RRS Discovery Cruise 298, 23 Aug-25 Sep 2005. Cape Farewell and Eirik Ridge (CFER-1)

This report describes scientific activities during RRS Discovery cruise 298 in the vicinity of Cape Farewell, southern Greenland, during early autumn 2005. A Deep Western Boundary Current array of seven moorings was deployed, and two IFREMER moorings were recovered, serviced and redeployed; also, a WHOI mooring was recovered. Hydrographic work comprised an area survey of 63 CTD/LADCP stations; up to 24 water samples were captured on each station for the measurement of salinity, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, CFCs (CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-113 and CCl4), and oxygen isotope fraction (δ18O). Continuous underway measurements comprised: navigation; currents, using ship-mounted ADCPs (75 and 150 kHz); meteorology; sea surface temperature and salinity; 3.5 kHz sub-bottom sediment profiling; and bathymetry. Three sediment cores were obtained. Six floats / drifters were launched. D298 (CFER-1) is a part of the project “Cape Farewell and Eirik Ridge: Interannual to Millennial Thermohaline Circulation Variability”, funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council as part of its “Rapid Climate Change” Directed Research Programme.