RRS Discovery Cruise 381, 28 Aug - 03 Oct 2012. Ocean Surface Mixing, Ocean Submesoscale Interaction Study (OSMOSIS)

Cruise D381 was made in support of NERC's Ocean Surface Boundary Layer theme action programme, OSMOSIS (Ocean Surface Mixing, Ocean Sub-mesoscale Interaction Study). The ocean surface boundary layer (OSBL) deepens in response to convective, wind and surface wave forcing, which produce three-dimensional turbulence that entrains denser water, deepening the layer. The OSBL shoals in response to solar heating and to mesoscale and sub-mesoscale motions that adjust lateral buoyancy gradients into vertical stratification. Recent and ongoing work is revolutionising our view of both the deepening and shoaling processes: new processes are coming into focus that are not currently recognised in model parameterisation schemes. In OSMOSIS we have a project which integrates observations, modelling studies and parameterisation development to deliver a step change in modelling of the OSBL. The OSMOSIS overall aim is to develop new, physically based and observationally supported, parameterisations of processes that deepen and shoal the OSBL, and to implement and evaluate these parameterisations in a state-of-the-art global coupled climate model, facilitating improved weather and climate predictions. Cruise D381 was split into two legs D381A and a process study cruise D381B. D381A partly deployed the OSMOSIS mooring array and two gliders for long term observations near the Porcupine Abyssal Plain Observatory. D381B firstly completed mooring and glider deployment work begun during the preceding D381A cruise. D381B then carried out several days of targetted turbulence profiling looking at changes in turbulent energy dissipation resulting from the interation of upper ocean fluid structures such as eddies, sub-mesoscale filaments and Langmuir cells with surface wind and current shear. Finally D381B conducted two spatial surveys with the towed SeaSoar vehicle to map and diagnose the mesoscale and sub-mesoscale flows, which, unusually, are the `large scale' background in which this study sits

RRS Discovery Cruise 381, 28 Aug - 03 Oct 2012. Ocean Surface Mixing, Ocean Submesoscale Interaction Study (OSMOSIS)

Cruise D381 was made in support of NERC's Ocean Surface Boundary Layer theme action programme, OSMOSIS (Ocean Surface Mixing, Ocean Sub-mesoscale Interaction Study). The ocean surface boundary layer (OSBL) deepens in response to convective, wind and surface wave forcing, which produce three-dimensional turbulence that entrains denser water, deepening the layer. The OSBL shoals in response to solar heating and to mesoscale and sub-mesoscale motions that adjust lateral buoyancy gradients into vertical stratification. Recent and ongoing work is revolutionising our view of both the deepening and shoaling processes: new processes are coming into focus that are not currently recognised in model parameterisation schemes. In OSMOSIS we have a project which integrates observations, modelling studies and parameterisation development to deliver a step change in modelling of the OSBL. The OSMOSIS overall aim is to develop new, physically based and observationally supported, parameterisations of processes that deepen and shoal the OSBL, and to implement and evaluate these parameterisations in a state-of-the-art global coupled climate model, facilitating improved weather and climate predictions. Cruise D381 was split into two legs D381A and a process study cruise D381B. D381A partly deployed the OSMOSIS mooring array and two gliders for long term observations near the Porcupine Abyssal Plain Observatory. D381B firstly completed mooring and glider deployment work begun during the preceding D381A cruise. D381B then carried out several days of targetted turbulence profiling looking at changes in turbulent energy dissipation resulting from the interation of upper ocean fluid structures such as eddies, sub-mesoscale filaments and Langmuir cells with surface wind and current shear. Finally D381B conducted two spatial surveys with the towed SeaSoar vehicle to map and diagnose the mesoscale and sub-mesoscale flows, which, unusually, are the `large scale' background in which this study sits

RRS Discovery Cruise 253, 04 May-20 Jun 2001. Faeroes, Iceland, Scotland Hydrographic and Environmental Survey (FISHES)

The FISHES 2001 cruise, RRS Discovery Cruise 253, was split into two legs. A large scale CTD survey of the Iceland Basin and Rockall Trough was carried out during the first and longer leg, 4 May – 21 May. The second leg, 1 June – 20 June, concentrated on repeated high resolution SeaSoar surveys of the Iceland Faeroes Front (IFF). A wide range of measurements were made alongside each scale of physical survey techniques used for the two legs of the cruise. These ranged from traditional biological sampling using net hauls to fast repetition fluorometric techniques for the underway determination of primary productivity parameters. Deck phytoplankton incubation experiments under controlled light environments involved both the usual measurements of N15 uptake and measurements of Si32 uptake. During the second leg of the cruise, a regional multi-disciplinary process model was used to forecast observations in near real-time

Mesoscale subduction at the Almeria-Oran front. Part 1: ageostrophic flow

This paper presents a detailed diagnostic analysis of hydrographic and current meter data from three, rapidly repeated, fine-scale surveys of the Almeria-Oran front. Instability of the frontal boundary, between surface waters of Atlantic and Mediterranean origin, is shown to provide a mechanism for significant heat transfer from the surface layers to the deep ocean in winter. The data were collected during the second observational phase of the EU funded OMEGA project on RRS Discovery cruise 224 during December 1996. High resolution hydrographic measurements using the towed undulating CTD vehicle, SeaSoar,. traced the subduction of Mediterranean Surface Water across the Almeria-Oran front. This subduction is shown to result from a significant baroclinic component to the instability of the frontal jet. The Q-vector formulation of the omega equation is combined with a scale analysis to quantitatively diagnose vertical transport resulting from mesoscale ageostrophic circulation. The analyses are presented and discussed in the presence of satellite and airborne remotely sensed data; which provide the basis for a thorough and novel approach to the determination of observational error

RRS Discovery Cruise 224, Leg 1, 27 Nov-29 Dec 1996. OMEGA: Observations and Modelling of Eddy scale Geostrophic and Ageostrophic motion. Physical and biological observations in the eastern Alboran Sea (western Mediterranean)

The first leg of RRS Discovery Cruise 224, 27/11/96 - 29/12/96, was one of two cruise programs designed to provide the experimental field observations for the EU MAST 3 project, OMEGA (Observations and Modelling of Eddy scale Geostrophic and Ageostrophic motion). Towing the undulating CTD vehicle, SeaSoar, two large scale and three fine scale SeaSoar surveys were made of the Almeria-Oran front region of the western Mediterranean. In addition a brief SeaSoar survey was made of the head of the Algerian Current. These hydrographic measurements of the upper 370 metres of the water column were accompanied by VM-ADCP and ACCP derived ocean currents, underway physical, chemical and biological analysis of surface water samples, multi-frequency acoustic backscatter measurements, meteorological observations and sea surface radiation measurements. Between the surveys, CTD stations were accompanied by detailed measurements of ocean optical properties at strategic locations along and across the front. In addition 8 towed deployments of a Longhurst Hardy Plankton Recorder were made to look at the change in plankton species composition across frontal zones

A simple approach to the correlation of rotovibrational states in four-atomic molecules

The problem of correlation between quantum states of four-atomic molecules in different geometrical configurations is reviewed in detail. A general, still simple rule is obtained which allows one to correlate states of a linear four-atomic molecule with those of any kind of non-linear four-atomic molecule.Comment: 16 pages (+8 figures), Postscript (ready to print!

Environmental monitoring in the Fylde, Lancashire - Phase 6 final report

This report presents the results from Phase 6 of an independent environmental monitoring programme that was set up to investigate and monitor the environmental impacts of shale-gas exploration in England. The report is restricted to monitoring activities around the Preston New Road site in Lancashire and to monitoring of greenhouse-gas composition and water quality. This is due to the cessation of shale-gas exploration activities at the site following the imposition by the UK Government of the moratorium on high-volume hydraulic fracturing in England in November 2019. The report should be read in conjunction with previous reports on environmental monitoring in Lancashire and North Yorkshire that are available through the BGS project website (www.bgs.ac.uk/lancashire and www.bgs.ac.uk/valeofpickering). These provide additional background to the wider project and presentation of earlier results (2015–2019)