INTRODUCTION (E, Mittelstaedt) 
The present volume contains hydrographic and marine- 
chemical data collected during Leg I of METEOR cruise 
No, 30 (23 Jan. to 2 March 1973). With this cruise 
METEOR participated in an international four-ship 
programme within the framework of CINECA (Cooperative 
Investigations of the North-East Central Atlantic), 
a scientific programme that is coordinated by IOC and 
ICES, It was the objective of this four-ship programme 
to undertake quasi-synoptic physical, chemical and bio- 
logical investigations along selected sections of 100 
to 300 miles' length, normal to the Northwest African 
coast, between Gibraltar (36°N) and 10°N, It was METEOR's 
task to study the hydrographic conditions on eight sec- 
tions along the coast of Marocco, Simultaneously, three 
other research vessels undertook the same measurements 
farther south within selected sectors, 
The following research vessels were involved: 
"CORNIDE DE SAAVEDRA" 
"BAKHCHISARAY" 
PCAPRICORNE" 
1000 t, 
3382 t, 
476 
Spain 
USSR 
France 
Inter alia, it was the purpose of this project to study 
the large-scale interactions between nearshore upwelling 
phenomena and the Canaries current, 
As the investigation of nearshore upwelling has been one 
focal point of an overall programme of marine research 
in the Federal Republic of Germany since about 1970, 
there was a great interest in the planning and imple- 
mentation of this project on the German side, Therefore, 
METEOR's participation was closely related to both pre- 
vious and projected German research activities in the 
upwelling area off Northwest Africa,