Abstract:
Oceanographic measurements were conducted in the South Indian Ocean sector during the southern summer of 2002/2003 on Aurora Australis voyage au0304, V4 2002/2003. A total of 64 vertical CTD stations were taken, in a krill survey area in the vicinity of Mawson, and approximately following WOCE I08 meridional transect passing up the western flank of the Kerguelen Plateau and then continuing south
... across the Princess Elizabeth Trough to the Antarctic continental shelf. Over 1050 Niskin bottle samples were collected using a SeaBird 24 bottle rosette sampler, with samples collected for the analysis of salinity, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, and biological parameters. Full-depth current profile data were collected by either 1 or 2 lowered acoustic Doppler profilers (LADCP) attached to the CTD rosette package. Near surface current data were also collected using a ship mounted ADCP. An array of 8 moorings comprising current meters and thermosalinographs were deployed along the western flank of the Kerguelen Plateau, for the Deep Western Boundary Current Experiment. Ship's underway data, (including bathymetry, met. sensors and sea surface salinity/temperature/fluorescence) are included in the cruise data set; an offset correction was applied to the underway sea surface salinity and temperature data, derived from comparison with near surface CTD data.
A summary of all data and important data quality information is presented in the data report.
Note that LADCP data are not included here.
This work was completed as part of ASAC projects 1250 and 2312.
Models of climate change project a decrease in the global ocean overturning circulation, significantly impacting climate and ocean ecosystems. The Deep Western Boundary Current experiment commenced on this voyage aims to measure the northward transport of Antarctic Bottom Water east of the Kerguelen Plateau so that future change in this component of the global thermohaline circulation can be detected. 
