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RRS Discovery D276
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RRS Discovery (74E3) |
| Cruise identifier | D276 |
| Cruise period | 2003-12-08 — 2003-12-21 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Fortaleza, Brazil |
| Port of return | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | The cruise was a German contribution to the CLIVAR programme. The intention was to build upon the data gathered during the World Ocean Circulation Experiment. The spreading of Antarctic Bottom Water in the South Atlantic is seen as an integral limb of the global thermohaline circulation. During the last 30 years, there has been a marked rise in bottom water temperature which is thought to be significantly relevant for climate change. It was the purpose of the cruise to deploy two subsurface moorings at the entrance of the Vema Channel. They are designed to monitor physical property fluctuations during the coming 16 months. |
| Chief scientist | Walter Zenk (Institute of Marine Sciences, Kiel) |
| Project | CLIVAR - marine 2 |
| Coordinating body | BMBF Berlin through AWI Bremerhaven |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | South Atlantic Ocean |
| Specific | Rio Grande Passage; Rio Grande Rise; Vema Channel and extension; northern edge of Santos Plateau |
| Measurements | |
| Physical oceanography | |
| CTD stations | Quantity: number of profiles = 18 Description: Full depth, hydrographic and optical parameters, no LADCP. CTD stations were located in the Vema Channel extension and north of the Santos Plateau. |
| Subsurface temperature and salinity measurements | Description: Hydrographic surface data were collected routinely and transmitted to the French CORIOLIS data centre at IFREMER in Brest. Data were made public globally in near-real time via GTS. |
| Moorings, landers, buoys | |
| Physical oceanography | |
| Current meters | 31° 15' 0" S 39° 19' 0" W — 4 current meters - near bottom subsurface moorings deployed on 17 December 2003 |
| Current meters | 31° 16' 0" S 39° 27' 0" W — 3 current meters and 3 temp. loggers - near bottom subsurface moorings deployed on 17 December 2003 |
| Other physical oceanographic measurements | 31° 16' 0" S 39° 27' 0" W — 3 current meters and 3 temp. loggers - near bottom subsurface moorings deployed on 17 December 2003 |
