Trace Metal Chemistry in the Water Column of the Angola Basin - A Contribution to the International GEOTRACES Program - Cruise No. M121, November 22, – December 27, 2015, Walvis Bay (Namibia) – Walvis Bay (Namibia)
2016
Meteor
CruiseM121 was dedicated to the investigation of the distribution of dissolved and particulate
trace metalsand their isotopic compositions (TEIs) in the full water column of the
Angola Basinand the northernmost Cape Basin. A key aim was to determine the
driving factorsfor the observed distributions, which includes the main external inputs, as well as internal cycling and ocean circulation. The research program of the
cruiseis official part of the international
GEOTRACESprogram (www.geotraces.org) and
cruiseM121 corresponds to
GEOTRACES
cruiseGA11. Subject of the
cruisewas the
trace metalclean and contamination-free sampling of waters and particulates for subsequent analyses of the TEIs in the home laboratories of the national and international participants. Besides a standard rosette for the less contaminant prone metals,
trace metalclean sampling was realized by using for the first time a new dedicated, coated
trace metalclean rosette equipped with Teflon-coated GO-
FLObottles operated via a plastic coated cable from a mobile
winchof GEOMAR Kiel. The particulate samples were collected under
trace metalclean conditions using established in-situ pump systems operated from Meteor’s
Aramidline. The
cruisetrack led from Walvis Bay northwards along the
West Africanmargin until 3°S, then turned west until the Zero Meridian, which was followed southwards until 30°S. Then the
cruisetrack turned east again until the Namibian margin was reached and then completed the near shore track northwards until Walvis Bay. The track crossed areas of major external inputs including dust from the Namib Desert and exchange with the
west Africancontinental margin and with the oxygen depleted shelf sediments of the Benguela upwelling, as well as with the plume of the Congo outflow, that was followed from its mouth northwards. Our investigations of internal cycling included the extremely high productivity associated with the Benguela Upwelling and the elevated productivity of the Congo plume contrasting with the extremely oligotrophic waters of the southeastern Atlantic Gyre. The links between TEI
biogeochemistryand the
nitrogen cycleforms an important aspect of our study. The major
water massescontributing the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation were sampled in order to investigate if particular TEI signatures are suitable as
water masstracers, in particular near the ocean margin and in the restricted deep
Angola Basin. A total of 51 full water column stations were sampled for the different dissolved TEIs, which were in most cases accompanied by sampling for particulates and radium isotopes using the in-situ pumps. In addition, surface waters were continuously sampled under
trace metalclean conditions using a towed fish and aerosol and rain samples were continuously collected.
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