Resources

RRS Discovery D120

Cruise summary report

Cruise Info. 
Ship name (ship code)RRS Discovery (74E3)
Cruise identifierD120
Cruise period1981-05-09 — 1981-06-01
StatusCompleted
Port of departurePonta Delgada, Portugal
Port of returnPonta Delgada, Portugal
PurposeResearch
ObjectivesThe cruise was designed to make further physical and biological investigations of a larger meander in the frontal system separating east Atlantic from West Atlantic water in the vicinity of 32N, 32W. On Cruise 119 batfish and XBT data had suggested that his meander was in the process of forming a detached eddy and on Cruise 120 it was hoped to obtain further batfish profiles of this area.
The biological investigations were mainly centred on an investigation of the effect of the front on primary production, nutrient distribution and the fine-scale vertical distribution of zooplankton. Subsidiary experiments to be carried out were investigations on the zoogeographic distribution of Calanus helgolandicus in the area SW of the Azores, physiological studies of plankton luminescence and, if time permitted, a survey of the effect of a shallow sea-mount on chlorophyll production.
Chief scientistMichael J R Fasham (Institute of Oceanographic Sciences Wormley Laboratory)
Cruise reportRRS Discovery D120 cruise report d120.pdf (0.63 MB) 
Ocean/sea areas 
GeneralNorth East Atlantic Ocean (limit 40W)
SpecificMid-Atlantic (N)
Track chartsRRS Discovery D120 cruise track — trk2694.html
Measurements 
Physical oceanography 
Surface measurements underway (T,S)
BathythermographQuantity: number of profiles = 43
Water bottle stationsQuantity: number of stations = 56
Description: S surface only
CTD stationsQuantity: number of stations = 31
Subsurface temperature and salinity measurementsQuantity: track kilometres = 1666.8
Transparency (eg transmissometer)Quantity: number of stations = 26
Chemical oceanography 
OxygenQuantity: track kilometres = 1666.8
PhosphateQuantity: number of stations = 15
NitrateQuantity: number of stations = 16
SilicateQuantity: number of stations = 15
Biology and fisheries 
Primary productivityQuantity: number of stations = 15
Phytoplankton pigs (eg chlorophyll, fluorescence)Quantity: number of stations = 22
Particulate organic matter (inc POC, PON)Quantity: number of stations = 30
PhytoplanktonQuantity: number of stations = 16
ZooplanktonQuantity: number of hauls = 47
Description: distribution,identification
NektonQuantity: number of samples = 78
Eggs and larvaeQuantity: number of samples = 39
Description: biomass determination,descrpit.of communities
Gear researchQuantity: number of deployments = 2
Other biological/fisheries measurementQuantity: number of samples = 15
Description: DNA-RNA concentrations
Meteorology 
Incident radiation
Routine standard measurements
Data held at BODC 
Series/Profiles 
19  CTD/STD cast
Salinity of the water column
Temperature of the water column
Vertical spatial coordinates
Dissolved oxygen parameters in the water column
Visible waveband radiance and irradiance measurements in the water column
Electrical conductivity of the water column
Chlorophyll pigment concentrations in water bodies
Salinity of the water column
Temperature of the water column
Vertical spatial coordinates
Dissolved oxygen parameters in the water column
Visible waveband radiance and irradiance measurements in the water column
Electrical conductivity of the water column
Chlorophyll pigment concentrations in water bodies

BODC idDate/TimeLocationDoc.
2894171981-05-11 12:41  — 1981-05-11 12:55 32° 44' 24" N  29° 46' 5" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 289417
2894301981-05-14 16:01  — 1981-05-14 16:23 32° 58' 41" N  34° 27' 24" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 289430
2894421981-05-14 17:34  — 1981-05-14 17:43 32° 58' 23" N  34° 28' 17" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 289442
2895221981-05-20 13:45  — 1981-05-20 14:12 31° 51' 24" N  28° 0' 6" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 289522
2894291981-05-12 05:27  — 1981-05-12 05:52 31° 8' 30" N  29° 48' 54" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 289429
2895951981-05-28 04:44  — 1981-05-28 05:37 32° 51' 11" N  33° 20' 35" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 289595
2895461981-05-24 10:43  — 1981-05-24 11:09 35° 20' 35" N  35° 28' 30" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 289546
2895581981-05-25 10:31  — 1981-05-25 10:52 34° 25' 41" N  35° 31' 18" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 289558
2894541981-05-15 08:24  — 1981-05-15 08:38 33° 34' 54" N  33° 32' 48" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 289454
2894661981-05-15 14:26  — 1981-05-15 14:39 33° 35' 17" N  33° 31' 59" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 289466
2894781981-05-16 08:17  — 1981-05-16 08:59 34° 0' 11" N  32° 49' 59" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 289478
2894051981-05-10 09:59  — 1981-05-10 10:24 35° 0' 11" N  28° 29' 53" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 289405
2895711981-05-26 06:56  — 1981-05-26 07:11 33° 33' 29" N  33° 27' 47" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 289571
2895831981-05-27 19:07  — 1981-05-27 19:28 33° 14' 30" N  33° 22' 36" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 289583
2896021981-05-29 07:23  — 1981-05-29 09:11 33° 16' 23" N  33° 40' 5" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 289602
2895091981-05-16 21:09  — 1981-05-16 22:25 33° 32' 5" N  33° 32' 17" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 289509
2895101981-05-20 09:27  — 1981-05-20 09:53 32° 7' 5" N  27° 58' 0" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 289510
2894911981-05-16 09:38  — 1981-05-16 09:50 33° 59' 48" N  32° 49' 47" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 289491
2895341981-05-22 08:04  — 1981-05-22 08:32 33° 33' 36" N  33° 38' 29" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 289534