RRS Challenger CH14/81
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RRS Challenger (74CH) |
| Cruise identifier | CH14/81 |
| Cruise period | 1981-09-14 — 1981-10-01 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Barry, United Kingdom |
| Port of return | Barry, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | 1. To lay two pairs of sea-bed transponders, at about 1200m and 4000m respectively, to facilitate close-spaced sampling with the epibenthic sledge to examine small-scale variations in the epibenthic mega-fauna.
2. To obtain five epibenthic sledge samples at each transponder site. 3. To obtain some of these hauls in conjunction with a forward-facing Benthos 374 camera, taking photographs at 3 second intervals to check the performance of the odometer wheel. 4. To make three Bathysnap deployments and recoveries, one to last approximately seven days over the period of the planned port-call at Milford Haven. 5. To obtain epibenthic sledge hauls at 3000-4000m in search of the holothurian Kolga hyalina. 6. To obtain otter-trawl samples as and when possible, but particuarly in depths greater than 2000m. 7. To obtain SMBA multicore samples at approximately 500m intervals from 5000m to 4000m for a study of the meiofauna. 8. To obtain fish samples for physiological determinations (see Physiology section). |
| Chief scientist | Anthony L Rice (Institute of Oceanographic Sciences Wormley Laboratory) |
| Cruise report |  (0.49 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | North East Atlantic Ocean (limit 40W) |
| Specific | Porcupine Sea Bight |
| Track charts |  |
| Measurements | |
| Biology and fisheries | |
| Zoobenthos | Quantity: number of hauls = 17 |
| Birds | Description: on average seven ten minute observations were made each day |
| Demersal fish | Description: phys.obs.on tissue preps |
| Geology and geophysics | |
| Bottom photography | Description: Bathysnap surveys. |
