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RRS James Clark Ross JR20090114 (JR224)
Cruise summary report
Cruise Info. | |
Ship name (ship code) | RRS James Clark Ross (74JC) |
Cruise identifier | JR20090114 (JR224) |
Cruise period | 2009-01-14 — 2009-02-19 |
Status | Completed |
Port of departure | Punta Arenas, Chile |
Port of return | Stanley, Falkland Islands (Malvinas) |
Purpose | Research |
Objectives | JR224 was the first of three cruises funded as part of the 'Chemosynthetically-driven Ecosystems South of the Polar Front: Biogeography and Ecology' consortium programme (ChEsSo). The consortium comprises the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, the British Antarctic Survey, the Institute of Zoology, and the universities of Bristol and Newcastle. The main aim of this cruise was to constrain hydrothermal vent and cold seep locations in the East Scotia Sea, so that the second consortium cruise can go directly to them and carry out detailed investigations using the Isis remotely-operated vehicle. The cruise was very successful in constraining hydrothermal vent locations on both the East Scotia Ridge and the South Sandwich volcanic arc. A mound investigated in the South Sandwich forearc appears not to be a mud volcano, as previously thought, but evidence of methane seepage was found at a location on the South Georgia continental shelf. An additional significant discovery was a previously unknown, hydrothermally active, submerged caldera adjacent to a seamount that is part of the South Sandwich volcanic arc. |
Chief scientist | Robert D Larter (British Antarctic Survey) |
Project | Chemosynthetically-driven Ecosystems South of the Polar Front: Biogeography and Ecology (ChEsSO) |
Coordinating body | National Oceanography Centre, Southampton |
Cruise report | (40 MB) |
Ocean/sea areas | |
General | South Atlantic Ocean Southern Ocean |
Specific | East Scotia Sea, around southern part of South Sandwich Island Arc, southwestern part of South Georgia continental shelf and eastern margin of Shag Rocks microcontinental block. |
Track charts | (0.23 MB) |
Measurements | |
Physical oceanography | |
Surface measurements underway (T,S) | Quantity: activity duration in days = 35 Description: BAS oceanlogger, temperature, conductivity |
Water bottle stations | Quantity: number of stations = 45 Description: Niskin bottles on CTD, sampled for methane, trace metals, nutrients, Fe/Mn & PO4 |
CTD stations | Quantity: number of stations = 537 Description: Seabird CTD, C, T, O2, Tx, light scattering, fluorometer, PAR |
Subsurface temperature and salinity measurements | Quantity: activity duration in days = 2 Description: BRIDGET towed platform, T, C, light scattering, Tx, O2 |
Current profiler (eg ADCP) | Quantity: activity duration in days = 7 Description: RDI 75 kHz ADCP |
Biology and fisheries | |
Pelagic bacteria/micro-organisms | Quantity: number of stations = 9 Description: Filtered samples from Niskin bottles, for DGGE and clone library analyses |
Acoustic reflection on marine organisms. | Quantity: activity duration in days = 26 Description: Kongsberg EK60, backscatter amplitudes at 38, 120 and 200 kHz |
Meteorology | |
Routine standard measurements | Quantity: activity duration in days = 35 Description: BAS oceanlogger, temperature, pressure, wind speed and direction |
Geology and geophysics | |
Core - soft bottom | Quantity: number of stations = 2 Description: Box cores, for organic geochemistry and sedimentation rate |
Bottom photography | Quantity: activity duration in hours = 96.5 Description: Seabed High Resolution IMaging Platform (SHRIMP), sea-floor video imagery |
Single-beam echosounding | Quantity: activity duration in days = 33 Description: Kongsberg EA600, water depth and reflection amplitude |
Multi-beam echosounding | Quantity: activity duration in days = 33 Description: Kongsberg EM120, water depth and backscatter amplitude |
Magnetic measurements | Quantity: activity duration in days = 5 Description: SeaSpy proton precession magnetometer, total field |
Magnetic measurements | Quantity: activity duration in days = 33 Description: BAS shipboard three-component magnetometer, x-y-z components of field |
Other geological/geophysical measurements | Quantity: activity duration in days = 33 Description: TOPAS PS018 parametric sub-bottom profiler, reflection amplitude and travel time |