RRS Discovery D237
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RRS Discovery (74E3) |
| Cruise identifier | D237 |
| Cruise period | 1998-09-24 — 1998-10-08 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Southampton, United Kingdom |
| Port of return | Southampton, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | The sixth of a series of cruises within a 3-year contract, BENGAL, funded under the MAST III programme of the EU to study seasonal changes in the Abyssal benthos. The cruise programme was designed to complete a full seasonal sampling programme at a single, Abyssal locality on the Porcupine Abyssal Plain. The last short cruise of the BENGAL project (D237) aimed to fill the gaps in seasonal sampling of sediment and fauna, and to recover long-term moorings. |
| Chief scientist | Myriam Sibuet (IFREMER, Brest) |
| Project | MASTIII-BENGAL |
| Coordinating body | SOC |
| Cruise report |  (2.15 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | North East Atlantic Ocean (limit 40W) |
| Specific | Porcupine Abyssal Plain |
| Measurements | |
| Physical oceanography | |
| Water bottle stations | Quantity: number of stations = 2 Description: Deep casts using CTD, transmissometer, nephelometer and bottles (4850m) |
| Water bottle stations | Quantity: number of stations = 2 Description: Shallow casts using CTD transmissometer, nephelometer and bottles |
| CTD stations | Quantity: number of stations = 2 Description: Deep casts using CTD, transmissometer, nephelometer and bottles (4850m) |
| CTD stations | Quantity: number of stations = 2 Description: Shallow casts using CTD transmissometer, nephelometer and bottles |
| Transparency (eg transmissometer) | Quantity: number of stations = 2 Description: Shallow casts using CTD transmissometer, nephelometer and bottles |
| Transparency (eg transmissometer) | Quantity: number of stations = 2 Description: Deep casts using CTD, transmissometer, nephelometer and bottles (4850m) |
| Other physical oceanographic measurements | Quantity: number of stations = 2 Description: Deep casts using CTD, transmissometer, nephelometer and bottles (4850m) |
| Other physical oceanographic measurements | Quantity: number of stations = 2 Description: Shallow casts using CTD transmissometer, nephelometer and bottles |
| Biology and fisheries | |
| Zoobenthos | Quantity: number of stations = 5 Description: Plain box USNEL corer (one unsuccessful) |
| Zoobenthos | Quantity: number of hauls = 2 Description: Beam trawl |
| Zoobenthos | Quantity: number of hauls = 2 Description: Otter trawl (semi balloon) |
| Zoobenthos | Quantity: number of stations = 5 Description: Multiple corer (12, 57mm cores/ station) |
| Zoobenthos | Quantity: number of stations = 4 Description: USNEL (vegematic) corer |
| Geology and geophysics | |
| Core - soft bottom | Quantity: number of stations = 4 Description: USNEL (vegematic) corer |
| Core - soft bottom | Quantity: number of stations = 5 Description: Multiple corer (12, 57mm cores/ station) |
| Core - soft bottom | Quantity: number of stations = 5 Description: Plain box USNEL corer (one unsuccessful) |
| Moorings, landers, buoys | |
| Physical oceanography | |
| Transparency (eg transmissometer) | 48° 49' 59" N 16° 30' 0" W — Recovered MAP (Module Autonome Pluridisciplinaire) laid 04/03/1998 (all within 20 nmiles) |
| Current meters | 48° 49' 59" N 16° 30' 0" W — Recovered MAP (Module Autonome Pluridisciplinaire) laid 04/03/1998 (all within 20 nmiles) |
| Other physical oceanographic measurements | 48° 49' 59" N 16° 30' 0" W — Recovered MAP (Module Autonome Pluridisciplinaire) laid 04/03/1998 (all within 20 nmiles) |
| Biology and fisheries | |
| Sediment traps | 48° 49' 59" N 16° 30' 0" W — Recovered MAP (Module Autonome Pluridisciplinaire) laid 04/03/1998 (all within 20 nmiles) |
| Zoobenthos | 48° 55' 1" N 16° 27' 54" W — Recovered MAC recolonisation expt. |
| Data held at BODC | |
| Discrete samples | |
| 4 CTD frame plus rosette sampler | Temperature of the water column Salinity of the water column Raw suspended particulate material concentration sensor output Raw fluorometer output |
