RV Prince Madog PD41/04
Cruise plan
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RV Prince Madog (74P2) |
| Cruise identifier | PD41/04 |
| Cruise period | 2004-09-20 — 2004-09-25 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Menai Bridge, United Kingdom |
| Port of return | Menai Bridge, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | Outline of science objectives:
1) Derivation of suspended particulate matter concentrations in shelf seas from remotely sensed imagery and assessment of the effect high chlorophyll concentrations have on this derivation. 2) Use of variable fluorescence to derive photosynthetic parameters in-situ and to develop algorithms enabling primary production to be obtained from satellite imagery. 3) Estimation of variability in vertical water structure over a 37 hour tidal cycle in a stratified region and possible effects this may have on remote sensing of shelf seas. 4) Estimation of turbulence and variability in vertical water structure over a 37 hour tidal cycle in a stratified region with the aim of using this data to improve shelf sea models. 5) Measurement of pCO2 in order to assess the level of air/sea gas exchange. 6) Assessment of whether backscattering of light is wavelength dependent. 7) Estimation of turbulence and variability in a stratified region, both horizontally and vertically, using an undulating CTD in order to improve shelf sea models such as POLCOMS. Main cruise objectives: 1) Measurement of suspended particulate material, chlorophyll (including samples for HPLC analysis) and yellow substance in-situ, with the aim of sampling during the autumn chlorophyll bloom. 2) Measurement of RRS (remote sensing reflectance) and diffuse attenuation at SeaWiFS & MERIS wavelengths to assess effect of autumn bloom on water leaving radiance. 3) Sampling for phytoplankton. 4) Sampling for nutrients including ammonia. 5) Measurement of conductivity, temperature, salinity, beam attenuation, fluorescence. 6) Deployment of a Fast Repetition Rate Fluorometer. 7) Deployment of ADCP and thermistor chain at tidally stratified station in the Western Irish Sea gyre. 8) Hourly sampling at anchor over a 37 hour tidal cycle to assess changes in water column structure due to the tides and resultant effects on remote sensing and shelf sea modelling. This sampling to occur at the tidally stratified station, G. 9) Deployment of settling tubes at tidal cycle station in stratified waters 10) Measurement of atmospheric and in-water pCO2 throughout cruise 11) Measurement of inherent optical properties of the water column at all stations 12) Cross-frontal transects of the Western Irish Sea using Minibat undulating CTD to provide detailed information on Western Irish Sea water column structure |
| Chief scientist | E Gay Mitchelson-Jacob (University of Wales, Bangor School of Ocean Sciences) |
| Project | Centre for Air-Sea Interactions and Fluxes (CASIX) |
| Coordinating body | Natural Environment Research Council |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | Irish Sea and St. George's Channel |
| Specific | Irish Sea |
| Track charts |  (0.08 MB) |
| Measurements | |
| Physical oceanography | |
| Water bottle stations | Quantity: number of profiles = 31 Description: Sampling at water depths using water bottles on CTD rosette |
| CTD stations | Quantity: number of profiles = 31 Description: Measurement of temperature profiles by CTD |
| CTD stations | Quantity: number of profiles = 31 Description: Measurement of fluorescence profiles by CTD |
| CTD stations | Quantity: number of profiles = 31 Description: Measurement of salinity profiles by CTD |
| CTD stations | Quantity: number of profiles = 31 Description: Measurement of transmittance profiles by CTD |
| Transparency (eg transmissometer) | Quantity: number of profiles = 3 Description: Measure diffuse attenuation coefficients at MERIS wavelengths |
| Transparency (eg transmissometer) | Quantity: number of profiles = 24 Description: Measurements of diffuse attenuation coefficients at SeaWiFS wavelengths |
| Transparency (eg transmissometer) | Quantity: number of measurements = 24 Description: Secchi Depth |
| Optics (eg underwater light levels) | Quantity: number of profiles = 3 Description: Measure in-situ profiles of spectral remote sensing reflectance at MERIS wavelengths with Satlantic MicroPro freefall radiometer |
| Optics (eg underwater light levels) | Quantity: number of profiles = 26 Description: Measurement of IOP's with AC-9, Hydroscat-6, ECO-VSF combined unit |
| Optics (eg underwater light levels) | Quantity: number of profiles = 24 Description: Measure in-situ profiles of spectral remote sensing reflectance at SeaWiFS wavelengths with PRR-600 profiling radiometer |
| Other physical oceanographic measurements | Quantity: number of profiles = 32 Description: Measure SPM volume-specific particle size classes with LISST-100 |
| Other physical oceanographic measurements | Quantity: number of samples = 30 Description: Sampling for particulate absorption by filter pad technique at surface |
| Other physical oceanographic measurements | Quantity: number of samples = 2 Description: Sample for particle settling velocity |
| Chemical oceanography | |
| Carbon dioxide | Quantity: activity duration in days = 3 Description: pCO2 underway measurements |
| Phosphate | Quantity: number of samples = 90 Description: Sampling for phosphate at depth |
| Phosphate | Quantity: number of samples = 93 Description: Sampling for phosphate at surface |
| Nitrate | Quantity: number of samples = 90 Description: Sampling for nitrate at depth |
| Nitrate | Quantity: number of samples = 93 Description: Sampling for nitrate at surface |
| Nitrite | Quantity: number of samples = 93 Description: Sampling for nitrite at surface |
| Nitrite | Quantity: number of samples = 90 Description: Sampling for nitrite at depth |
| Ammonia | Quantity: number of samples = 93 Description: Sampling for ammonia at surface |
| Ammonia | Quantity: number of samples = 90 Description: Sampling for ammonia at depth |
| Silicate | Quantity: number of samples = 90 Description: Sampling for silicate at depth |
| Silicate | Quantity: number of samples = 93 Description: Sampling for silicate at surface |
| Biology and fisheries | |
| Primary productivity | Quantity: number of profiles = 32 Description: Measure photosynthetic response with FRRF variable fluorescence fluorometer |
| Phytoplankton pigs (eg chlorophyll, fluorescence) | Quantity: number of samples = 6 Description: Sampling for chlorophyll at surface, analysis by HPLC |
| Phytoplankton pigs (eg chlorophyll, fluorescence) | Quantity: number of samples = 88 Description: Sampling for chlorophyll at depth, analysis by fluorometry |
| Phytoplankton pigs (eg chlorophyll, fluorescence) | Quantity: number of samples = 87 Description: Sampling for chlorophyll at surface, analysis by fluorometry |
| Dissolved organic matter (inc DOC) | Quantity: number of samples = 22 Description: Sampling for CDOM at surface, analysis by spectrophotometry |
| Phytoplankton | Quantity: number of samples = 16 Description: Sampling for phytoplankton concentration and type at surface |
| Seston | Quantity: number of samples = 43 Description: Sampling for SPM at depth, analysis by weight and ignition |
| Seston | Quantity: number of samples = 43 Description: Sampling for SPM at surface, analysis by weight and ignition |
| Other biological/fisheries measurement | Quantity: number of deployments = 13 Description: Dredging for Arctica islandica clams |
| Moorings, landers, buoys | |
| Physical oceanography | |
| Subsurface temperature measurements | 53° 19' 15" N 3° 58' 11" W — Surface to bed thermistor chain, deployed 21/09/04, recovered 25/09/04. Station identifier: Station P. |
| Current profiler (eg ADCP) | 53° 19' 15" N 3° 58' 11" W — Sea-bed deployed ADCP mooring, deployed 21/09/04, due for recovery 09/10/04. Station identifier: Station P. |
