RRS Discovery D1
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RRS Discovery (74E3) |
| Cruise identifier | D1 |
| Cruise period | 1963-06-01 — 1963-08-20 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Plymouth, United Kingdom |
| Port of return | Aden, Yemen |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | The first cruise of the RRS Discovery in the Indian Ocean was planned to survey the region off the South Arabian Coast. During the period of the south-west monsoon, active upwelling occurs along this coast and the intention of the survey was initially to delimit the area of upwelling and then to investigate its mechanisms and the ensuing cycle of chemical and biological events. It was hoped in the course of this work to collect as much information as possible which might be of use in the future to the development of any fisheries in this region. |
| Chief scientist | Ronald I Currie (National Institute of Oceanography) |
| Project | International Indian Ocean Expedition |
| Cruise report |  (12.78 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | Red Sea Arabian Sea |
| Specific | Indian Ocean; Red Sea, Arabian Sea, |
| Track charts | (0.28 MB) |
| Measurements | |
| Physical oceanography | |
| Surface measurements underway (T,S) | Description: Recordings throughout the cruise. |
| Bathythermograph | |
| Subsurface temperature and salinity measurements | Description: Recordings throughout the cruise. |
| Instrumented wave measurements | Description: wave recordings taken daily. |
| Chemical oceanography | |
| Oxygen | Description: Routine analysis made for dissolved oxygen, inorganic phosphate, nitrate and silicate. |
| Nitrate | Description: Routine analysis made for dissolved oxygen, inorganic phosphate, nitrate and silicate. |
| Silicate | Description: Routine analysis made for dissolved oxygen, inorganic phosphate, nitrate and silicate. |
| Contamination | |
| Trace metals | Description: Selected stations. |
| Biology and fisheries | |
| Phytoplankton | Description: Fine-mesh nets and water bottle stations used to sample phytoplankton. |
| Zooplankton | Description: 70cm vertical net hauls. |
| Neuston | Quantity: number of hauls = 113 Description: fifteen minute routine hauls. |
| Phytobenthos | Description: Benthos sampling to estimate the ratio of macrobenthos to meiobenthos. |
| Zoobenthos | Description: Benthos sampling to estimate the ratio of macrobenthos to meiobenthos. |
| Birds | Quantity: number of observations = 140 Description: to determine both the qualitative and quantitative distribution of birds in the area of investigation. |
| Acoustic reflection on marine organisms. | |
| Meteorology | |
| Incident radiation | Description: continuous recording. |
