RRS James Clark Ross JR17004
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RRS James Clark Ross (74JC) |
| Cruise identifier | JR17004 |
| Cruise period | 2018-03-14 — 2018-04-13 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Stanley, Falkland Islands (Malvinas) |
| Port of return | Ascension Island, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | Tristan da Cunha and Saint Helena are mid-Atlantic Oceanic Islands that form part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. These small remote islands are higly dependent on marine resources, principally lobster and finfish. Understanding the future of sustainable resources, in the face of climate change, is, therefore, a key social concern.
The BAS Official Development Assistance (ODA) and Cefas Blue Belt programmes provided funding for 16 days of marine ecosystems research (8 days in each of Tristan da Cunha and St Helena) during the survey JR17004 in March-April 2018. The main objective of the survey was to build knowledge and capacity in order to improve management of marine exploitation and protect the Islands biodiversity into the future. The supported science themes included bentho-pelagic coupling around seamounts, current and larval dispersal modelling, pelagic ecosystem modelling and pollution. This survey will be followed by an additional ODA/Blue Belt survey in spring 2019, aboard the RRS Discovery. |
| Chief scientist | Martin A Collins (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science Lowestoft Laboratory), Simon A Morley (British Antarctic Survey) |
| Cruise report |  (3.77 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | South Atlantic Ocean |
| Specific | Tristan da Cunha and St Helena territorial waters. Marine mammal and bird observations from the Falkland Islands to St Helena. |
| Track charts | (2.20 MB) |
| Measurements | |
| Physical oceanography | |
| Surface measurements underway (T,S) | Quantity: activity duration in days = 30 Description: Underway measurements |
| Bathythermograph | Quantity: number of profiles = 14 Description: Expendable Bathythermograph (XBT) deployments |
| Water bottle stations | Quantity: number of profiles = 21 Description: Conductivity Temperature Depth (CTD) casts and discrete Niskin bottle samples to measure stable isotopes of particulate organic material from 5, 25, 50, 75, 125, 200, 450 and 750m. Deployments depth range 200-3000 m. |
| CTD stations | Quantity: number of profiles = 21 Description: Conductivity Temperature Depth (CTD) casts and discrete Niskin bottle samples to measure stable isotopes of particulate organic material from 5, 25, 50, 75, 125, 200, 450 and 750m. Deployments depth range 200-3000 m. |
| Chemical oceanography | |
| Isotopes | Quantity: number of profiles = 21 Description: Conductivity Temperature Depth (CTD) casts and discrete Niskin bottle samples to measure stable isotopes of particulate organic material from 5, 25, 50, 75, 125, 200, 450 and 750m. Deployments depth range 200-3000 m. |
| Contamination | |
| Other contaminant measurements | Quantity: number of deployments = 4 Description: Avani trawl, mesh size 0.335mm. Samples were preserved for microplastics and surface larvae. |
| Biology and fisheries | |
| Particulate organic matter (inc POC, PON) | Quantity: number of profiles = 21 Description: Conductivity Temperature Depth (CTD) casts and discrete Niskin bottle samples to measure stable isotopes of particulate organic material from 5, 25, 50, 75, 125, 200, 450 and 750m. Deployments depth range 200-3000 m. |
| Phytoplankton | Quantity: number of deployments = 7 Description: Bongo net, mesh size 100 and 200 micron. Deployments depth range 200 m to the surface. Samples were preserved for taxonomic composition. |
| Zooplankton | Quantity: number of hauls = 32 Description: Rectangular Midwater Trawl 8 (RMT8) Collections of marine animals from specified depth ranges 30-1000 m. |
| Zooplankton | Quantity: number of deployments = 7 Description: Bongo net, mesh size 100 and 200 micron. Deployments depth range 200 m to the surface. Samples were preserved for taxonomic composition. |
| Nekton | Quantity: number of hauls = 32 Description: Rectangular Midwater Trawl 8 (RMT8) Collections of marine animals from specified depth ranges 30-1000 m. |
| Eggs and larvae | Quantity: number of deployments = 4 Description: Avani trawl, mesh size 0.335mm. Samples were preserved for microplastics and surface larvae. |
| Eggs and larvae | Quantity: number of hauls = 32 Description: Rectangular Midwater Trawl 8 (RMT8) Collections of marine animals from specified depth ranges 30-1000 m. |
| Zoobenthos | Quantity: number of deployments = 29 Description: Shallow water camera system (SUCS) camera system designed to estimate benthic community density, biomass and taxa abundance. Approx. 20 benthic photos taken at each location. Deployments depth range approx. 300-800 m. |
| Zoobenthos | Quantity: number of deployments = 16 Description: Agassiz trawl (AGT) with 1cm mesh size. Deployment depth range 80-1500 m. Samples were preserved for analysis of taxonomic composition and biomass. |
| Birds | Quantity: activity duration in days = 30 Description: Bird counts - daylight observations |
| Mammals and reptiles | Quantity: activity duration in days = 30 Description: Marine Mammal counts - daylight observations |
| Pelagic fish | Quantity: number of deployments = 3 Description: Baited pelagic surface camera designed to determine pelagic predator diversity |
| Molluscs | Quantity: number of deployments = 29 Description: Shallow water camera system (SUCS) camera system designed to estimate benthic community density, biomass and taxa abundance. Approx. 20 benthic photos taken at each location. Deployments depth range approx. 300-800 m. |
| Molluscs | Quantity: number of deployments = 16 Description: Agassiz trawl (AGT) with 1cm mesh size. Deployment depth range 80-1500 m. Samples were preserved for analysis of taxonomic composition and biomass. |
| Crustaceans | Quantity: number of deployments = 29 Description: Shallow water camera system (SUCS) camera system designed to estimate benthic community density, biomass and taxa abundance. Approx. 20 benthic photos taken at each location. Deployments depth range approx. 300-800 m. |
| Crustaceans | Quantity: number of deployments = 16 Description: Agassiz trawl (AGT) with 1cm mesh size. Deployment depth range 80-1500 m. Samples were preserved for analysis of taxonomic composition and biomass. |
| Other biological/fisheries measurement | Quantity: number of deployments = 29 Description: Shallow water camera system (SUCS) camera system designed to estimate benthic community density, biomass and taxa abundance. Approx. 20 benthic photos taken at each location. Deployments depth range approx. 300-800 m. |
| Other biological/fisheries measurement | Quantity: number of deployments = 16 Description: Agassiz trawl (AGT) with 1cm mesh size. Deployment depth range 80-1500 m. Samples were preserved for analysis of taxonomic composition and biomass. |
| Meteorology | |
| Routine standard measurements | Quantity: activity duration in days = 30 Description: Underway measurements |
| Geology and geophysics | |
| Multi-beam echosounding | Quantity: activity duration in days = 30 Description: EM122 multibeam bathymetry |
| Moorings, landers, buoys | |
| Biology and fisheries | |
| Other biological/fisheries measurement | 37° 2' 46" S 12° 18' 12" W — Event 75: deployed on 31/03/18. Instrumentation: SonarValut passive acoustic recorder with acoustic release SN 240841, 004-1 at 109m and SN 240841, 004-1 at 108m. |
