FS Meteor M133
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | FS Meteor (06M3) |
| Cruise identifier | M133 |
| Cruise period | 2016-12-15 — 2017-01-13 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Cape Town, South Africa |
| Port of return | Stanley, Falkland Islands (Malvinas) |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | The South Atlantic crossing is a multidisciplinary ocean survey of the South Atlantic gyre roughly along 34.5°S. This transect is covered by the international SAMOC moored array and also the path of the internationally agreed AX18 XBT line.
Most of the measurements are based on using under-way methods including near-surface water sampling for the determination of near surface temperature and salinity as well as shipboard ADCP current observations. Moreover an underway CTD will allow to sample the upper 300-400 m every hour. Chemical analysis of surface waters as well are atmospheric parameter are of scientific interest to both compare different regions with each other but also to document long term trends. At the western an eastern boundary current regime full water column water mass properties will be measured. Upper ocean 10-700m plankton assemblages will allow to improve the calibration of sediment proxies. And water samples for later lab based biodiversity analysis will be taken. A number of smaller student projects will be carried out as part of an global ocean learning and capacity building effort. Finally continuous swath bathymetry map-ping will occur and a profiling Argo floats were launched in support of the global ocean observing system arrays. |
| Chief scientist | Martin Visbeck (GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel (West Shore Campus)) |
| Cruise report |  (0.46 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | South Atlantic Ocean |
| Specific | Transect across the South Atlantic at 34.5S |
