PIRATA FR29

Type Oceanographic cruise
Set This cruise is part of the set PIRATA
Ship Thalassa
Ship owner Ifremer
Dates 28/02/2019 - 05/04/2019
Chief scientist(s) BOURLES Bernard

IRD CENTRE DE BRETAGNE

IFREMER Centre de Bretagne

ZI Pointe du diable

CS10070

29280 PLOUZANE

+33 (0)2 98.22.45.01

http://www.brest.ird.fr/
DOI 10.17600/18000875
Objective

PIRATA (« Prediction and Research Moored Array in the Tropical Atlantic ») is a multinational programme (between France, Brazil and USA) of operational oceanography initiated in 1997 within the international CLIVAR (Climate Variability and predictability) program framework. It constitutes the main observations network in the tropical Atlantic (CLIVAR, OOPC, GOOS, GCOS) for climate prediction and research, and contributes to OceanSITES.  PIRATA is a program for the studies of air-sea interaction in the Tropical Atlantic to seasonal, interannual or longer timescale. PIRATA maintained a network of 18 ATLAS/TFLEX buoys that allow the description and understanding of the evolution of the upper ocean thermal structure, ocean-atmosphere exchanges of heat and water, spatial and temporal variations of momentum. PIRATA needs yearly cruises to replace all the buoys and, in this framework, France (through IRD) is in charge of 6 ATLAS/T-Flex  moorings located in the Gulf of Guinea (at 23°W-0°N, 0°E-0°N, 10°W-10°S, 10°W6°S, 10°W-0°E et 6°S-8°E ) and of three equatorial currentmeter moorings at 23°W-0°N, 10°W-0°N and 0°E-0°N).

The present cruise PIRATA-FR29 (29th cruise of this program) main objectives are:

  • The yearly servicing of these 6 ATLAS/T-Flex buoys (2 ATLAS at 10°W-0°N, 0°E-0°N, 2 T-Flex à 10°W-10°S, 23°W-0°N), ATLAS buoy replaced by a new T-FLEX system at 10°W-6°S and T-Flex buoy  at 8°E-6°S with a new CO2 sensor (moored buoy lost in september 2018);
  • The yearly servicing of an ADCP mooring : at 10°W-0°N, this year;
  • The renewal of several sensors such as : oceanic turbulence sensors (Xpods), acoustic tracking receivers (OTN), a new CO2 sensor at 10°W-6°S;
  • CTD-O2/LADCP profiles at mooring sites, along meridional transects at 10°W, 0°E and 23°W (if possible) and along zonal transect at 6°S;
  • Sea water sampling for analyses of salinity, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, pigments, dissolved inorganic carbon and total alkalinity;
  • About 80 XBT profiles;
  • Deployment of 13 surface drifters (SVP-B) and 6 Argo profilers (2 CTS3 T/C/O2 Iridium, 3 Arvor T/C Iridium and 1 Arvor T/C Argos);

Additional measures collected : 

  • Continuous current measurements from vessel mounted ADCP (38 kHz & 150 kHz) and Doppler Velocity Log (DVL at 600 kHz);
  • Hydrographic and acoustic measurements obtained onboard respectively from thermosalinograph and EK80/EK120 sensors;
  • Continuous measurements of pCO2 parameters and sea water samples for analyse of organic carbon and particulate organic matter, etc.

Published data

Bourles Bernard, Rousselot Pierre, Grelet Jacques, Marin Frederic, Roubaud Fabrice, Bachelier Celine, Gouriou Yves, Llido Jerome (2023). French PIRATA cruises: LADCP data (and processing protocol). https://doi.org/10.17882/71295


Bourles Bernard, Baurand Francois, Hillion Sandrine, Rousselot Pierre, Grelet Jacques, Bachelier Celine, Roubaud Fabrice, Gouriou Yves, Chuchla Remy, Cariou Thierry, Llido Jerome (2023). French PIRATA cruises: CHEMICAL ANALYSIS data. https://doi.org/10.17882/58141


Data managed by SISMER

Bibliography

Publications

Lefèvre Nathalie, Mejia Carlos, Khvorostyanov Dmitry, Beaumont Laurence, Koffi Urbain (2021). Ocean Circulation Drives the Variability of the Carbon System in the Eastern Tropical Atlantic. Oceans-switzerland, 2(1), 126-148. Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans2010008 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00678/79046/


Thesis using campaign data

Houndegnonto Odilon (2021). Analyse des variations thermohalines des échelles intra-saisonnière à saisonnière des panaches d’eau douce du Golfe de Guinée / Analysis of thermohaline variations from intra-seasonal to seasonal scales of freshwater plumes in the Gulf of Guinea. PhD Thesis, Université de Bretagne Occidentale.