Resources

RRS Discovery D64

Cruise summary report

Cruise Info. 
Ship name (ship code)RRS Discovery (74E3)
Cruise identifierD64
Cruise period1974-07-17 — 1974-08-13
StatusCompleted
Port of departureFreetown, Sierra Leone
Port of returnDakar, Senegal
PurposeResearch
ObjectivesTo extend our observations on the structure of the vertical ecosystem into equatorial regions and secondly to examine the influence of the equatorial undercurrent on the depth distribution of the migrant fauna, using mainly Rectangular Midwater Trawling nets of one and eight square meters carrying a current meter to determine the speed and distance through the water and a depth sensor to help control them. The neuston net was used to sample surface species. The majority of trawls were planned to be made by day, but it was hoped to make some near-surface night-time trawls to study the diurnal vertical migration, and STD profiles to 2000m depth to deterime the physical properties.
Chief scientistStephen A Thorpe (Institute of Oceanographic Sciences Wormley Laboratory)
ProjectGATE
Cruise reportRRS Discovery D64 cruise report d64.pdf (1.09 MB) 
Ocean/sea areas 
GeneralSouth Atlantic Ocean
Track chartsRRS Discovery D64 cruise track — trk1313.html
Measurements 
Physical oceanography 
Surface measurements underway (T,S)
Water bottle stationsDescription: surface only
CTD stationsQuantity: number of stations = 100
Subsurface temperature and salinity measurementsQuantity: track kilometres = 926
Description: batfish(towed CTD)
Current metersQuantity: 2
Description: no.of sts.;2 per station;2 positions:02-58.20N;22-34.48W(20days) & 00-21.18S;22-39.29W(16days)
Biology and fisheries 
Phytoplankton pigs (eg chlorophyll, fluorescence)Quantity: 2
Description: also underway fluorescence msmnts.(milles)
ZooplanktonQuantity: 53
Description: survey, taxonomy
NeustonQuantity: 16
NektonQuantity: 106
Other biological/fisheries measurementDescription: bioluminescence expts.on individual organisms
Other biological/fisheries measurementDescription: deep scattering layers
Meteorology 
Incident radiationDescription: cont.logging solarimeter
Routine standard measurementsDescription: 6 hrly.
Other meteorological measurementsDescription: 2 min.values of dry and wet bulb temp.,hull temp.,wind and atm.pressure
Geology and geophysics 
Multi-beam echosoundingQuantity: track kilometres = 4630
Data held at BODC 
Series/Profiles 
12  CTD/STD cast
Salinity of the water column
Temperature of the water column
Vertical spatial coordinates
Chlorophyll pigment concentrations in water bodies
Salinity of the water column
Temperature of the water column
Vertical spatial coordinates
Chlorophyll pigment concentrations in water bodies

BODC idDate/TimeLocationDoc.
2980401974-08-02 00:42  — 1974-08-02 02:05 2° 32' 59" N  23° 29' 23" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 298040
2980761974-08-07 20:17  — 1974-08-07 21:00 0° 27' 36" N  22° 23' 59" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 298076
2980271974-07-25 19:09  — 1974-07-25 20:30 0° 18' 29" N  22° 25' 41" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 298027
2981201974-08-09 20:35  — 1974-08-09 21:22 2° 58' 23" N  22° 38' 17" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 298120
2980391974-07-28 05:59  — 1974-07-28 07:28 0° 13' 11" N  22° 26' 53" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 298039
2981071974-08-09 19:08  — 1974-08-09 19:53 2° 58' 23" N  22° 36' 11" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 298107
2980151974-07-23 21:44  — 1974-07-23 23:26 0° 18' 11" N  22° 25' 30" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 298015
2980521974-08-07 18:18  — 1974-08-07 18:43 0° 26' 6" N  22° 22' 47" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 298052
2981191974-08-09 19:50  — 1974-08-09 20:39 2° 58' 36" N  22° 37' 12" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 298119
2980881974-08-07 20:52  — 1974-08-07 21:14 0° 28' 0" N  22° 24' 6" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 298088
2980641974-08-07 19:03  — 1974-08-07 19:43 0° 26' 41" N  22° 23' 6" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 298064
2981321974-08-09 21:37  — 1974-08-09 22:59 2° 58' 18" N  22° 39' 42" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 298132