AZORES-2 Cruise, RV Hespérides

Abstract

Canarias Azores Gibraltar Observations (CANIGO). The objective of the campaign will be to quantify the role of the subtropical front in the carbon fluxes from the atmosphere to the ocean and from upper layers of these to layers below the pycnocline, in relation to the oceanic dynamics of the area. Specific objectives: 1) Determine the processes of subtropical formation and the general circulation of water masses in the study area. Study of the mesoscale hydrographic processes related to the STF. 2) Determine the patterns of stratification of the water column to the north and south of the subtropical front and the influence of the structure of the Azores-subtropical current on the enrichment of the surface layers. 3) Determine the CO2 exchange rates between the ocean and the atmosphere in the study area and its relationship with hydrography. 4) Determination of photosynthetic activity of phytoplankton, the rates of production of dissolved organic carbon (COD) and the consumption of this through bacteria, as well as its relationship with the enrichment processes of the superficial layers of the column of water or the stratification thereof.5) Determine the effect of zooplankton on the fluxes of matter towards deep layers and its relationship with primary production and hydrography. 6) Determine the flow of matter below the photic layer and / or pycnocline, and the composition of these materials, as a general estimate of the biological activity in the vertical flow in different hydrographic and biological situations. 7) Determination of bio-optical parameters that allow the generation of interpretative models of the biological processes related to the flow of carbon through remote sensing