RV Cefas Endeavour 4A/03
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RV Cefas Endeavour (74E9) |
| Cruise identifier | 4A/03 |
| Cruise period | 2003-05-25 — 2003-06-16 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Lowestoft, United Kingdom |
| Port of return | Lowestoft, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | 1. To survey dredged material disposal sites at the Souter Point (Tyne), North Tyne (Tyne), Tees Bay, Inner Gabbard (outer Thames estuary), Roughs Tower (off Harwich), Nab Tower (Isle of Wight) and Rame Head (off Plymouth). Also, Falmouth for benthos and for trace metal and organic contaminants in sediments, using grabbing, coring and acoustic methods.
2. To apply a range of sampling methodologies at a number of dredged material disposal and aggregate extraction sites, to assist in the development of environmental indicators for these activities. 3. To sample representative NMMP locations using grabbing, coring, acoustic and trawl methods for trace metal and organic contaminants, litter and the epi-, macro-, meio- and micro fauna. 4. To sample surface waters at representative offshore and intermediate NMMP locations for salinity, nutrients and chlorophyll. 5. To sample the benthos and sediments for time-series studies using the Hamon grab, in the vicinity of aggregate extraction sites off the Isle of Wight and Lowestoft. 6. To conduct time-series studies at gravelly locations following cessation of aggregate dredging, using grabbing, trawling, photographic and acoustic (including multibeam bathymetry) techniques. 7. To sample horse-mussels from the Humber/Wash area for later analyses of contaminants in flesh. 8. To sample the sediments and benthos off the Tyne for time-series studies using grab, core and beam trawl and continuation of sampling within a temporal box. 9. To conduct habitat mapping surveys at a range of sites impacted by anthropogenic activities using grabbing, coring, trawling, photographic and acoustic (including multibeam bathymetry) techniques. 10. To carry out a short sidescan sonar survey at an aggregate extraction site in the outer Wash. 11. To undertake a broadscale survey of an area of seabed between Dungeness and Hastings using acoustic, photographic and biological sampling techniques. 12. To acoustically survey and collect samples from a western English Channel site for comparison with existing samples from the eastern English Channel. |
| Chief scientist | David Stephen Limpenny (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science Lowestoft Laboratory) |
| Cruise programme |  (0.14 MB) |
| Cruise report | (0.20 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | English Channel North Sea |
| Track charts | (0.07 MB) |
| Measurements | |
| Physical oceanography | |
| Bathythermograph | Description: multi beam bathymetry survey of the Souter Point disposal site. |
| Water bottle stations | Description: Samples taken to assess TBT levels in suspended particulate matter. |
| Chemical oceanography | |
| Phosphate | Description: Surface waters collected for nutrients, suspended load, salinity and chlorophyll. |
| Nitrate | Description: Surface waters collected for nutrients, suspended load, salinity and chlorophyll. |
| Nitrite | Description: Surface waters collected for nutrients, suspended load, salinity and chlorophyll. |
| Silicate | Description: Surface waters collected for nutrients, suspended load, salinity and chlorophyll. |
| Other chemical oceanographic measurements | Description: Samples taken to assess TBT levels in suspended particulate matter. |
| Other chemical oceanographic measurements | Description: Surface waters collected for nutrients, suspended load, salinity and chlorophyll. |
| Contamination | |
| Trace metals | Description: Sediment samples collected for heavy metal contaminants. |
| Biology and fisheries | |
| Phytoplankton pigs (eg chlorophyll, fluorescence) | Description: Surface waters collected for nutrients, suspended load, salinity and chlorophyll. |
| Demersal fish | Description: 2-m beam trawl tows. |
| Molluscs | Description: Newhaven Scallop dredge deployed to collect Modiolus for contaminant analysis. |
| Geology and geophysics | |
| Grab | Description: Sampling using Day grab, Shipek grab and Hamon grabs. |
| Core - soft bottom | Description: Bowers and Connelly multi-corer. |
| Bottom photography | Description: video sledge tows made to contribute towards a better understanding of the habitats within the survey area. |
| Long/short range side scan sonar | Description: sidescan sonar survey of the Souter Point disposal site was conducted. |
