RRS Challenger CH9/81
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RRS Challenger (74CH) |
| Cruise identifier | CH9/81 |
| Cruise period | 1981-06-16 — 1981-07-01 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Barry, United Kingdom |
| Port of return | Ardrossan, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | 1. To obtain observational data in the form of video tapes, black and white and colour photographs using the Mark III TV and camera sledge at locations of particular interest on the continental shelf to the west and north of Scotland. The locations of the sledge tows were determined from data obtained from samples and sonographs taken on previous cruises.
2. To obtain further dredge samples from the edge of the continental shelf and the upper continental slope west of the Shetlands. 3. To obtain further data on the occurrence of the coral Stenocyathus vermiformis on the edge of the continental shelf west of the Shetlands. 4. To collect live specimens of the polychaete Ditrup arietina and the coral Caryophyllia smithii for continued growth and behavioural investigations and of the scaphopod Antalis entalis to observe its living position in relation to the sediment. 5. To obtain further side-scan sonar coverage of the continental shelf west and north of Scotland to supplement existing IOS data. 6. To collect some surface sediment samples suitable for microfaunal investigations. |
| Chief scientist | John B Wilson (Institute of Oceanographic Sciences Wormley Laboratory) |
| Cruise report |  (0.51 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | North Sea North East Atlantic Ocean (limit 40W) |
| Specific | Continental Shelf/ W. & N. Scotland |
| Track charts |  |
| Measurements | |
| Geology and geophysics | |
| Dredge | Quantity: number of samples = 5 Description: taken from the edge of the continental shelf and upper continental slope to supplement the existing IOS sample cover as part of a study of the sediments and fauna of the continental shelf. |
| Grab | Quantity: number of deployments = 8 |
| Core - soft bottom | |
| Bottom photography | Quantity: number of deployments = 21 Description: and 31 motion picture |
| Multi-beam echosounding | Quantity: track kilometres = 555 |
| Long/short range side scan sonar | Quantity: track kilometres = 555 |
