This database as managed and provided through SeaDataNet gives details of completed cruises by European research vessels since 1873 and provides a first level inventory of oceanographic measurements made and samples taken during cruises at sea. The Cruise Summary Report (CSR = formerly ROSCOP) is the usual means for reporting metadata including details of completed cruises and providing summary information of oceanographic measurements made and samples taken. Currently, the SeaDataNet Cruise Summary Reports directory covers cruises from more than 2.000 research vessels: a total of nearly 62.000 cruises, in all European waters and global oceans. This also includes historic CSRs from European countries, that have been loaded from the ICES database from 1960 onwards.
Traditionally, it is the Chief Scientist's obligation to submit not later than two weeks after the cruise a Cruise Summary Report (CSR) either a) to his/her National Oceanographic Data Centre (NODC) (see list of operational NODCs), or b) in agreement with its NODC to furnish a CSR directly themselves via the online CSR Content Management System (CMS), that is maintained in the framework of SeaDataNet. Therefore, Chief scientists are strongly advised to contact their NODC to check whether they have to report directly to the SeaDataNet CSR online back-office or to their NODC, that will then transfer their CSR entries to SeaDataNet.
