RV Cefas Endeavour 1/09
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RV Cefas Endeavour (74E9) |
| Cruise identifier | 1/09 |
| Cruise period | 2009-01-08 — 2009-01-12 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Lowestoft, United Kingdom |
| Port of return | Lowestoft, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | Aims
1. Deploy new SmartBuoy at Dowsing 2. Service SmartBuoys at Warp and West Gabbard 3. Service waveriders at Tyne/Tees, Dowsing and Hastings 4. Collect sediment samples for expt work with mini-flume 5. Provide good spatial coverage to calibrate the FerryBox Narrative Sailed at 05:20 in thick fog so reduced speed was enforced. Arrived at West Gabbard 10:30 and completed a CTD cast for water at surface and bottom (nutrients (nuts), salinity (sal), oxygen (O2), chlorophyll (chl), and suspended load (sl). The SmartBuoy was deployed and another CTD cast was completed before lunch. After lunch, the old SmartBuoy was retrieved successfully and without incident. A further CTD was collected before departing towards the Warp at 13:45. Surface water samples for sal, nuts, chl and sl were collected hourly on the trip into the Thames. The Warp SmartBuoy was serviced successfully although the mooring wire parted during the recovery. NIOZ coring was undertaken before departing the catch the high water at the Princes Channel and passing south out of the Thames. After a night collecting surface water samples, the waverider at Hastings was successfully serviced (aim 3). The Dungeness guard buoy was missing on arrival so we only deployed a replacement. After a search of the nearby waters, we found and recovered the wayward buoy although the wire parted on recovery so the anchor and chain were lost. Then followed a steam to West Gabbard for 5 x hourly CTD casts. A further steam to Southern Bight for another CTD. Surface water samples were collected hourly throughout this phase of the cruise. Further north at Sean Gas Field, coring took place (aim 4). At this point, we were due to continue north, but after consideration of the weather forecast, headed west to ensure the deployment of the Dowsing SmartBuoy (aim 1) and servicing of the waverider (aim 3). The intended cruise track was then effectively reversed as we steamed north via CTD's at the Wash, Humber, Tees and Tyne CSEMP sites. We ventured offshore to look at the sea conditions around the Tyne waverider but were unable to locate due to high seas. We came back inshore to complete coring off the Tyne. The waverider position was checked online and found to be okay, so left alone. As it was then to rough to go out offshore we went back to the Humber to collect hourly CTD data from low to high tide. Then did the same at the Wash until we had to leave to catch the 22:00 tide at Lowestoft. Unfortunately, the wind was too strong to allow Endeavour through the bridge so we had to anchor until the morning tide. The new FerryBox was installed during the 2 days preceding the cruise and final tweaking/initial testing took place during the cruise. The system was very close to complete although there are some minor modifications still required. The position of the de-bubbler is not finalised and the VSat broadband was not operational so full testing of the ftp transfer was not possible. All aims were completed except the Tyne/Tees waverider service. Surface mapping of nutrients was not as complete as in past years but sufficient for contract requirements. |
| Chief scientist | David Brian Sivyer (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science Lowestoft Laboratory) |
| Cruise programme |  (0.01 MB) |
| Cruise report | (0.01 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | North Sea |
| Specific | Thames, Hastings, Southern Bight, Dowsing, Wash to Tyne coastal. |
