RRS James Clark Ross Cruises JR265 and JR254D, 27 Nov-24 Dec 2011. Part 1: The Drake Passage hydrographic repeat section SR1b

Abstract

This report describes the 17th complete occupation of the Drake Passage CTD section, established during the World Ocean Circulation Experiment as repeat section SR1b. It was
first occupied by National Oceanography Centre (previously IOSDL and then SOC) in collaboration with the British Antarctic Survey in 1993, and has been re-occupied most years since then. Thirty two full depth stations were performed during JR265: two test stations, and all 30 of the nominal stations for the SR1b Drake Passage section. An initial result is that the estimated total transport measured across the section was 133 Sv which compares well to an average transport measured from the 16 previous UK cruises of 135 Sv (standard deviation of 7 Sv).

In conjunction with the hydrographic cruise, a "Waves Aerosol and Gas Exchange Study" (WAGES) intensive observation cruise JR245D was also carried out. WAGES involves continuous measurement of the air-sea turbulent fluxes of CO2, sea spray aerosol, momentum and sensible and latent heat fluxes, plus directional sea-state and whitecap parameters using systems installed on the ship in May 2010. In addition to the continuous measurements, a number of intensive observation periods (IOPs) have been carried out by WAGES staff on board the ship. These involve deployments of a spar buoy to measure wave breaking and an aerial camera system to measure whitecap fraction. The activities of JR254D are summarised here, but are described in detail in a separate cruise report. Cruise JR264 was carried out by NOC-L staff at the same time as JR265 and JR254D. JR264 is also the subject of a separate cruise report.

The CTD was an underwater SBE 9 plus unit equipped with the following sensors: dual temperature and conductivity sensors, a pressure sensor encased in the SBE underwater unit, a SBE-43 oxygen probe, an Aquatracka MKIII fluorometer, a transmissometer, an upwardlooking downwelling PAR sensor, and an altimeter. A downward-looking LADCP (RDI Workhorse Monitor 300 kHz) was deployed on all stations. Various underway measurements were obtained, including navigation, VM-ADCP, sea surface temperature and salinity, water depth and various meteorological parameters. A practical aim during this cruise was to update the detailed guides for each of the hydrographic data streams which were first written during
JR195 in 2009. The hydrographic data analysis was performed using "MSTAR", a suite of Matlab programs developed at NOCS by Brian King and used on the JCR for the first time during JR195.

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