey work at night until the end of scientific operations at midnight 20/06/2025. Transit back to Southampton was direct, arriving back alongside the National Oceanography Centre at 08:30 23/06/2025. |
| Ship | RRS James Cook |
| Departure Port | Southampton, United Kingdom |
| Departure Date | 2025-05-30 |
| Arrival Port | Southampton, United Kingdom |
| Arrival Date | 2025-06-23 |
| Principal Scientist(s) | Andrew R Gates (National Oceanography Centre, Southampton) |
| Responsible Organisation | National Oceanography Centre, Southampton |
| Associated Project(s) | AtlantiS; GEORGE |
| IHB Sea Areas Visited | Celtic Sea, North East Atlantic Ocean (limit 40W) |
| Marsden Squares Visited | 145/146 |
| Work Area Description | Whittard Canyon, Porcupine Abyssal Plain |
| 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 =
1
Description: Test CTD profile and water sampling in the Channel |
| CTD stations |
Quantity:
number of stations =
2
Description: CTD profiles at the Canyons MCZ. Includes release tests for mooring deployments and water bottle samples. Sensor measurements for of pressure, salinity, temperature, oxygen, chlorophyll, plus water samples from some CTDs for chlorophyll, nutrients, oxygen, salinity, DIC & TA. |
| CTD stations |
Quantity:
number of stations =
1
Description: CTD profiles at the Eastern Branch of Whittard Canyon. Includes release tests for mooring deployments and water bottle samples. Sensor measurements for of pressure, salinity, temperature, oxygen, chlorophyll, plus water samples from some CTDs for chlorophyll, nutrients, oxygen, salinity, DIC & TA. |
| CTD stations |
Quantity:
number of stations =
15
Description: CTD profiles at PAP site. Includes release tests for mooring deployments, Argo float validation, mooring sensor validation and water bottle samples. Sensor measurements for of pressure, salinity, temperature, oxygen, chlorophyll, plus water samples from some CTDs for chlorophyll, nutrients, oxygen, salinity, DIC & TA. |
| Subsurface temperature and salinity measurements |
Quantity:
activity duration in days =
24
Description: Underway surface water intake measurements for the duration of the cruise. |
| Chemical oceanography | |
| Carbon dioxide |
Quantity:
activity duration in days =
24
Description: Underway surface water intake measurements for the duration of the cruise. |
| Biology and fisheries | |
| Zoobenthos |
Quantity:
number of stations =
3
Description: Imaging survey of the seafloor at Canyons MCZ. |
| Zoobenthos |
Quantity:
number of stations =
8
Description: Macrobenthos samples collected by Megacorer at PAP-SO |
| Zoobenthos |
Quantity:
number of stations =
4
Description: Imaging survey of the seafloor at PAP-SO |
Cruise Inventory Mooring/Buoy Operations
| Latitude | Longitude | Data type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48° 55' N | 16° 22' W | Carbon dioxide | 11/06/2024 Deployed Met Office ODAS buoy mooring PAP-1. Mooring comprises surface Mobilis meteorological buoy. Biogeochemistry sensors include CO2 in air and water, temperature, salinty, oxygen and chlorophyll flouroescence. |
| 48° 58' N | 16° 29' W | Current meters | 06/06/2024 - Deployment of PAP-SO sediment trap mooring array. Comprises 3 x sediment trap, 1 x passive acoustic sensor, 1 x current meters and 2 x CTD. |
| 48° 21' N | 9° 32' W | Current profiler (eg ADCP) | 01/06/2025 Deployed a mooring ADCPs, in situ CTDs, current meters and turbidity sensor at the Canyons MCZ. Mooring had no surface expression. |
| 48° 27' N | 9° 41' W | Current profiler (eg ADCP) | 01/06/2025 Deployed a mooring ADCPs, in situ CTDs, current meters, passive acoustics sensor and turbidity sensor at the Canyons MCZ. Mooring had no surface expression. |
| 48° 22' N | 9° 44' W | Current profiler (eg ADCP) | 01/06/2025 Hydropphone lander. Passive acoustics sensor. Mooring has no surface expression. |
| 48° 37' N | 9° 59' W | Current profiler (eg ADCP) | 02/06/2025 Deployed a mooring with an Anderson sediment trap, 2 ADCPs and in situ CTD and passive acoustics sensor at the Whittard Canyon in Canyons MCZ. Mooring has no surface expression. |
| 48° 37' N | 10° 0' W | Current profiler (eg ADCP) | 03/06/2025 Recovered a mooring with an Anderson sediment trap, 2 ADCPs and in situ CTD at the Whittard Canyon in Irish EEZ. Mooring has no surface expression. |
| 49° 0' N | 16° 25' W | Nitrate | 13/06/2025 - 48 hour deployment of lander with benthic chamber experiment. |
| 49° 0' N | 16° 25' W | Nitrate | 16/06/2025 - 48 hour deployment of lander with benthic chamber experiment. |
| 48° 22' N | 9° 44' W | Other biological/fisheries measurement | 01/06/2025 Hydropphone lander. Passive acoustics sensor. Mooring has no surface expression. |
| 48° 21' N | 9° 32' W | Other physical oceanographic measurements | 01/06/2025 Deployed a mooring ADCPs, in situ CTDs, current meters and turbidity sensor at the Canyons MCZ. Mooring had no surface expression. |
| 48° 27' N | 9° 41' W | Other physical oceanographic measurements | 01/06/2025 Deployed a mooring ADCPs, in situ CTDs, current meters, passive acoustics sensor and turbidity sensor at the Canyons MCZ. Mooring had no surface expression. |
| 48° 55' N | 16° 25' W | Other physical oceanographic measurements | 05/06/2025 - deployment of a biogeochemistry Argo float. |
| 48° 50' N | 16° 31' W | Other physical oceanographic measurements | 13/06/2025 - deployment of a biogeochemistry Argo float. |
| 48° 55' N | 16° 25' W | Oxygen | 05/06/2025 - deployment of a biogeochemistry Argo float. |
| 48° 55' N | 16° 22' W | Oxygen | 11/06/2024 Deployed Met Office ODAS buoy mooring PAP-1. Mooring comprises surface Mobilis meteorological buoy. Biogeochemistry sensors include CO2 in air and water, temperature, salinty, oxygen and chlorophyll flouroescence. |
| 49° 0' N | 16° 25' W | Oxygen | 13/06/2025 - 48 hour deployment of lander with benthic chamber experiment. |
| 48° 50' N | 16° 31' W | Oxygen | 13/06/2025 - deployment of a biogeochemistry Argo float. |
| 49° 0' N | 16° 25' W | Oxygen | 16/06/2025 - 48 hour deployment of lander with benthic chamber experiment. |
| 48° 55' N | 16° 25' W | Phytoplankton pigs (eg chlorophyll, fluorescence) | 05/06/2025 - deployment of a biogeochemistry Argo float. |
| 48° 55' N | 16° 22' W | Phytoplankton pigs (eg chlorophyll, fluorescence) | 11/06/2024 Deployed Met Office ODAS buoy mooring PAP-1. Mooring comprises surface Mobilis meteorological buoy. Biogeochemistry sensors include CO2 in air and water, temperature, salinty, oxygen and chlorophyll flouroescence. |
| 48° 50' N | 16° 31' W | Phytoplankton pigs (eg chlorophyll, fluorescence) | 13/06/2025 - deployment of a biogeochemistry Argo float. |
| 48° 55' N | 16° 22' W | Routine standard measurements | 11/06/2024 Deployed Met Office ODAS buoy mooring PAP-1. Mooring comprises surface Mobilis meteorological buoy. Biogeochemistry sensors include CO2 in air and water, temperature, salinty, oxygen and chlorophyll flouroescence. |
| 48° 37' N | 9° 59' W | Sediment traps | 02/06/2025 Deployed a mooring with an Anderson sediment trap, 2 ADCPs and in situ CTD and passive acoustics sensor at the Whittard Canyon in Canyons MCZ. Mooring has no surface expression. |
| 48° 37' N | 10° 0' W | Sediment traps | 03/06/2025 Recovered a mooring with an Anderson sediment trap, 2 ADCPs and in situ CTD at the Whittard Canyon in Irish EEZ. Mooring has no surface expression. |
| 48° 58' N | 16° 29' W | Sediment traps | 06/06/2024 - Deployment of PAP-SO sediment trap mooring array. Comprises 3 x sediment trap, 1 x passive acoustic sensor, 1 x current meters and 2 x CTD. |
| 49° 0' N | 16° 25' W | Zoobenthos | 13/06/2025 - 48 hour deployment of a baited trap experiment to study scavenging amphipods. |
| 49° 0' N | 16° 24' W | Zoobenthos | 16/06/2025 - 48 hour deployment of a baited trap experiment to study scavenging amphipods. |
| 49° 0' N | 16° 27' W | Zoobenthos | 16/06/2025 - deployment of a long-term time-lapse camera experiment, to be recovered in 2026. |
| 48° 55' N | 16° 22' W | Zooplankton | 11/06/2024 Deployed Met Office ODAS buoy mooring PAP-1. Mooring comprises surface Mobilis meteorological buoy. Biogeochemistry sensors include CO2 in air and water, temperature, salinty, oxygen and chlorophyll flouroescence. |
| 48° 2' N | 16° 31' W | pH | 06/06/2025 - Deployment of 2 x submarine glider with carbonate chemistry sensors. Recovered 13/06/2025 |
| 48° 53' N | 16° 24' W | pH | 13/06/2025 - Deployment of 2 x submarine glider with carbonate chemistry sensors. Recovered 17/06/2025 |
Summary of BODC Data Holdings for the Cruise
National Oceanographic Database
Summary
| # Series | Instrument Description | Parameters |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | Bottle station |
Alkalinity, acidity and pH of the water column Quality control flags Reference numbers Total dissolved inorganic carbon (TCO2) concentration in the water column Vertical spatial coordinates |
Note: Parameter terms are taken from the BODC Parameter Discovery Vocabulary XML (SKOS)
Full List
| BODC Reference | Instrument Description | Date/Time | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2308639 | Bottle station | 2025-05-31 09:07Z | 49° 5' N, 7° 10' W | Click for more |
| 2308640 | Bottle station | 2025-05-31 19:57Z | 48° 24' N, 9° 42' W | Click for more |
| 2308652 | Bottle station | 2025-06-01 05:56Z | 48° 26' N, 9° 44' W | Click for more |
| 2308664 | Bottle station | 2025-06-02 05:53Z | 48° 30' N, 9° 55' W | Click for more |
| 2308676 | Bottle station | 2025-06-05 04:24Z | 49° 0' N, 16° 30' W | Click for more |
| 2308688 | Bottle station | 2025-06-07 06:18Z | 49° 0' N, 16° 30' W | Click for more |
| 2308707 | Bottle station | 2025-06-11 04:07Z | 48° 55' N, 16° 22' W | Click for more |
| 2308719 | Bottle station | 2025-06-12 04:56Z | 48° 58' N, 16° 22' W | Click for more |
| 2308720 | Bottle station | 2025-06-13 04:06Z | 48° 50' N, 16° 31' W | Click for more |
| 2308732 | Bottle station | 2025-06-13 12:12Z | 49° 2' N, 16° 19' W | Click for more |
| 2308744 | Bottle station | 2025-06-14 04:48Z | 48° 57' N, 16° 22' W | Click for more |
| 2308756 | Bottle station | 2025-06-15 04:04Z | 49° 0' N, 16° 30' W | Click for more |
| 2308768 | Bottle station | 2025-06-15 12:57Z | 48° 58' N, 16° 22' W | Click for more |
| 2308781 | Bottle station | 2025-06-17 04:02Z | 49° 0' N, 16° 30' W | Click for more |
| 2308793 | Bottle station | 2025-06-17 12:34Z | 48° 58' N, 16° 22' W | Click for more |
| 2308800 | Bottle station | 2025-06-18 04:08Z | 49° 0' N, 16° 27' W | Click for more |
| 2308812 | Bottle station | 2025-06-18 13:40Z | 48° 58' N, 16° 22' W | Click for more |
Project Database
No data currently held for this cruise in the BODC Project Database
