RRS Frederick Russell FR7/84
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RRS Frederick Russell (74GG) |
| Cruise identifier | FR7/84 |
| Cruise period | 1984-04-18 — 1984-05-01 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Falmouth, United Kingdom |
| Port of return | Plymouth, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | To investigate benthic invertebrate community structure (macrobenthos and meiobenthos) across the Shelf break and down the Continental Slope, as it relates to production and sedimentation processes in the water column.
(a) To collect and process a series of replicate benthic samples from eight stations between 170 and 4,500m depth for subsequent analysis in the laboratory on return to Plymouth. (b) To measure in situ and on deck primary production at seven stations and to partition production into different size-classes of phytoplankton: to measure the abundance and vertical distribution of phytoplankton, bacteria and flagellates: to measure bacterial production throughout the water column. To obtain concentrated samples for culturing of cyanobacteria and for TEM examination. (c) To deploy and recover sediment traps at two stations at the Shelf break, and to service a sediment trap array off Plymouth. (d) To test the Undulating Oceanographic Recorder sensor and recording packages: to modify servo control logic: to adjust servo gain circuitry/crank arm leverage: to continue bridal/wing configuration trials: to run a standard sampling transect for environmental parameters and fish eggs across the Shelf edge and Great Sole Bank. Additionally, to obtain undisturbed cores of deep-sea sediment for analysis of distribution of natural radionuclides (for E I Hamilton, IMER) and to obtain living specimens of the sipunculans Aspidosiphon muelleri and Phascolion strombi for chemical analysis of body fluids (for P Gibbs, MBA). |
| Chief scientist | Richard Warwick (Institute of Marine Environmental Research, Plymouth) |
| Cruise report |  (0.23 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | North East Atlantic Ocean (limit 40W) |
| Specific | Western Approaches/ Porcupine Sea Bight |
| Track charts |  |
| Measurements | |
| Biology and fisheries | |
| Primary productivity | Quantity: number of stations = 7 |
| Phytoplankton pigs (eg chlorophyll, fluorescence) | Quantity: number of stations = 7 |
| Sediment traps | Quantity: number of deployments = 2 |
| Phytoplankton | Quantity: number of stations = 7 |
| Pelagic bacteria/micro-organisms | Quantity: number of stations = 7 |
| Zoobenthos | Quantity: number of stations = 7 Description: survey:distribution,biomass determination,energy transfers,population |
| Geology and geophysics | |
| Grab | Quantity: number of samples = 30 Description: day grab,for biological studies |
| Core - soft bottom | Quantity: number of cores = 16 Description: box corer,physical analysis for biological studies |
