Japanese GEOTRACES cruises in the western North Pacific successfully completed

As a part of GEOTRACES section cruise GP22, we have successfully finished KH-22-7 cruise Leg 1 (30 June, Tokyo – 26 July, Tokyo) and 2 (10 August, Tokyo – 1 September, Tokyo) by R. V. Hakuho-maru. In this cruise, 43 researchers and technicians, including two Indonesian researchers, participated. We occupied 18 stations and obtained seawater samples and particulate samples for the full-depth profiles of trace elements and their isotopes in the western North Pacific. Moreover, we collected bottom sediments with a multiple corer and aerosol samples with high-volume air samplers. Because of bad weather, we could not visit two northernmost stations in the western subarctic Pacific. However, we will have a chance to visit there during Leg 3 of this cruise in June 2023. Hopefully, we will complete all the observations, which had been planned initially, next year.

Prof. Hajime Obata (Cruise chief scientists)