SSV Corwith Cramer C284 (F2018-066)
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | SSV Corwith Cramer (33CC) |
| Cruise identifier | C284 (F2018-066) |
| Cruise period | 2019-02-12 — 2019-03-22 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Christiansted, Virgin Islands, U.S. |
| Port of return | Stock Island, United States |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | C284 departed from Christiansted, St Croix and concluded in Stock Island, FL USA 39 days later. During the nearly six-week voyage we had five port stops; the first in St John, USVIs; the second in Samana, Dominican Republic; the third in Matthew Town, Great Inagua, Bahamas; the fourth in Port Antonio, Jamaica; and finally George Town, Grand Cayman. We also conducted scientific sampling on Silver Bank, DR. We collected data with 120 individual deployments from 47 discrete geographic stations along our cruise track.
1. Physical oceanographic studies focused on the distribution of surface and sub-surface (to 1200 m) water masses and the delineation of hydrographic boundaries. Specifically, North Atlantic sub-tropical mode water (18°C Water) and Antarctic Intermediate water. 2. Chemical oceanographic studies focused on the geographic and vertical distribution of nutrients (phosphate) and extracted chlorophyll-a. These chemical parameters were related to patterns in physical hydrography at various scales: nearshore to offshore transitions, ocean fronts and eddies associated with island passages and water column stratification. 3. Biological studies focused on the geographic distribution of charismatic megafauna (seabirds, sea turtles, flying fish, and marine mammals), several nektonic organisms (lantern fish - Family Myctophidae, and gelatinous organisms >2cm - i.e salps), meroplanktonic larvae including spiny lobster (phyllosoma) and eels (leptocephali), the floating macrophyte - Sargassum spp., the marine insect Halobates, and the density (mL/m2) and diversity (i.e. Shannon-Weiner index) of the aggregate zooplankton and phytoplankton communities. In addition, we characterized the sub-surface soundscape of the Caribbean, specifically we listened for: marine mammals, coral reef sounds, and ship noise. |
| Chief scientist | Jeffrey M Schell (Sea Education Association) |
| Cruise report |  (1.83 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | Caribbean Sea |
| Specific | Sargasso Sea, Windward Passage, Western Caribbean, Florida Straits. |
| Track charts | (0.19 MB) |
