RRS James Clark Ross JR20051205 (JR138, JR139)
Cruise summary report
| Cruise Info. | |
| Ship name (ship code) | RRS James Clark Ross (74JC) |
| Cruise identifier | JR20051205 (JR138, JR139) |
| Cruise period | 2005-12-05 — 2005-12-17 |
| Status | Completed |
| Port of departure | Stanley, Falkland Islands (Malvinas) |
| Port of return | Rothera, Antarctica |
| Purpose | Research |
| Objectives | Eleventh occupation of the Drake Passage section (Burdwood Bank to Elephant Island), established during the World Ocean Circulation Experiment as repeat section SR1b, first occupied by Southampton Oceanography Centre (now the National Oceanography Centre) in collaboration with the British Antarctic Survey in 1993, and re-occupied most years since then.
The main objectives are: 1. To determine the interannual variability of the position, structure and transport of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) in Drake Passage 2. To examine the fronts associated with the ACC, and to determine their positions and strengths 3. By comparing geostrophic velocities with those measured directly (by the lowered ADCP), to determine the size of ageostrophic motions, and to attempt to estimate the barotropic components 4. To examine the temperature and salinity structure of the water flowing through Drake Passage, and to identify thereby the significant water masses 5. To calculate the total flux of water through Drake Passage by combining all available measurements This cruise was run in conjunction with JR138 |
| Chief scientist | Kate Stansfield (University of Southampton School of Ocean and Earth Science) |
| Project | Drake Passage repeats |
| Coordinating body | NOCS |
| Cruise report |  (3.54 MB) |
| Ocean/sea areas | |
| General | South West Atlantic Ocean (limit 20W) |
| Specific | South Atlantic Ocean, Drake Passage |
| Track charts | (0.60 MB) |
| Measurements | |
| Physical oceanography | |
| Surface measurements underway (T,S) | Quantity: activity duration in days = 9 Description: Oceanlogger: SBE45 Conductivity, temperature, depth. Turner Designs 10-AU Fluorometer. Continuous sampling. Intake ~ 6-m depth. |
| CTD stations | Quantity: number of stations = 30 Description: Vertical profiles, continuous recording. Temperature, conductivity, pressure, oxygen, transmissivity, fluorescence. |
| CTD stations | Quantity: number of samples = 328 Description: Water samples for salinometer salinity determinations at the 30 CTD stations |
| CTD stations | Quantity: number of samples = 328 Description: SBE35 High Precision Thermometer. 11 seconds of data recorded every time a water sample was collected |
| Current profiler (eg ADCP) | Quantity: activity duration in days = 9 Description: Velocity profiles. Vessel-mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (VM-ADCP) 75 kHz RD Instruments Ocean Surveyor (OS75) 8-m vertical bins, 120 second averages |
| Current profiler (eg ADCP) | Quantity: number of stations = 30 Description: Lowered ADCP measurements, single downward looking 300kHz RDI. Full-depth profiles. |
| Meteorology | |
| Routine standard measurements | Quantity: activity duration in days = 9 Description: Standard meterological measurements by automated sensor package on JCR |
