FRV Explorer 4B/76
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | FRV Explorer (74EX) |
| Cruise identifier | 4B/76 |
| Cruise period | 1976-05-26 — 1976-06-04 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Aberdeen, United Kingdom |
| Port of return | Aberdeen, United Kingdom |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | To continue and complete the joint IMER/DAFS/MAFF contribution to the Fladen Ground experiment (FLEX)
1) To describe the horizontal variability of the physical, chemical and biological processes over the FLEX box by making a number of passes over the 7 legs of the grid 2) To describe the vertical variability of the physical, chemical and biological processes at stations 1-9 3) To measure the rates of selected processes (primary productivity, sedimentation etc.) The UOR and CPR were used for plankton sampling in the Flex box, and a fourth survey of the box was done using the High Speed Loch Ewe net. An intercalibration exercise was done with ''Meteor'' on the 02/06/1976. The sedimentation traps were anchored. A Longhurst-Hardy plankton recorder was deployed |
| Chief scientist | James A Adams (Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland Aberdeen Marine Laboratory), John H Steele (Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland Aberdeen Marine Laboratory) |
| Cruise report |  (0.20 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | North Sea |
| Measurements | |
| Physical oceanography | |
| Surface measurements underway (T,S) | |
| Water bottle stations | Quantity: number of stations = 42 Description: Measurements from both parts of the cruise: 86 sub surface |
| Subsurface temperature and salinity measurements | |
| Chemical oceanography | |
| Phosphate | Quantity: 40 Description: Measurements from both parts of the cruise |
| Nitrate | Quantity: 42 Description: Measurements from both parts of the cruise |
| Nitrite | Quantity: 42 Description: Measurements from both parts of the cruise |
| Total - N | Quantity: 3 Description: Measurements from both parts of the cruise |
| Silicate | Quantity: 40 Description: Measurements from both parts of the cruise |
| Biology and fisheries | |
| Primary productivity | Quantity: 7 Description: Measurements from both parts of the cruise |
| Phytoplankton pigs (eg chlorophyll, fluorescence) | Quantity: 42 Description: Measurements from both parts of the cruise |
| Particulate organic matter (inc POC, PON) | Quantity: 6 Description: Measurements from both parts of the cruise |
| Phytoplankton | |
| Zooplankton | Description: survey population, physiology etc |
| Other biological/fisheries measurement | Description: sedimentation rates and nutrient kinetics. Sets of 5 settlement traps were deployed and recovered 8 times during the cruise |
| Meteorology | |
| Routine standard measurements |
