OCEANOGRAPHIC RESEARCH

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29010, 26 September 1959, Page 18

OCEANOGRAPHIC RESEARCH

Survey Cruise By Endeavour (Netr Aeatana Press association) WELLINGTON, September 25. The New Zealand Navy supply ship Endeavour will set out from Wellington next week on the season’s first oceanographic survey cruise. “The survey will start about 300 miles from New Zealand near Auckland Island and extend south-west to a long submarine ridge lying between Macquarie Island and the Balleny Island,” | said the Minister in charge of 'Scientific and Industrial Research (Mr Holloway) when he announced details of the monthlong cruise. ‘‘This ridge is believed to affect the movement of water masses in the region of the Auckland and Campbell Islands, which lie well to its north. The Endeavour will cruise along both sides of the ridge and this will mean the total distance for the cruise will be about 3400 miles.”

Mr Holloway said a team of six scientists and technicians would take samples for biological, geological and hydrological studies at some 40 positions about 80 miles apart. The biology programme would entail dredging, trawling and grab sampling, and the scientists would study the fauna of the MacquarieBalleny ridge to explore the relationship between marine animal life of New Zealand and Antarctic waters. The Minister added that further detailed observations would be carried out in the Ross Sea to clarify some of the results of last season’s surveys.

The Endeavour’s next oceanographic cruise will be in January, when the surveys will be made solely in the Ross Sea. On this trip, a team from the Geophysics Division will carry out a seismic survey to discover the structure of the Ross Sea bed.