Characterizing the variability of hydrology and currentology features and particulate fluxes in the two canyons of Planier (station PL1000) and Lacaze-Duthiers (station LD1000), located at the eastern and western edges of the Gulf of Lion.

Cruise D344 was primarily used for the annual servicing of the eastern boundary and mid-Atlantic ridge moorings that form part of the RAPID-MOC mooring array across the North Atlantic at 26°N. In addition, the easternmost western boundary mooring, WB6, was serviced and the trial current meter mooring off the island of Abaco, WB-CM, was recovered. As the Discovery had made a faster passage than anticipated, a number of CTD stations were performed along 24° 30'N to augment the hydrography section scheduled to take place in January 2010. The instruments deployed on the RAPID-MOC array consist of bottom pressure recorders, CTD loggers, and current meters which, combined with time series measurements of the Florida Channel Current, and wind stress estimates, will be used to determine the strength and structure of the MOC at 26.5°N.

This cruise is part of the UK science contribution to the international SOLAS project (Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study www.uea.ac.uk/env/solas/) which aims to advance our understanding of environmentally important interactions between the ocean and the atmosphere. Data collected during the cruise will help to determine the influence of coastal/shelf regions (20-200 km offshore) on microbiological activity in the ocean and chemical interactions between the ocean and the atmosphere. Deep water containing high concentrations of nutrients such as nitrate, and gases such as nitrous oxide and methane, rises to the surface (upwells) at the Mauritanian shelf edge and moves offshore. These nutrients can be chemically altered by sunlight and used by bacteria and microscopic plants to grow. The gases escape to the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. This cruise will sample the upwelled water as it moves offshore measuring its temperature, salinity, nutrient and gas content and the impact this water has on microbiological growth and atmospheric composition in order to improve international global climate models. The cruise has three scientific objectives: 1. To determine the role of upwelling on the supply, loss and air-sea exchange of climatically important gases produced by plankton 2. To determine the role of light in breaking down upwelled and recently produced dissolved organic matter and in producing climatically important trace gases 3. To determine the impact of nutrient enriched upwelled water on the spatial and temporal variability of plankton community structure and activity and resultant influence on biogenic gas flux

Optical (Rrs) and hydrological measurements to determine and quantify particles in suspension and dissolved organic matter at the surface of the water using satellite images. The measurements taken along the Basque country coast are used to validate the algorithms developed using data from the BATEL-1 mission. An additional objective is to supply in-situ optical and hydrological data for the doctoral theses of C. Petus and S.Novoa. The oceanographic mission took place in 2 parts due to a mechanical incident aboard RV Côte de la Manche. The cruise falls under the inter-régional Aquitaine-Euskadi (OOSSEA) programme, CIFRE contract.

Optical (Rrs) and hydrological measurements to determine and quantify particles in suspension and dissolved organic matter at the surface of the water using satellite images. The measurements taken along the Basque country coast are used to validate the algorithms developed using data from the BATEL-1 mission. An additional objective is to supply in-situ optical and hydrological data for the doctoral theses of C. Petus and S.Novoa. The oceanographic mission took place in 2 parts due to a mechanical incident aboard RV Côte de la Manche. The cruise is part of the inter-regional Aquitaine-Euskadi (OOSSEA) programme, CIFRE contract.

Weekly cruise to monitorize physical and chemical variables in Rias Baixas (Galicia)

Weekly cruise to monitorize physical and chemical variables in Rías Altas (Galicia)