RRS Charles Darwin CD179
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RRS Charles Darwin (74AB) |
| Cruise identifier | CD179 |
| Cruise period | 2006-04-14 — 2006-05-17 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Cartagena, Spain |
| Port of return | Falmouth, United Kingdom |
| Objectives | One of a series of cruises studying the biology, geology, biochemistry and physical oceanography of Portuguese Margin canyon systems as part of the EU Integrated Project HERMES (Hotspot Ecosystem Research on the Margins of European Seas).
The cruise was in two legs with a mid-cruise port call in Lisbon on 1 May 2006. Leg 1 focussed on the upper and middle parts of the Lisbon and Setúbal Canyons, which join together at a depth of about 2000m, and the upper and middle Cascais Canyon. Leg 2 sampled the lower Cascais and Setúbal Canyons, and a wide variety of depths in the Nazaré Canyon |
| Chief scientist | David S M Billett (National Oceanography Centre, Southampton) |
| Project | Hotspot Ecosystem Research on the Margins of European Seas (HERMES) |
| Coordinating body | National Oceanography Centre, Southampton |
| Cruise report |  (1.10 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | North East Atlantic Ocean (limit 40W) |
| Specific | Portuguese Continental Margin, Lisbon Canyon, Setubal Canyon, Cascais Canyon, Nazare Canyon |
| Track charts | (0.05 MB) |
| Measurements | |
| Physical oceanography | |
| CTD stations | Quantity: number of stations = 16 Description: CTD used for profiling and mounting standalone pump system. Most casts to within 1m of seabed. Some to only chl. Max <50m |
| Biology and fisheries | |
| Particulate organic matter (inc POC, PON) | Quantity: number of stations = 16 Description: Standalone pump system for large volume filtration of particulate material, Most pumping one to two hours, 5 to 10m above seabed at a veriety of depths in canyons |
| Zoobenthos | Quantity: number of stations = 3 Description: Box corer (USNEL) for geology |
| Zoobenthos | Quantity: number of stations = 4 Description: Piston corer 6 to 9m barrel, canyon geology |
| Zoobenthos | Quantity: number of stations = 44 Description: Megacorer with 100mm and 58mm diameter core tubes for meiofauna, macrofauna and sediment chemistry |
| Geology and geophysics | |
| Core - soft bottom | Quantity: number of stations = 11 Description: Piston corer 6 to 9m barrel, canyon geology |
| Bottom photography | Quantity: number of stations = 22 Description: Shrimp (seabed imaging platform) for video and still photography of the seabed in canyons - only 16 deployments successful |
| Multi-beam echosounding | Quantity: activity duration in hours = 16 Description: Multibeam echo sounding of upper parts of Lisbon and Cascais canyon |
| Long/short range side scan sonar | Quantity: activity duration in hours = 51 Description: Towed ocean bottom instrument (TOBI) side scan survey of Lisbon and Cascais canyons and base of continental slope off Lisbon |
| Moorings, landers, buoys | |
| Biology and fisheries | |
| Nekton | 38° 21' 59" N 9° 52' 59" W — Amphipod trap, deployed on 2 May, recovered 3 May (ST CD 56837 #1) |
| Nekton | 38° 36' 0" N 10° 18' 59" W — Amphipod trap, deployed on 7 May, recovered 8 May (ST CD 56847 #1) |
| Nekton | 38° 8' 59" N 9° 35' 59" W — Amphipod trap, deployed on 25 April, recovered 27 April (ST CD 56817 #1) |
| Nekton | 38° 6' 59" N 9° 57' 59" W — Amphipod trap, deployed on 4 May, recovered 5 May (ST CD 56839 #1) |
| Nekton | 39° 30' 0" N 9° 54' 0" W — Amphipod trap, deployed on 11 May, recovered 12 May (ST CD 56855 #1) |
| Crustaceans | 39° 30' 0" N 9° 54' 0" W — Amphipod trap, deployed on 11 May, recovered 12 May (ST CD 56855 #1) |
| Crustaceans | 38° 36' 0" N 10° 18' 59" W — Amphipod trap, deployed on 7 May, recovered 8 May (ST CD 56847 #1) |
| Crustaceans | 38° 21' 59" N 9° 52' 59" W — Amphipod trap, deployed on 2 May, recovered 3 May (ST CD 56837 #1) |
| Crustaceans | 38° 8' 59" N 9° 35' 59" W — Amphipod trap, deployed on 25 April, recovered 27 April (ST CD 56817 #1) |
| Crustaceans | 38° 6' 59" N 9° 57' 59" W — Amphipod trap, deployed on 4 May, recovered 5 May (ST CD 56839 #1) |
