RRS Discovery D351
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |||||
| Ship name (ship code) | RRS Discovery (74E3) | ||||
| Cruise identifier | D351 | ||||
| Cruise period | 2010-05-11 — 2010-05-28 | ||||
| Status | Completed | ||||
| Port of departure | Reykjavík, Iceland | ||||
| Port of return | Govan, United Kingdom | ||||
| Purpose | Research | ||||
| Objectives | 1. To occupy the Extended Ellett Line and add to the 35-year time series of measurements of temperature and salinity and tracer properties of the water column (Oceans 2025 Theme 10 SO4).
2. To investigate the iron and trace metal distribution and variability in the Northeast Atlantic. 3. To conduct experiments to determine the horizontal, vertical and diurnal distribution of bioluminescence in dinoflagellates, and to determine the growth and grazing rates of bacteria and phytoplankton, their carbon ingestion rates and iron speciation. 4. To investigate the physical processes operating at the Anton Dohrn seamount and identify whether there are mechanisms promoting productivity through the enhancement of nutrient concentrations (Oceans 2025 Theme 2 WP2.5) 5. To investigate the presence of volcanic ash in the upper water column south of Iceland and investigate the impact on the chemistry of seawater, following the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano. All observations necessary to fulfil the cruise objectives were made, except for some reduction to the survey of the Anton Dohrn Seamount (objective 4) because of time lost at the beginning of the cruise | ||||
| Chief scientist | Jane F Read (National Oceanography Centre, Southampton) | ||||
| Project | Oceans 2025 Theme 10: Extended Ellett Line | ||||
| Coordinating body | Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) | ||||
| Cruise report |  (1.62 MB) | ||||
| Ocean/sea areas | |||||
| General | North East Atlantic Ocean (limit 40W) | ||||
| Specific | Northeast Atlantic | ||||
| Track charts | (0.12 MB) | ||||
| Measurements | |||||
| Physical oceanography | |||||
| CTD stations | Quantity: number of stations = 88 Description: Profiling stainless steel CTD; temperaturex2, conductivityx2, pressure, dissolved oxygen, fluorometer, transmissometer, LADCP, altimeter, pinger | ||||
| CTD stations | Quantity: number of stations = 13 Description: Profiling titanium CTD; temperaturex2, conductivityx2, pressure, dissolved oxygen, fluorometer, altimeter, backscatter, transmissometer | ||||
| CTD stations | Quantity: track kilometres = 930 Description: Towed undulating CTD (SeaSoar); temperature, conductivity, pressure, chlorophyll-a (Chelsea Minipack & Turner Designs), Turner Designs phycocyanin, phycoerythrin, CDOM U, Anderaa oxygen, PAR, bioluminescence, nitrate (SUV6), FRRF, LOPC | ||||
| CTD stations | Quantity: number of stations = 7 Description: Titanium CTD bottle samples for dissolved aluminium, iron & trace metals | ||||
| Chemical oceanography | |||||
| Other dissolved gases | Quantity: number of deployments = 3 Description: Stand alone pumps; three deployments; 7 filters | ||||
| Other dissolved gases | Quantity: number of samples = 6 Description: 6 aerosol filters | ||||
| Alkalinity | Quantity: number of stations = 9 Description: Dissolved inorganic carbon and alkalinity | ||||
| Alkalinity | Quantity: number of stations = 17 Description: Dissolved inorganic carbon and alkalinity | ||||
| Trace elements | Quantity: number of samples = 68 Description: Clean trace metal fish samples for dissolved aluminium, iron & trace metals | ||||
| Isotopes | Quantity: number of stations = 7 Description: Lead isotopes | ||||
| Isotopes | Quantity: number of samples = 2 Description: Lead isotopes | ||||
| Other chemical oceanographic measurements | Quantity: number of stations = 6 Description: Iron speciation | ||||
| Contamination | |||||
| Trace metals | Quantity: number of stations = 4 Description: Titanium CTD bottle samples for dissolved manganese | ||||
| Trace metals | Quantity: number of samples = 6 Description: Clean trace metal fish samples for dissolved manganese | ||||
| Biology and fisheries | |||||
| Zooplankton | Quantity: number of experiments = 2 Description: Incubation experiments for microzooplankton grazing | ||||
| Zooplankton | Quantity: number of experiments = 1 Description: Incubation experiments for microzooplankton grazing | ||||
| Other biological/fisheries measurement | Quantity: number of stations = 39 Description: SEM coccolithophore counts | ||||
| Other biological/fisheries measurement | Quantity: number of experiments = 2 Description: Two incubation experminets for bioluminescence | ||||
| Other biological/fisheries measurement | Quantity: number of stations = 9 Description: 45 samples from 9 stations for bioluminescence | ||||
| Moorings, landers, buoys | |||||
| Physical oceanography | |||||
| Surface drifters/drifting buoys | 59° 59' 58" N 20° 2' 17" W — Apex float SN 3866 (station 015 ib12) | ||||
| Surface drifters/drifting buoys | 57° 20' 51" N 10° 40' 1" W — Apex Float SN 2705 (Ellett Station L) | ||||
| Surface drifters/drifting buoys | 61° 59' 35" N 20° 5' 53" W — Buoy id: 300034012548820. Deployed at 18:48 GMT 13 May 2010. Buoy dropped by hand from the starboard stern-quarter. The apparent status after deployment was okay. | ||||
| Surface drifters/drifting buoys | 60° 59' 49" N 20° 2' 26" W — Buoy id: 300034012543300. Deployed at 11:20 GMT 15 May 2010. Buoy dropped by hand from the starboard stern quarter, 5m above sea level The apparent status after deployment was okay. | ||||
| Surface drifters/drifting buoys | 59° 59' 58" N 20° 2' 17" W — Buoy id: 300034012347680. Deployed at 0838 GMT 16 May 2010. Buoy dropped by hand from the starboard stern quarter, 5m above sea level The apparent status after deployment was okay. | ||||
| Surface drifters/drifting buoys | 60° 59' 49" N 20° 2' 26" W — Apex float SN 3865 (station 011 ib14) | ||||
| Surface drifters/drifting buoys | 59° 39' 19" N 19° 8' 17" W — Apex float SN 3863 (station 017 ib11) | ||||
| Surface drifters/drifting buoys | 59° 24' 29" N 18° 25' 35" W — Apex Float SN 2704 (station 018 ib10). Note, this float ballasted for the Somali Basin | ||||
| Surface drifters/drifting buoys | 57° 29' 49" N 11° 51' 44" W — Apex Float SN 3862 (Ellett station G) | ||||
| Surface drifters/drifting buoys | 57° 29' 20" N 11° 31' 30" W — Apex Float SN 3861 (Ellett station H) | ||||
| Surface drifters/drifting buoys | 57° 16' 29" N 10° 21' 54" W — Apex Float SN 2635 (Ellett Station M) | ||||
| Surface drifters/drifting buoys | 58° 59' 53" N 17° 19' 14" W — Buoy id: 300034012547840. Deployed at 1725 GMT 17 May 2010. Buoy dropped by hand from the stern, 5m above sea level The apparent status after deployment was okay. | ||||
| Data held at BODC | Get data | ||||
| Series/Profiles | |||||
| 85 Acoustic doppler current profiler | Reference numbers Horizontal spatial co-ordinates Date and time Raw current meter output parameters Vertical spatial coordinates Vertical velocity of the water column (currents) Horizontal platform movement Horizontal velocity of the water column (currents) Metadata parameters Acoustic backscatter in the water column Reference numbers Horizontal spatial co-ordinates Date and time Raw current meter output parameters Vertical spatial coordinates Vertical velocity of the water column (currents) Horizontal platform movement Horizontal velocity of the water column (currents) Metadata parameters Acoustic backscatter in the water column
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| 73 Bottle station | Reference numbers Vertical spatial coordinates Dissolved oxygen parameters in the water column Quality control flags Reference numbers Vertical spatial coordinates Dissolved oxygen parameters in the water column Quality control flags
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| 101 CTD/STD cast | Reference numbers Transmittance and attenuance of the water column Optical backscatter Salinity of the water column Temperature of the water column Vertical spatial coordinates Dissolved oxygen parameters in the water column Density of the water column Electrical conductivity of the water column Chlorophyll pigment concentrations in water bodies Reference numbers Transmittance and attenuance of the water column Optical backscatter Salinity of the water column Temperature of the water column Vertical spatial coordinates Dissolved oxygen parameters in the water column Density of the water column Electrical conductivity of the water column Chlorophyll pigment concentrations in water bodies
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| Discrete samples | |||||
| 93 All plastic clean surface pumped supply | Total metal concentrations in water bodies Phosphate concentration parameters in the water column Silicate concentration parameters in the water column Nitrate concentration parameters in the water column Dissolved metal concentrations in the water column Chlorophyll pigment concentrations in water bodies | ||||
| 101 CTD frame plus rosette sampler | Total dissolved inorganic carbon (TCO2) concentration in the water column Total metal concentrations in water bodies Phosphate concentration parameters in the water column Salinity of the water column Dissolved oxygen parameters in the water column Silicate concentration parameters in the water column Nitrate concentration parameters in the water column Dissolved metal concentrations in the water column Alkalinity, acidity and pH of the water column Chlorophyll pigment concentrations in water bodies | ||||
| 254 Sample taken from ship's non-toxic supply | Total dissolved inorganic carbon (TCO2) concentration in the water column Phosphate concentration parameters in the water column Salinity of the water column Silicate concentration parameters in the water column Nitrate concentration parameters in the water column Alkalinity, acidity and pH of the water column Chlorophyll pigment concentrations in water bodies |
