PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHIC, BIOLOGICAL, AND CHEMICAL DATA 



SOUTH ATLANTIC COAST OF THE UNITED STATES 



MA THEODORE N. GILL CRUISE 9 



This is the ninth, and final, in a 

 series of reports presenting basic data from 

 cruises of the Theodore N. Gill in waters 

 off the south Atlantic coast of the United 

 States. 



Background of the investigations; 

 objectives; procedures on station; and chem- 

 ical, biological, and oceanographic methods 

 and procedures were presented in the report 

 for Cruise 1 (Anderson, Gehringer, and Cohen, 

 1956). Biological methods and procedures 

 were the same as those modified on Cruise 3 

 (Anderson and Gehringer, 1957). The basic 

 station plan is shown in figure 1. 



NARRATIVE ACCOUNT OF CRUISE 9 



The Gill sailed on November 3, 1954 

 from Brunswick, Georgia to begin the south- 

 ern leg of the cruise. Special station 5 

 was reached and occupied on November 4, and 

 special stations 6, 7, and 8 were worked on 

 November 5. The vessel proceeded to the 

 standard station off Elbow Cay, B.W.I, and 

 occupied it for 44 continuous hours during 

 November 6, 7, and 8. A total of 15 Nansen 

 bottle casts were made on this station, 

 including one 2500-meter cast. Routine 

 meteorological and bathythermograph obser- 

 vations were made. 



On November 8 the vessel moored at 

 Nassau, B.W.I. , and equipment for special 

 ambient work was installed by scientists 

 from Hudson Laboratories. This ambient 

 work was conducted in the Tongue of the 

 Ocean on November 10, 11, and 12 — including 

 a 1200-meter Nansen bottle cast. The ves- 

 sel returned to Nassau where the special 

 equipment was unloaded and preparations were 

 made for resuming regular cruise work. Un- 

 favorable winds delayed occupation of regu- 

 lar station 1 until November 16. 



Workable weather prevailed until 

 regular station 31 was reached, where heavy 

 seas and rain squalls forced cancellation 

 of regular stations 31 to 34. The vessel 

 returned to Brunswick on November 20, ter- 

 minating the southern leg of the cruise. 



Departure of the vessel from Bruns- 

 wick on November 29 began the northern leg 

 of the cruise. High winds and rough seas 

 made this leg of the cruise very difficult 

 to work, with the vessel being forced into 

 port or favorable anchorage several times 

 by winds 40 to 60 miles per hour. In the 

 Cape Lookout area a sleet and snow storm 

 converted the vessel into an unusual sight 

 for southern waters. Owing to continuous 

 bad weather and storm warnings it was nec- 

 essary to terminate the cruise without 

 occupation of regular stations 64, 73 to 80, 

 and special stations 1 through 4. The Gill 

 returned to Brunswick on December 12, ter- 

 minating the northern leg of the cruise. 

 The cruise track is shown in figure 2. 



Sixty-seven regular stations, 5 spe- 

 cial stations, standard station, and one 

 Tongue of the Ocean station were occupied 

 during the cruise. On these stations 88 

 Nansen bottle casts and bathythermograph 

 lowerings were made. Determinations for 

 oxygen were run aboard vessel for all sta- 

 tions and all levels. Water samples for 

 shore analysis of salinity, total phospho- 

 rus, inorganic phosphate, carbohydrate, 

 proteins, and nitrate-nitrite were obtained 

 for all stations and all levels. Bottom 

 sampling with a modified orange-peel dredge 

 was attempted on those stations where a num- 

 ber of bottom sediment samples had not been 

 secured on previous cruises. Secchi disk 

 readings were taken during daylight hours 

 when conditions permitted. Oblique plankton 

 tows (surface tows in shallow water) were 

 made with the Gulf III all-metal plankton 



