BODC Cruise Metadata Report for RRS Discovery (74E3) cruise D331T

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 Discovery (74E3) cruise D331T
Short name	D331T
Objectives and Narrative	This was the second cruise undertaken to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge as part of the NERC-funded consortium project (NE/C512961/1) entitled ECOMAR - Ecosystem of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at the Sub-Polar Front and Charlie Gibbs Fracture Zone. ECOMAR - Ecosystem of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at the Sub-Polar Front and Charlie Gibbs Fracture Zone.(http://www.oceanlab.abdn.ac.uk/ecomar/index.php) ECOMAR forms part of the Census of Marine Life MAR-ECO project which is an international study of life in the northern mid-Atlantic Ocean with scientists from 16 nations participating in research of the waters around the mid-Atlantic Ridge from Iceland to the Azores (http://www.mar-eco.no). ECOMAR is focussed on patterns and processes in an area approximately half way between Iceland and the Azores in the vicinity of the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone. The fracture zone represents a major discontinuity in the structure of the ridge but is also the latitude at which the north Atlantic current crosses the ridge from west to east delineating the position of the sub-polar front with cooler productive waters to the north and warmer more oligotrophic to the south. A voyage of the RV GO Sars in 2004 had indicated important differences in fauna across this boundary. The first cruise in the ECOMAR series (JC 11) established a detailed bathymetric survey of the 4 sites, deployed long-term moorings at each ECOMAR site, and carried out a series of scientific surveys to build up an understanding of the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the area. The second cruise (D331) in the ECOMAR series was meant to continue the detailed scientific survey work and recover, service and redeploy each of the long-term moorings. However, due to the Discovery's extended refit the second cruise was reduced to a trials cruise (D331T) with the specific objectives of: - Recovering, servicing, and redeploying each of the four ECOMAR moorings situated at SE, SW, NE, & NW mooring sites; - Recover, service and redeploy the DOBO Lander; - Recover, and redeploy the ECOMAR Bathysnap Lander; - Recover the PAP Bathysnap Lander; - Perform winch trials. Due to the reduction of D331 to a trials cruise, the remaining ECOMAR cruise programme will be altered to allow research cruises in summer 2009 (RRS James Cooke), and a further cruise in 2010 with the ISIS ROV (RRS James Cook).
Ship	RRS Discovery
Departure Port	Portland Harbour, United Kingdom
Departure Date	2008-07-24
Arrival Port	St John, Canada
Arrival Date	2008-08-15
Principal Scientist(s)	Philip Bagley (University of Aberdeen, Oceanlab)
Responsible Organisation	University of Aberdeen, Oceanlab
Associated Project(s)	ECOMAR
IHB Sea Areas Visited	North Atlantic Ocean
Marsden Squares Visited	145/146/147/184/185/186
Work Area Description	Mid-Atlantic Ridge around the Charlie Gibbs fracture zone
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 = 4 Description: One CTD taken at each of the 4 mooring locations prior to mooring deployment

Cruise Inventory Mooring/Buoy Operations

Latitude	Longitude	Data type	Description
54° 0' N	34° 10' W	Current meters	NE Mooring (Sediment traps, current meters, & ADCP)
53° 59' N	36° 7' W	Current meters	NW Mooring (Sediment traps & current meters)
49° 2' N	27° 43' W	Current meters	SE Mooring (Sediment trap & current meters)
48° 46' N	28° 38' W	Current meters	SW Mooring (Sediment trap & current meters)
54° 0' N	34° 10' W	Current profiler (eg ADCP)	NE Mooring (Sediment traps, current meters, & ADCP)
54° 1' N	34° 10' W	Other biological/fisheries measurement	NE Whale bone
53° 59' N	36° 12' W	Other biological/fisheries measurement	NW Whale bone
54° 0' N	34° 10' W	Sediment traps	NE Mooring (Sediment traps, current meters, & ADCP)
53° 59' N	36° 7' W	Sediment traps	NW Mooring (Sediment traps & current meters)
49° 2' N	27° 43' W	Sediment traps	SE Mooring (Sediment trap & current meters)
48° 46' N	28° 38' W	Sediment traps	SW Mooring (Sediment trap & current meters)