SAGA II 1987, Kamchatka Transit

The expedition aboard the Russian vessel Akademik Korolev began in Hilo, Hawaii. The portion from Hilo to the Kuril Trench off Kamchatka, began 1 May (Day 121) 1987, and is termed the Kamchatka Transit.

Data were collected sporadically along this transit, so the record is not continuous. The available surface seawater concentrations indicate general undersaturation by up to 50 µatm relative to atmospheric values. Surface water values were high approaching the Kuril Trench, but dropped sharply (from 412 to 256 µatm) over an hour near 48° N. This steep gradient was also found by Butler et al. (1988) and attributed to high primary productivity. The mean percent standard deviation of the standard gases on this leg was 0.24%.