Research Expeditions
At any one time scientists and technicians from the UK marine community can be at sea on numerous vessels. This page provides information on the current research expeditions being undertaken by our two Royal Research Ships Discovery and James Cook. Here you can discover where our ships are and what they are aiming to achieve.
Updates from the ships’ Plans of Intended Movement (PIM)
| RRS Discovery | RRS James Cook |
|---|---|
|
Vessel: Discovery Exped: DY084 Subj: PIM Pos: SST, 26/27 Berth, Southampton Wx: Lt. Airs. Overcast with light mist. Harbour conditions
Status: Commence mobilisation for DY084. Load lube oil.
Intentions: Continue with mobilisation. ETD Thu 21-SEP-17 |
Vessel: James Cook DTG: 220917 1100 Zone: UTC+2
a: Dock 2, Damen Amsterdam b: Dock flooding up and v/l to shift to Berth 1 on completion FO: 199t |
Ships’ positions
This map shows the positions of the NOC operated vessels RRS Discovery and RRS James Cook. While every effort is made to keep this map up to date sometimes position updates are not possible.
Latest Expeditions
RRS James Cook
| Cruise | Principal scientist & institution | Location | Duration in days (begins) | Aim |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JC153 |
Refit Alan Black
|
Amsterdam
|
27 Days |
Refit The annual refit to the RRS James Cook will take place at the Damen Shipyard Amsterdam over the period 16th September -13th October 2017. This will be followed by five days of basin trials leading onto approximately eight weeks of extensive deep sea winch trials. Major items of note:-
These up-grades will be carried out alongside the normal refit specification work as presented to the Shipyard. This specification will be readily available on-board the vessel during the refit period should any-one wish to consult it. |
RRS Discovery
| Cruise | Principal scientist & institution | Location | Duration in days (begins) | Aim |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DY084 |
Andy Rees
Plymouth Marine Laboratory |
Atlantic Ocean | 40 days |
The Atlantic Meridional Transect - AMT The Atlantic Meridional Transect programme (AMT) is a NERC National Capability project with objectives to:
AMT also provides a contextual logistical and scientific infrastructure for independently funded national and international open ocean biogeochemical and ecological research. AMT is a time series of stations along a transect of ~13,500 km in the Atlantic Ocean between the UK and South Atlantic. Twenty six cruises have been completed so far, and the data collected have contributed to >300 peer reviewed publications and 68 PhD theses. Further information can be found here. Expedition DY084 (AMT-27) will take place between Southampton and the Falkland Islands in September-October 2017. On-board will be scientists from Plymouth Marine Lab, the National Oceanography Centre, the British Oceanographic Data Centre and the University of Southampton who will be working to deliver on projects funded by NERC (twilight zone nitrogen cycling) and ESA (calibration/validation of Sentinel-3 satellite) in addition to the AMT-NC science deliverables. Daily routine will involve stations at pre-dawn and mid-day which will include water column sampling using CTD, bongo nets and optical instrumentation. Data collected during previous AMT cruises is available from here |
Previous and Upcoming Expeditions
Learn about the previous research expeditions that have been undertaken.
