- Resources
- Inventories
- Cruise inventory
- Report
- 1496
RRS Discovery D79
Cruise summary report
Cruise Info. | |
Ship name (ship code) | RRS Discovery (74E3) |
Cruise identifier | D79 |
Cruise period | 1976-10-28 — 1976-11-28 |
Status | Completed |
Port of departure | Barry, United Kingdom |
Port of return | Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain |
Purpose | Research |
Objectives | The principal objectives were:
1) To carry out an extensive biological sampling programme on the bottom and on the lower part of the water column in an abyssal area influenced by the north-west African coast upwelling system. 2) To obtain benthic samples at depths of about 2000m from serveal localities off the north-west African coast between Cap Blanc and the Canaries to fill gaps in previously obtained sample series. 3) To obtain a series of bottom pore-water and sediment samples, using a pore-water sampler and new box corer from a variety of environments off the north-west African margin, including the region 6000+m depth reportedly extending westwards from about 24N, 30W. 4) To obtain a series of large volume water samples, at all depths, for investigations of the organic and inorganic composition of suspended particles and for studies of the concentration patterns of selected dissolved trace metals. 5) To obtain samples of the sea-surface organic films. |
Chief scientist | Anthony L Rice (Institute of Oceanographic Sciences Wormley Laboratory) |
Project | Biological and Geochemical Sampling off the North West African Coast |
Cruise report | (10.12 MB) |
Ocean/sea areas | |
General | North East Atlantic Ocean (limit 40W) |
Track charts | |
Measurements | |
Physical oceanography | |
Bathythermograph | Quantity: number of profiles = 72 |
Water bottle stations | Quantity: number of stations = 16 |
Other physical oceanographic measurements | Quantity: 8 Description: pore water sampler |
Biology and fisheries | |
Zooplankton | Quantity: 11 |
Zoobenthos | Quantity: 18 Description: survey:taxonomy etc. |
Birds | Quantity: number of observations = 200 Description: taxonomy and population density, |
Gear research | |
Meteorology | |
Routine standard measurements | |
Geology and geophysics | |
Core - soft bottom | Quantity: number of cores = 8 Description: +6 box cores;16 chemical analysis |