Andy Rees

Plymouth Marine Laboratory

Atlantic Ocean 

42 days 

(October & November)

The Atlantic Meridional Transect - AMT

The Atlantic Meridional Transect programme (AMT) is a component of the NERC National Capability Long-term Single Centre Science Programme, Climate Linked Atlantic Sector Science (CLASS) with objectives to:

• quantify the nature and causes of ecological and biogeochemical variability in planktonic ecosystems;
• quantify the effects of this variability on nutrient cycling, on biogenic export and on air-sea exchange of climate active gases;
• construct a multi-decadal, multidisciplinary ocean time-series which is integrated within a wider “Pole-to-pole” observatory concept;
• provide essential sea-truth validation for current and next generation satellite missions;
• provide essential data for global ecosystem model development and validation and;
• provide a valuable, highly sought after training arena for the next generation of UK and International oceanographers.

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 eight cruises have been completed so far, and the data collected have contributed to >320 peer reviewed publications and 68 PhD theses. Further information can be found here.

Expedition DY110 (AMT-29) will take place between Southampton and Punta Arenas, Chile in October – November 2019. 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 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.