Sediment Trap Recovery Cruise Update

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Date: Mon, 15 Jan 1996 17:51:48 +0000 (GMT)

An e-mail message from Dick Barber to Cindy Lee

     In my opinion, the opera is not over until the last carousel has
     been recovered.  So I guess it's over now.

     The sediment trap data sounds very interesting, particularly in
     the context of the productivities that didn't vary as much as we
     had expected.  The intermonsoon seasons were surprisingly
     productive, but your observations look like there was a big
     (factor of 10?) variation in export.  Looks interesting.
     
     Regards, Dick Barber

Response from Chief Scientist, Cindy Lee
  
Thanks, Dick.  We're pretty happy about the results.  The trap bulk fluxes
appear to vary by a factor of about 30 between the monsoon and intermonsoonal
periods and the flux peak occurs over a 50-100-day interval.  If the
productivity does not vary that much, then the story to watch must be in
the removal processes.  I can't wait to see the data in San Diego on
seasonal changes in phytoplankton composition, grazing rates, and
physical forcing.  Dymond, Honjo, Wakeham, Hedges and I will all have
copies of our preliminary flux data, and most of us will be at the meeting.
 Keep in mind, however, that these are initial estimates based on measuring
the volume (not mass) of material in our collection cups.  Collected
material appeared quite different between monsoon and non-monsoonal times,
so density may also be different.

We were especially happy about the agreement between the WHOI/OSU and
UW/SkIO/SUNY traps.  When duplicate traps were deployed at similar or
the same depths, the fluxes agreed extremely well, and when different trap
types (cones vs. cylinders) were deployed near the same depths, they gave
similar fluxes (within 30-50%).  The flux patterns with time in the
two different trap types were almost identical.  Between the two trap
types with their different collection abilities, it should be possible to
provide samples for almost any sort of biological or chemical analysis.  

We landed in the Seychelles this morning and have just finished
unloading the ship and cleaning up, so now it's time to go into town!  
Bye.

cindy lee is sci-01@thompson.ocean.washington.edu