80.53° North, 64.39° East – Sunny, 1.1 °C, wind speed: 9 m/s
First oceanographic transect of the expedition
During the 9 and 10 August, oceanographers, marine chemists and biologists completed the first transect of the Arctic Century expedition, collecting water samples along a predefined route.
The transect, starting at the northern tip of Novaya Zemlya, at Cape Zhelanya, took the Akademik Tryoshnikov to Salm Island, at the southeastern tip of Franz Josef Land archipelago, 180 nautical miles to the northwest. This passage is of particular interest for the scientists because it is an important pathway for Atlantic water masses to the Arctic Ocean.
Along the transect, the ship stopped at 13 oceanographic stations, where the CTD-rosette and nets were deployed. At each of these stations, seawater conductivity – a variable related to salinity – and temperature were recorded and samples collected in the water column up to a depth of 353 meters.
Upon collection, water samples were analysed for the concentration of nutrients, oxygen and more.
Header photograph: Oceanographic station planning by a team of scientists.
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