An OACES Section along 24N in the Atlantic Ocean
Trans-Atlantic line -- January 8 to February 24, 1998

Introduction

The 1998 cruise along 24N in the Atlantic Ocean aboard the R/V RONALD H. BROWN consists of two legs. The first leg is scheduled to leave Miami on January 8 and arrive into the Canary Islands on January 21, 1998. The The second leg will then depart Las Palmas on January 23 and arrive into Charleston, S.C. on February 24, 1998.

The tracklines for both legs of the cruise will be identical. The first leg will deploy XBTs to sample the temperature in the upper 750 meters. Underway measurements including shipboard ADCP and Carbon partial pressures will also be obtained. The second leg will include some collection of WOCE type measurements including CTD, lowered-ADCP, discrete total carbon and other carbon species, chlorofluorocarbons and nutrients. Preliminary station positions can be found here).

Shipboard ADCP data will be collected continuously, and the CTD will be fitted with a 150 kHz Lowered ADCP (LADCP) for two-dimensional velocity profiling at each station. ADCP and LADCP will be used to estimate the wind driven currents (Ekman flux).

Motivation

This cruise is sponsored by NOAAs Office of Global Programs in an effort to quantify the inventories and fluxes of carbon within the worlds oceans and complete the world survey (the joint program of NOAA and DOE). More details can be found here.

Cruise Track

The cruise track will include a short section along 27N in the Straits of Florida where long term cable and Pegasus measurements have been made over the past decade. Cable measurements and Sea level gauges should be operational during the cruise. The track continues along 26.5N off the coast of Abaco

where long term current meter moorings and repeated hydrographic observations give a good estimate of the mean circulation. The section continues until 71W, then jogs down to 24.5 N by 69W. The 24.5N latitude is sampled until clearance difficulties cause the section to divert northward into the coast of Africa.

Sampling

The cruise will use the PMEL supplied 36 position 10 liter bottle rosette for the primary hydrographic work on Leg 2. We will use AOMLs 24 position 10 liter bottle rosette and PMELs heavy weather 24 position 4 liter bottle rosette as backups. Bottle sampling will follow WOCE guidelines, some details of which can be found here. Full water column sampling at each station will be included.

Logistics

The latest Ronald Brown ship schedule can be found here.

Leg 1:

Scientific personnel and observers should plan to arrive in Miami no later than January 6. All personnel for leg 1 should check into the ship no later than 8 pm on January 7. Personnel leaving on Leg 1 will spend the night of the January 7 on the Ronald Brown to prepare for the morning departure.

Leg 2:

Scientific personnel and observers should plan to arrive in Las Palmas no later than January 21. All personnel for leg 2 should check into the ship and notify the Chief Scientist no later than 8 pm on January 7. All passports, visa and any necessary forms should be left with the Chief Scientist. Personnel leaving on Leg 1 will spend the night of the January 22 on the Ronald Brown to prepare for the morning departure. Upon arrival into Charleston, personnel from Leg 2 will be able to spend at least one night on the Ronald Brown. Hotel arrangements should be made for any additional stay.

Communication Charges:

Unknown at this time. All PIs should be prepared to make arrangements to pay for all necessary ship-to-shore communications their individual projects incur. More information will be supplied here as it becomes available.

Shipping Agents:

All PIs should be prepared to make arrangements to pay for all necessary shipping costs for their projects. More information will be supplied here as it becomes available.

Norfolk:

NOAA AMC - RONALD H. BROWN
439 W. York Street
Norfolk, VA 23510-1114
Phone: 757-441-6663, 6271, 6659
Fax: 757-635-0678 (ship's cell number, used for fax in port)

Miami:

Dr. Kitack Lee
NOAA/AOML/OCD
4301 Rickenbacker Cswy.
Miami, FL 33149
Tel:305-361-4379
Fax:305-361-4392

Canary Islands:

Unknown at this time

Personnel:

Note that funding levels have note yet been finalized for this cruise. The list below is purely a preliminary list based on AOMLs knowledge of submitted proposals. Some or all of the investigators listed below may not be funded for this cruise.

Principal Investigators

Cruise Participants

Miscellaneous:

General specifications of the Ronald H. Brown including schematics of laboratory spaces can be found here.

Available deck equipment of the Ronald H. Brown can be found here.

Cruise instructions can be found here.

An OACES Section along 24N in the Atlantic Ocean Trans-Atlantic line -- January 8 to February 24, 1998

Sponsored by Ocean Atmosphere Carbon Exchange Program (OACES) Atlantic Climate Change Program (ACCP/ACCE) and NOAAs Environmental Research Laboratories Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL)