My Cruise

Ship

R/V Knorr

Vehicles

Cruise Party

Jason Gobat: Principal Investigator
Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington 1013 NE 40th St Seattle, WA USA 98105-6698
+1 206 543 2439
jgobat@apl.washington.edu

Craig Lee: Chief Scientist
Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington 1013 NE 40th St Seattle, WA USA 98105-6698
+1 206 685 7656
craig@apl.washington.edu

Departure: Nuuk, Greenland on Oct 2, 2011

Arrival: Nuuk, Greenland on Oct 22, 2011

Mobilization Date: Sep 30, 2011

Demobilization Date: Oct 23, 2011

Supporting documentation:

Operations Area: Davis Strait region, from Southern Baffin Bay to Northern Labrador Sea (61 N - 74 N).

Lat/Lon:

Depth Range: min / max (m)

Will the vessel be operating within 200 NM of a foreign country? Greenland, Canada
Are visas or special travel documents required? no

Science objectives

As part of a coordinated international effort to quantify (and eventually monitor) the variability of fluxes connecting the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans and to understand the role played by the Arctic and sub-Arctic in steering decadal scale climate variability, an integrated observing system will provide year-round measurements of volume, liquid freshwater and ice fluxes across Davis Strait. Fluxes through the Strait represent the net integrated Canadian Archipelago throughflow, modified by terrestrial inputs and oceanic processes during its southward transit through Baffin Bay. By the time they reach Davis Strait, Arctic waters already embody most of the transformations they undergo prior to exerting their influence on the deepwater formation sites in the Labrador Sea. This makes the Strait an ideal site for monitoring temporal and spatial variability in the critical upstream boundary condition for Labrador Sea convection. Measurements at Davis Strait will be used to study how fluctuations in the Arctic freshwater system modulate deep water formation to the south, thus influencing the associated meridional overturning circulation (MOC).

The system employs complementary techniques, combining mature technologies with recent developments in autonomous gliders (presently undertaking their first extended science missions) to address all aspects of flow through Davis Strait, including some measurements that have not previously been technologically feasible. System components include: 

• A sparse array of five subsurface moorings, each instrumented with an upward looking sonar, an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) and a single conductivity-temperature (CT) sensor, will provide time series of upper ocean currents, ice velocity and ice thickness. These measurements will be used to estimate the ice component of freshwater flux, provide an absolute velocity reference for geostrophic shears calculated from Seaglider hydrographic sections, and derive error estimates for our lower-frequency flux calculations.
• Seven trawl and iceberg resistant bottom landers, instrumented with ADCPs and CT sensors, will be deployed across the Baffin and Greenland shelves to quantify variability associated with strong, narrow coastal flows.
• Acoustically navigated Seagliders will provide year-round, repeated, high-resolution hydrographic sections across the Strait.  The resulting sections will be combined with the moored array data to produce sections of absolute geostrophic velocity and to estimate volume and freshwater fluxes. The glider navigation system includes eight acoustic sources operating at 780 Hz, 180 db. Each source will transmit 3-6 times per day, with each transmission lasting approximately 90 seconds. Sources will be anchored at widely spaced positions (roughly 50-100 km separation) north and south of the mooring line.

By quantifying, with robust error estimates, the spatial and temporal variability of the Canadian Archipelago throughflow system at a location critical for assessing its impact on deep water formation in the North Atlantic, this observing system will make a major contribution to SEARCH and ARCSS objectives.  In addition to the immediate impacts of improved estimates of freshwater inputs to the Labrador Sea, the array will provide an initial data set with which to study the relationships between Arctic freshwater system variability and large scale atmospheric fluctuations (e.g. the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)). The combination of emerging and existing technologies implemented in the observing system may serve as a prototype for accurate long-term monitoring of freshwater and ice fluxes in high latitude environments subject to seasonal or permanent ice cover. Finally, acoustically navigated autonomous gliders capable of extended missions in ice covered environments will provide a significant new observational tool, opening important regions of high latitude oceans to intensive measurement programs.

 

This project involves one cruise per year (September/October 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) to service the moored array. During these cruises, we would like to conduct limited hydrographic surveys of the Davis Strait region (please see attached chart), during which we will measure temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll concentration and selected chemical properties. To facilitate proper deployment of the moored array, we would also like to conduct a bathymetric survey. This would be performed using the R/V Knorr’s multi-beam system at the start of the 2004 field effort. In addition to these cruises, smaller filed operation will be conducted from chartered fishing boats (likely from Nuuk) to service Seagliders. The glider effort will entail at least one small boat operation per year (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010), with additional excursions undertaken as necessary to rescue and service vehicles experiencing unexpected problems.

Science Activities

Activities will include:

• Hydrographic surveys of the Davis Strait region, during which we will measure temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll concentration and selected chemical properties.
• Recovery and deployment of the Davis Strait mooring array.
• Deployment of 4 Greenlandic moorings for the acoustic monitoring of marine mammals.
• Deployment of Seaglider long-endurance autonomous gliders.

Pre-cruise planning meeting: Teleconference

Stations:

Funding Agency: NSF #ARC1022472

- added NSF #ARC1022472 on Aug 30, 2011 4:53 PM by Dr Craig Michael Lee

R/V Knorr

Shipboard Equipment

Bathymetry System 12 kHz
ADCP 300 kHz
Multibeam
ARGOS RDF
Deionized Water System
Science Underway Seawater System
ADCP 75 kHz

Shipboard Communication

Basic Internet access via HiSeasNet

CTD/Water Sampling

911+ Rosette 24-position, 10-liter bottle Rosette with dual T/C sensors
SBE43 oxygen sensor
Seapoint STM turbidity sensor
Wet Labs C*Star transmissometer (660nm wavelength)
Wet Labs ECO-AFL fluorometer

Critical CTD Sensors: 

Hydrographic Analysis Equipment

Dissolved Oxygen Titration System (Brinkmann Titrator)

MET Sensors

Air temperature
Barometric Pressure
Precipitation
Relative Humidity
Short Wave Solar Radiation
Wind speed and direction

Sample Storage

Freezer -70°C 25 cu. ft.
Freezer -70°C 3.2 cu. ft. ea.


Storage Notes:

Navigation

Will you be using Long Base Line (LBL) navigation? no

Will you be using Doppler/GPS navigation? no

Navigation

GPS

Navigation Notes:

Winches

CTD Winch with .322" Electro-mechanical wire
Mooring / TSE winch
Trawl Winch with 9/16th trawl wire

Winch Notes: trawl winch would be used only if we needed to drag for moorings.



Wire Notes:

Slip ring required? no	Number of conductors:
Non-standard wire required? no	Type:
Traction winch required? no	Describe:

Other Science Vans:

Specialized Deck Equipment

Mooring Deployment/Recovery Equipment Required: no	Type:
Cruise Specific Science Winch Required: no	Type:
Nets Required: no	Type:

Over the Side Equipment

Will you be bringing any equipment (winches, blocks, etc.) that lowers instruments over the side? no

Special Requirements

Elecrical Power: no	Identify:
Equipment Handling: no	Identify:
Inter/intraship Communications: no	Identify:
Science Stowage: no	Identify:
Water: no	Identify:

Additional Cruise Items/Activities

Explosive Devices: no Portable Air Compressors: no Flammable Gases: no

Small Boat Operations: yes SCUBA Diving Operations: no

Hazardous Material

Will hazardous material be utilized? yes

Describe deployment method and quantity:
LI primary batteries in gliders

Radioactive Material

Radioiosotopes: no

Additional Information

Is night time work anticipated on this cruise? yes

Specialized tech support (Seabeam, coring, other): 

Other required equipment and special needs: 
Date Submitted: Aug 30, 2011 5:05 PM by Dr Craig Michael Lee