RRS Discovery Cruise 217, 27 Sep-22 Oct 1995. The biology, chemistry and physics of the Goban Spur on the European continental slope of the northeast Atlantic

Discovery Cruise 217 was one of a series of cruises to the continental slope southwest of the UK in support of an EEC MAST programme "OMEX'"(Ocean Margin Exchange). The overall objectives of the programme are "to measure and to model exchange processes at the ocean margins..." and permanent repeat stations were established on the Goban Spur (around 49°N 12°W) in 1993 to address these. Discovery 217 focused primarily on the biological and chemical processes of the upper water column and the flux of particulate material associated with these processes. In spite of a number of technical problems associated with scientific equipment and significant losses of time due to poor weather, most of the original objectives were successfully met and the results will make a major contribution to the overall programme.