RRS Discovery DY195 (CARES)
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RRS Discovery (74EQ) |
| Cruise identifier | DY195 (CARES) |
| Cruise period | 2025-05-24 — 2025-06-27 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Southampton, United Kingdom |
| Port of return | Southampton, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | The overarching aim of the CARES and COCO-VOC projects is to understand the controls on sulfur gases and other volatile carbon compounds in the marine environment. The DY195 goal was to investigate air-sea gas exchange in the international waters West of Ireland, specifically the biogeochemical processes that influence seawater concentrations, the resultant air-sea fluxes and the chemical and physical processes that determine the fate of these gases in the marine atmosphere. The knowledge gained from the observations made during DY195 will enable a thorough assessment of the global impact of marine sulfur and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). |
| Chief scientist | Mingxi Yang (Plymouth Marine Laboratory), Thomas Bell (Plymouth Marine Laboratory) |
| Project | CARES; COCO-VOC |
| Coordinating body | Plymouth Marine Laboratory |
| Cruise report |  (6.14 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | North East Atlantic Ocean (limit 40W) |
| Track charts | (0.03 MB) |
| Measurements | |
| Physical oceanography | |
| Surface measurements underway (T,S) | Quantity: activity duration in days = 34 Description: Surface seawater temperature |
| Other physical oceanographic measurements | Quantity: number of stations = 12 Description: Seawater surface tension |
| Chemical oceanography | |
| Carbon dioxide | Quantity: activity duration in days = 34 Description: Seawater CO2 |
| Other dissolved gases | Quantity: activity duration in days = 34 Description: Surface seawater gas (sulfur and VOCs) concentrations |
| Other dissolved gases | Quantity: number of stations = 12 Description: Photochemical and oxidative VOC production |
| Other dissolved gases | Quantity: activity duration in days = 34 Description: Ozone uptake measurements |
| Other chemical oceanographic measurements | Quantity: number of stations = 12 Description: Precursor compounds and production/consumption rates for sulfur and VOC trace gases |
| Biology and fisheries | |
| Phytoplankton pigs (eg chlorophyll, fluorescence) | Quantity: number of stations = 12 Description: Plankton community composition |
| Dissolved organic matter (inc DOC) | Quantity: number of stations = 12 Description: Seawater DOM composition |
| Dissolved organic matter (inc DOC) | Quantity: activity duration in days = 34 Description: CDOM |
| Other biological/fisheries measurement | Quantity: number of stations = 12 Description: Seawater filtration for DNA |
| Meteorology | |
| Atmospheric chemistry | Quantity: number of samples = 21 Description: Whole Air Sampling (WAS) |
| Atmospheric chemistry | Quantity: activity duration in days = 34 Description: SO2 fluxes |
| Atmospheric chemistry | Quantity: activity duration in days = 34 Description: CO2 fluxes and whitecap cameras |
| Atmospheric chemistry | Quantity: activity duration in days = 34 Description: Atmospheric gas (DMS, methanethiol, VOC and TOC) fluxes and concentrations |
| Atmospheric chemistry | Quantity: activity duration in days = 34 Description: SO2 concentrations |
| Atmospheric chemistry | Quantity: activity duration in days = 34 Description: Gas and particle-phase DMS oxidation products and aerosols |
| Atmospheric chemistry | Quantity: activity duration in days = 34 Description: Filters for aerosol composition |
| Atmospheric chemistry | Quantity: activity duration in days = 34 Description: Atmospheric selenium |
| Atmospheric chemistry | Quantity: activity duration in days = 34 Description: Ozone fluxes |
| Atmospheric chemistry | Quantity: activity duration in days = 34 Description: OH concentration and reactivity |
| Other meteorological measurements | Quantity: activity duration in days = 34 Description: Ceilometer measurements |
| Other meteorological measurements | Quantity: number of deployments = 50 Description: Balloon sonde releases |
| Moorings, landers, buoys | |
| Physical oceanography | |
| Neutrally buoyant floats | 49° 45' 43" N 14° 55' 40" W — 2 Argo floats |
