RRS Discovery D97
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RRS Discovery (74E3) |
| Cruise identifier | D97 |
| Cruise period | 1978-12-06 — 1978-12-21 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Recife, Brazil |
| Port of return | Recife, Brazil |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | 1. To collect tidal pressure records from a line of stations between West Africa and Northeast Brazil, to be supplemented by tide gauge records from coastal ports and islands of both continents. The records were required not only for tidal boundary conditions for the North Atlantic Ocean, but also to define low frequency pressure waves with possible coherence across the ocean, of interest to the international FGGE exercise. IOS had also sent D.L. Leighton to Ascension Island just before the cruise, to install a pressure recorder at the jetty there.
2. To record surface and deep currents at the Equator at about 32.5W, for comparison with pressure gradients measured simultaneously, again of potential FGGE interest. 3. To take CTD and current profiles from surface to 500m at two equatorial cross-sections, 1N to 1S along the meridians 27.5W and 32.5W, for definition of the undercurrent structure, for FGGE. All records of wind and surface currents in the equatorial regions were similarly relevant. 4. To attempt recovery of a current meter mooring laid by Institut fur Meereskunde, Kiel in December 1977 at about 32N, 22W. |
| Chief scientist | Leonard M Skinner (Research Vessel Services) |
| Project | FGGE |
| Cruise report |  (0.83 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | North Atlantic Ocean |
| Track charts |  |
| Measurements | |
| Physical oceanography | |
| Surface measurements underway (T,S) | |
| CTD stations | |
| Geology and geophysics | |
| Single-beam echosounding | Description: Echo sounding carried out throughout the cruise with manual logging at 6 minute intervals. |
| Magnetic measurements | Description: Magnetometer deployed throughout the cruise. |
| Moorings, landers, buoys | |
| Physical oceanography | |
| Current meters | 0° 19' 59" S 32° 28' 59" W — Current meter recovered |
| Sea level (inc. bot. press., inverted echosounder) | 6° 3' 59" N 20° 57' 59" W — Tide gauge recovered |
| Sea level (inc. bot. press., inverted echosounder) | 3° 7' 59" N 25° 3' 59" W — Tide gauge recovered |
| Sea level (inc. bot. press., inverted echosounder) | 0° 57' 59" N 35° 34' 59" W — Tide gauge recovered |
| Sea level (inc. bot. press., inverted echosounder) | 10° 5' 59" N 17° 13' 59" W — Tide gauge recovered |
| Sea level (inc. bot. press., inverted echosounder) | 0° 55' 59" N 29° 16' 59" W — Tide gauge recovered |
