RV Cirolana CIR4/85
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RV Cirolana (74CZ) |
| Cruise identifier | CIR4/85 |
| Cruise period | 1985-04-15 — 1985-05-03 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Lowestoft, United Kingdom |
| Port of return | Lowestoft, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | 1. To collect water samples in the English Channel and Southern Irish Sea to be analysed for plutonium - 238/239/240 and americium-241. Duplicate samples will be collected on parts (a) and (c) of thr cruise, at 11 stations, using both the ship's deck hose seawater supply and a project specific pump-sampling system. Preliminary chemical processing will take place on board.
2. To investigate the relationship between current speed, suspended load and radionuclide transport in the near-bed region using moored, remote recording equipment (2 stations). 3. In the muddy sediments off the northeast Irish Sea: (a) to measure in situ bulk density profiles using a nuclear densimeter; (b) to obtain sediment samples for on-board and laboratory geotechnical analysis; (c) to investigate the process of corer action; (d) to measure in situ pore water pressures on local and regional scales (4 stations) 4. To extend previous surveys of the distribution of benthic fauna (11 stations). To investigate the extent of deep bioturbation using a 3m Kaston corer at 12 stations. 5. To obtain sediment cores at the 12 standard stations to follow the long-term changes in the distributions of plutonium and americium radionuclides. At two of the stations multiple Kaston cores will be taken to investigate the within-core and between-core variability. 6. To obtain Reineck core samples at 5 stations for the determination of "hot particle" depth profiles. 7. To obtain surface and bottom water samples (Niskin bottles) and Reineck cores at 8 stations to investigate the behaviour and distribution of thorium-234. 8. To collect water samples for caesium-134/137 analysis in the southern and western Irish Sea. Up to 25 samples to be collected as convenient on the way into and out of the Irish Sea. |
| Chief scientist | Dennis S Woodhead (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Lowestoft Fisheries Laboratory) |
| Cruise report |  (0.16 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | English Channel |
| Specific | English Channel/ Irish Sea |
| Track charts |  |
| Measurements | |
| Physical oceanography | |
| Sea level (inc. bot. press., inverted echosounder) | Quantity: number of deployments = 6 Description: piezometer- water pressure in sea bed |
| Other physical oceanographic measurements | Quantity: number of deployments = 2 Description: near-bed velocity meters |
| Contamination | |
| Suspended matter | Quantity: number of stations = 2 |
| Geology and geophysics | |
| Core - soft bottom | Quantity: number of cores = 132 |
| In-situ seafloor measurement/sampling | Quantity: number of samples = 26 Description: radioactivity measurements. |
