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 DTG: 180719 08:00 Zone: Z+2 Exped: DY105 Subj: PIM
Pos: SST Berth No.1, Damen Shipyard, Amsterdam Wx: Lt Airs. Fine and clear. Sheltered waters
Status: Annual Recertification/Refit/Maintenance |
Vessel: James Cook DTG: 190719 0700 Zone: Z+1 Exped: JC184 Subj: PIM
Pos: 47 30N 012 39W Co: DP Auto Pos Spd: DP Auto Pos WX: WSW x 16Kts, Overcast with showers in vicinity, slight sea and swell.
Status: Conducted No2 CTD AHC trails and Plasma deck reeling trails.
Intentions: Continuation of Winch Trails |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Doug Connelly National Oceanography Centre |
Central North Sea |
35 days (April & May) |
STEMM-CCS Strategies for the environmental monitoring of marine carbon capture and storage This cruise is the main experimental cruise of the EC funded €16m project Strategies for the environmental monitoring of marine carbon capture and storage STEMM-CCS. This is a technologically ambition cruise which will place a CO2 tank on the seabed in the North Sea and will use a pre-placed pipe to release the CO2 under the surface sediments. This release will be monitored using AUV, ROV, landers and moorings with an aim to test all of the currently available, and developing technologies, to detect leakage from the seabed of the placed CO2. This experiment, and the whole project aims to increase the confidence the science community and the public have as we move towards using old hydrocarbon reservoirs for CO2 storage to mitigate climate change. If we use these storage sites we need to ensure that should they leak we will be able to detect any leakage and quantify it. The project and the cruise has many international participants and there will be a German Research ship working with the James Cook during the release experiment. |
RRS Discovery
| Cruise | Principal scientist & institution | Location | Duration in days (begins) | Aim |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DY100 |
Martin Collins Cefas |
Tristan Da Cunha and St Helena |
39 days (March & April) |
Protecting the biodiversity of the UK South Atlantic islands St Helena and Tristan da Cunha form part of the UK Overseas Territory of St Helena, Tristan da Cunha and Ascension Island. The EEZs of St Helena and Tristan da Cunha account for around 1.25 million square kilometres of the South Atlantic Ocean. These regions are home to important biodiversity, but also play an important role in the economy and culture of the island communities. Discovery 100 will be split between the EEZs of Tristan da Cunha and St Helena EEZs (22 science days, 11 in each territory), each with a suite of survey objectives relevant to fisheries and marine biodiversity in each territory. The Tristan da Cunha leg of the survey will focus upon the biodiversity and habitats associated with the seamounts in the centre of the EEZ (the main area for demersal fishing). The St Helena leg will focus upon pelagic ecosystems, with a view to improving the understanding of pelagic food webs that underpin tuna fisheries around St Helena and Cardno Seamount in the north of the EEZ. The cruise will consist of the following:
Discovery 100 is funded by a combination of the UK Overseas Territories Blue Belt Programme (Cefas) and UK Overseas Development Assistance (British Antarctic Survey). Scientists from BAS and Cefas will be supported by colleagues from the Natural History Museum, Plymouth University, RSPB, Stanford University and will include active participation from scientists from both Tristan and St Helena. The EEZs of St Helena and Tristan are poorly sampled and samples collected during the cruise will contribute to a range of research projects and many specimens will lodged at the Natural History Museum in London. Follow the cruise on Twitter |
Previous and Upcoming Expeditions
Learn about the previous research expeditions that have been undertaken.
