Resources

RRS Discovery D146

Cruise summary report

Cruise Info. 
Ship name (ship code)RRS Discovery (74E3)
Cruise identifierD146
Cruise period1984-03-27 — 1984-04-24
StatusCompleted
Port of departureOporto, Portugal
Port of returnOporto, Portugal
ObjectivesThe cruise had an interdisciplinary physical and biological programme. The physical element of the programme was designed to investigate the phenomena associated with the seasonal change over from winter cooling to summer heating of the surface waters of the ocean, and hence the seasonal development of thermal stratification within the surface layers of the water column. It consisted of a continuation of the studies begun during Cruise 145, and described in full detail in its Cruise Report. It centred around the deployment of two sets of current moorings in the vicinity of 40N 15W and 46N 14W. Each set of moorings included a subsurface current meter string, a toroid buoy with thermistor chains and meteorological instruments, and a free-drifting spar buoy carrying nine current meters. Repeated SeaSoar surveys were run around the spar buoy.
The biological element of the programme was designed to capitalise on the substantial quantity of physical background information available for the two main localities, and to describe the changes in the structure and vertical distributions of the pelagic communities associated with the physical changes. Using the fluorometer fitted in SeaSoar the spatial distribution of chlorophyll was examined in relation to the physical structure of the water. The fluorometer observations were related to the vertical distribution of particulates, light attenuation and nutrients as well as temperature and salinity by the use of shallow CTD profiling and water sampling. A number of productivity observations were made mostly using water samples collected in the chlorophyll maximum. Series of midwater trawls were taken with the RMT1 +8M system in order to try to relate the vertical distributions of plankton and micronekton at the two main stations with the physical regime. Oblique trawls down to 1000m were made at intervals between the main stations to examine the gross community changes which occurred from north to south in this region which is the transition one between where thermal stratification is permanent and where it occurs only seasonally.
Chief scientistMartin V Angel (Institute of Oceanographic Sciences Wormley Laboratory)
Cruise reportRRS Discovery D146 cruise report d146.pdf (1.19 MB) 
Ocean/sea areas 
GeneralNorth East Atlantic Ocean (limit 40W)
SpecificE. Atlantic
Track chartsRRS Discovery D146 cruise track — trk3007.html
Measurements 
Physical oceanography 
Surface measurements underway (T,S)Quantity: track kilometres = 4630
Description: on disc
Water bottle stationsQuantity: number of stations = 27
CTD stationsQuantity: number of stations = 31
Description: on disc
Subsurface temperature and salinity measurementsQuantity: track kilometres = 2722.44
Description: on disc
Transparency (eg transmissometer)Quantity: 31
Description: on disc
Optics (eg underwater light levels)Quantity: 13
Description: light profile;on disc
Current metersDescription: 5 c.m.deployed;5 c.m.recovered;3x5/2x35 days
Chemical oceanography 
OxygenQuantity: 4
PhosphateQuantity: 281
NitrateQuantity: 281
SilicateQuantity: 281
Biology and fisheries 
Primary productivityQuantity: 4
Phytoplankton pigs (eg chlorophyll, fluorescence)Quantity: 5
ZooplanktonQuantity: 92
SestonQuantity: 11
Description: on disc
NektonQuantity: 184
Pelagic fishQuantity: number of hauls = 92
Description: survey:taxonomy,distribution,biomass determination
Meteorology 
Routine standard measurements
Data held at BODC Get data
Series/Profiles 
30  CTD/STD cast
Transmittance and attenuance of the water column
Salinity of the water column
Temperature of the water column
Vertical spatial coordinates
Dissolved oxygen parameters in the water column
Visible waveband radiance and irradiance measurements in the water column
Transmittance and attenuance of the water column
Salinity of the water column
Temperature of the water column
Vertical spatial coordinates
Dissolved oxygen parameters in the water column
Visible waveband radiance and irradiance measurements in the water column

BODC idDate/TimeLocationDoc.
4370721984-04-01 20:20 39° 35' 24" N  14° 49' 23" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437072
4371271984-04-08 07:48 45° 37' 54" N  13° 51' 6" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437127
4371401984-04-11 20:55 45° 46' 50" N  13° 32' 52" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437140
4371761984-04-13 08:52 44° 1' 13" N  14° 9' 29" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437176
4372321984-04-15 22:20 39° 30' 23" N  14° 59' 35" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437232
4372931984-04-18 19:31 39° 36' 37" N  15° 1' 16" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437293
4373121984-04-20 02:31 39° 40' 46" N  15° 3' 56" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437312
4371031984-04-02 22:37 39° 35' 8" N  14° 49' 18" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437103
4371641984-04-12 02:26 45° 49' 54" N  13° 40' 54" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437164
4370471984-04-01 00:32 39° 33' 33" N  15° 10' 56" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437047
4371521984-04-11 23:34 45° 54' 29" N  13° 36' 22" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437152
4372071984-04-14 01:45 42° 30' 32" N  14° 30' 28" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437207
4373241984-04-20 08:23 39° 42' 55" N  15° 2' 51" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437324
4372441984-04-16 04:33 39° 38' 20" N  14° 47' 57" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437244
4370601984-04-01 06:50 39° 20' 53" N  14° 52' 21" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437060
4371881984-04-13 14:55 43° 51' 54" N  14° 10' 29" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437188
4372681984-04-18 07:32 39° 34' 54" N  14° 58' 45" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437268
4371151984-04-03 08:52 39° 36' 37" N  14° 50' 55" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437115
4370591984-04-01 03:42 39° 34' 3" N  14° 51' 42" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437059
4370111984-03-31 10:40 39° 33' 29" N  14° 37' 31" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437011
4370231984-03-31 15:32 39° 30' 24" N  14° 53' 37" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437023
4372561984-04-16 07:33 39° 27' 10" N  14° 45' 7" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437256
4370961984-04-02 19:21 39° 37' 26" N  15° 0' 58" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437096
4372191984-04-14 16:11 40° 59' 34" N  14° 51' 51" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437219
4373001984-04-19 05:32 39° 41' 37" N  15° 4' 31" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437300
4370351984-03-31 19:47 39° 46' 55" N  14° 53' 53" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437035
4370841984-04-02 14:35 39° 38' 31" N  14° 48' 36" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437084
4371391984-04-11 07:06 45° 40' 44" N  13° 50' 34" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437139
4372201984-04-15 14:44 40° 15' 37" N  15° 0' 47" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437220
4372811984-04-18 13:54 39° 45' 33" N  14° 59' 31" W  View metadata report for BODC series reference number 437281