About the Cruise

April 23 – June 6, 2018:

NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown sets off on the third and fourth legs of its 2018 circumglobal navigation. From Durban, South Africa to Goa, India, the GO-SHIP IO7N cruise is part of a world-wide initiative to measure and investigate the ocean basins from coast to coast and from surface to bottom in order to help measure ocean interior changes overtime.

Global hydrographic surveys have been carried out every decade since the 1980’s through various research programs. In 1992, Global Climate Observing System was established to ensure that the observations and information needed to address climate-related issues are obtained. The objective of these repeat hydrographic surveys is to maintain continued measurements of important climate related data and global ocean transports. These factors include the carbon cycle, and movement of heat, freshwater, and nutrients across the entire water column.

GO-SHIP cruises are a globally coordinated effort. The world ocean is broken up into 61 different GO-SHIP cruise lines, managed by a total of 14 countries. Most of these lines are run approximately once every ten years. IO7N, a US managed GO-SHIP line, was last run in 1995.

These GO-SHIP cruises reveal much about changing patterns in ocean properties, and continue to serve as a baseline to assess the oceans response to climate change. Line IO7N was last occupied in 1995. Scientists are eager to find out how the state of the western Indian Ocean has evolved since then.

All IO7N partners will be contributing to our outreach and education efforts along the way.  To follow our progress as we make our way through the western Indian Ocean, to learn more about the observations we are making, and to meet the scientists making these exciting observations, please visit our blog regularly.  Research updates and outreach information will be posted regularly, starting before the cruise leaves the dock on April 23rd. You may also find unofficial scientist updates on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook using the hashtags #IO7N, #GOSHIP and #DurbantoGoa.