Area of Operations: Central US Beaufort Sea continental shelf
Dates: August 04, 2012 to August 19, 2012
Chief scientist: John Pohlman
Carolyn Ruppel
Patrick Hart--PCMSC (USGS)
Objectives: Complete a shelf-cross and downslope transect in the Central US Beaufort
Sea at roughly the longitude of Flaxman Island, going from shoreline to ~1500 m water depth. Collect seismic data, seafloor imagery, and water column imagery, as well as continuous CH4/CO2 data, water samples for methane oxidation rate determinations, and CTDs.
Type of Activity: Sampling;Seismic profiling;Sea floor mapping;Central US Beaufort Sea
Information to be derived: Samples and chemical analysis;Bathymetric maps;
Summary: Week 1: Collected ~500 km of MCS data with 24 channel GeoEel; Chirp 424 was beyond its depth range for large part of surveys, but some data obtained to about 400-500 m water depth; SwathPlus never worked. Humminbird data not
usable; During week 2, occupied 12 'stations'
on inner shelf and at location of proposed drilling transect. Collected methane bottle samples, samples for methane oxidation rate determinations, and CTD data. Also ran continuous isotope CRDS and regular CRDS to use in determining CH4 fluxes at ocean-atmosphere interface.
Contact: Carolyn Ruppel (cruppel@usgs.gov)
Related Links:
| 
U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey