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  • Oceanographic measurements were conducted in the vicinity of the Amery Ice Shelf on two cruises, during the southern summers of 2000/2001 and 2001/2002. A CTD transect parallel to the front of the Amery Ice Shelf was occupied on both cruises, including repeat occupations on each cruise. A total of 100 CTD vertical profile stations were taken near the ice shelf, most to within 20 m of the bottom, and over 1150 Niskin bottle water samples were collected for the measurement of salinity, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, helium, tritium, oxygen 18 and biological parameters, using a 12 bottle rosette sampler mounted on either a 24 or 12 bottle frame. On the first cruise, an additional 39 CTD stations were occupied around an experimental krill survey area in the vicinity of Mawson. Additional CTD stations were taken at the end of each cruise for calibration of CTD instrumentation from borehole sites on the Amery Ice Shelf. Near surface current data were collected on both cruises using a ship mounted ADCP. An array of 9 moorings comprising current meters, thermosalinographs and upward looking sonars were deployed along the ice shelf front in February 2001 during the first cruise, and retrieved on the second cruise in February 2002. A summary of all data and data quality is presented in the data report.

  • Please also see the child records of this project for access to data. Attached to this record are the originally supplied datasets for 1997-1998, and also summary files and mooring diagrams supplied in 2012. Taken from the 2008-2009 Progress Report: Progress against objectives: The key to advancing the objective of understanding ocean processes controlling uptake of atmospheric CO2 is the ability to deploy moored autonomous samplers and sensors in Southern Ocean surface waters capable of quantifying seasonal cycles in biological and biogeochemical processes. Our effort in the last 12 months has focused on development of a robust mooring platform to carry these devices. We deployed two different engineering test designs, known as Pulse 5 Heavy and Pulse 5 Light. Both designs survived 6 months in the sea, including wave heights up to 12 meters, while transmitting mooring tensions, mooring accelerations, and GPS positions live to the internet (www.imos.org.au). Following this success we are preparing to deploy the next version of Pulse with scientific instruments to measure temperature, salinity, oxygen, and phytoplankton fluorescence. In addition we deployed a deep ocean mooring with time-series sediment traps to quantify sinking particle fluxes, and in-situ settling columns to determine particle sinking rates. Taken from the 2009/2010 Progress Report: Progress against objectives: Two voyages were awarded by the Australian Marine National Facility to use RV Southern Surveyor to service these Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) moorings in the 2009/10 season, and for this reason the shiptime awarded to this project by AAS was not needed and was relinquished. This arrangement will continue in 2010/11 for which the MNF has again awarded two voyages in September 2010 and April 2011. The fieldwork in 2009/10 was very successful: i) the SAZ deep sediment trap mooring was recovered in September 2009 and redeployed for recovery in September 2010. ii) the PULSE biogeochemistry mooring was deployed in September 2009 and functioned beautifully prior to recovery in March 2010 for servicing. It will be redeployed in September 2010. iii) the SOFS Southern Ocean Flux Station mooring was completed and deployed in March 2010 for recovery in April 2011, and redeployment in September 2011.