Author: Ashley Paradiso

     It’s the final countdown, unfortunately we only have 4 days left of this expedition & we are heading back to port. I can honestly say that I’m going to miss all of the wonderful people who I’ve met along the way. This experience has been life changing & I can not wait to share my journey with all of my friends & loved ones back home. I’m so grateful that i had the opportunity to be apart of such an enjoyable eye-opening cruise. There hasn’t been a single person aboard this ship who has ever been negative about anything. Everyone is so optimistic & friendly which makes for a great cruise with a fantastic crew. 

     I could say that I have taken full advantage of living on land. I was accustomed to jumping in my car driving where I wanted too, eating what ever I wanted when I wanted, having no problems shaving my legs, showering, walking 300 feet in a straight line & even sleeping! Living aboard a boat from a month you realize how good you have it because the simplest tasks turn into such difficult ones. Eventually you get used to everything and you learn to love it. You start to make daily routines which become simple over time. For some people life aboard the high seas isn’t for them. I could say that I would love to do this again just maybe aboard a boat that works with ROV’s next time.

     My mentor was extremely helpful throughout the entire trip as well as the other scientists. They taught me the functions of the magnetometer, the Knudsen, the multibeam, the gravitometer , & so many other machines that we have used to collect data. Launching XBT’s was always one of my favorite activities, other than going on the deck in ridiculously high seas.

     Hopefully this is the first of many trips for me. I would love to dive into other trips; this expedition ignited a fire that I don’t think I will be able to smolder. I would love to go out & explore more areas of the world as a scientist collecting data or aboard a ship that works with ROV’s. Reading other peoples blogs also makes me thirsty for another opportunity to dive into the world of oceanography. What’s possibly better than having fun doing something you love? Nothing !

      I can’t express how thankful I am for such a life changing opportunity. Hopefully this isn’t the last time I blog as a MATE Intern. Also I will post photos once I get back to New York since my computer won’t cooperate with me right now.  

Signing off

Ashley Paradiso 

So you want to know what really goes on aboard the R/V Langseth?

     Some times we have random dance parties, other times we are quietly reading books. A majority of us blast music & have sing-a-long sessions while others play video games or blog on various websites. The game “Who Am I?” is played amongst the girls during their midnight shift to pass the time. While people are on watch others are sleeping (or attempting to), watching movies in the movie room, snacking in the galley, pumping some iron in the gym, playing ping pong in the dry lab, reading a book in the library, or joining others on watch because they’re bored and want some company. I know I know, this seems like all fun & games. I’m sure you’re all wondering what we are actually doing out here considering it seems like we are aimlessly traveling hundreds of miles offshore. No we are not here just to have fun & meet new people. It’s all about the SCIENCE!

     I am currently participating as a Intern aboard the R/V Marcus G. Langseth while the Science Party led by Fernando Martienez & Armann Hoskuldsson propose a month-long geophysical expedition. This expedition will include collecting the multibeam, magnetics,& gravity data that will provide us with a definitive test between the fundamentally different thermal & tectonic hypotheses for how exactly the Iceland plume caused the reorganization of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge of South Iceland. The results will help ensure that the thermal Reykjanes Ridge models are providing accurate information about Earth’s behavior. If their models are wrong they will now be able to provide everyone with a corrected model. 

   Sounds fun right? How do we go about doing that you ask? WELL, there are tons of different electronic & electromechanical equipment on board as well as sonars which we use to record data that is vital to our trip. The expedition requires sonars such as: the Kongsberg EM122 12kHz multibeam echosounder & the Knudsen 3260 3.5kHz Sub-Bottom profiler.We are also required to collect data from the Bell Aerospace Gravimeter & from the T-5 Expendable Bathythermograph (XBT) Probes. The XBT’s are launched on a daily basis throughout the journey. We also collect data from the LDEO PCO2, LaCoste & Romberg portable Gravity sensor, & the SBE-45 TSG for temperature saliniograph data purposes.The information is collected automatically by the computers but is also logged by humans to ensure that humans remain a factor in scientific research. Thirty minute data collection of wind speed/direction, air temp/humidity, & barometric pressure using the RM-Young Weather Station will also be a duty. Last but certainly not least, we are also involved in the deployment & recovery of research equipment such as “Maggie” the magentometer.

    Speaking of Maggie, there was a casualty last week due to the rough weather we had encountered. Maggie is no longer with us anymore, she was lost while making a turn which had caused the cable to break & set her free. She is now swimming with the fishes, RIP beloved Maggie. Luckily her twin sister Maggie II was on board & deployed within an hour of the casualty of our beloved Magnetometer Maggie. Maggie II has been in the water ever since & has been recording some stellar data.

    Every now and then we run into some rough weather which causes a lapse in our data. When this happens, you find frantic scientists who start to panic as soon as we have the slightest amount of missing data. Unfortuantely it happens & there isn’t much we can do about it. Mother Nature has a way with the seas, sometimes she really likes to challenge us with 10 meter seas. American equivalent of about 33 feet! These seas result in falling off chairs backwards, the Chief Scientist Fernando sliding from his table all the way into our Co-Chief Scientest Armann’s office, playing slip & slide in your bedroom while your roommate is yelling “I’ll save you,” & the navigating through the fun house hallways AKA walking through the corridors to travel around the ship. 

      Well now you’re all up to date on what really occurs aboard the R/V Langseth. Hopefully we have some other interesting things happen within our final strecth of the trip so that I can keep blogging. 

-Ashley Paradiso 

       It was like the Boston Tea Party all over again in our common room the other night, minus the casualties of course. The seas were begining to calm down & every one was becoming accustomed to the occassional roll of the vessel. Around 3:30am things started to get out of hand, waves went from a flat 1-2 meters to around 4-5 meters within a few hours. Crazy how things could turn from peaceful to unbearable within a small frame of time. Walking down the narrow hallways trying to make your way to your bedroom without slamming into walls was an almost impossible task. Regardless of which way you went, you were bound to walk into something. After a long night of watch, my roommate Alicia & I finally settled into our beds only to be woken up by a loud crashing sound outside of our door. As soon as we heard it, we knew that the the cup full of tea, which was left on the table, splattered all over the floor. We grabbed two rolls of paper towels & started to clean up the tea giggling the entire time. Despite the fact that cleaning up tea wasn’t an ideal job at 5am, we couldn’t help but laugh because we were sliding all over the room. Balance is something you take for granted when you live on land your entire life. After flying around the room & banging into the coffee table & couches we finally handled the situation. I still laugh every time I think about it because it was just too funny not to laugh.

      As everyone knows, Tacos are a simply delicious Mexican food, but they also help you  sleep at night. I’m sure you’re all like what? how does a taco help you sleep at night? Sticking almost anything under your mattress whether it’s a pair of sneakers, a rain coat, an extra pillow, or even a backpack works wonders. The things you put under the mattress tilt the bed and angle it so that your body can’t move back and forth. That ladies & gents is what we call a taco on the high seas. Without this method it’s almost impossible to sleep when the boat’s rolling back and forth. At first I was a bit skeptical because I didn’t think it would make such a huge impact, but once I tried it I was sleeping like a baby.

       The highlight of my week so far has been the tour of the engine room!  As much as I love science, I would much rather work on engines & be around machinery. The sounds, smells, & feel of all of the different parts that make this vessel run intrigue me. People don’t realize that every single nut & bolt matter in making sure that everything is perfect while underway. The size of the heat exchangers & cylinder heads were shocking because I’m used to seeing small diesel engines. These engines were 10 times the size of any engine I have ever seen before. To me the experience was really cool because of how much I enjoy taking engines apart & troubleshooting them. I guess I could thank Captain Nappo, my professor, for sparking that interest. I made sure to ask plenty of questions about the fuel injection system & the propulsion system; The chief engineer was impressed about how much I knew about diesels which made me feel pretty good. I made sure to take plenty of photos, I even took one of me with a wrench thats about the same size as me ! 

       In the world of science, everything had been running smoothly until today we had a few glitches in the data which caused us to restart the SIS & HDDS a few times. A general reboot of the system was needed to get everything up to speed. Other than that we’ve found some new evidence of lava flow. I got used to watching the monitors & logging data when needed so now the shift’s just fly by. I know my sleep schedule is going to be all messed up when I get home though due to the 12-4am shifts.

Check back in a few days for more updates on the trip

Ashley Paradiso

         So far it’s been almost a week, eventhough I blogged two days ago I felt it was nescesary to blog again and keep everyone up to date! We have finally made it to our destination where we will actually get cool images of the sea floor & the sedimenation that’s occuring. We will be able to see if therehave been any recent lava flows occuing. We will also be able to determine the age of the ridge as we go. With all the data we will be collecting, we will be able to prove which theories are correct & incorrect. During my previous watch, We passed our 18th waypoint. By the end of my second shift at 2400 I exoect that we would at least be at our 21st. 

        The weather hasn’t really changed much, it’s been fairly rough seas with a lot of rain. You get your sea-legs within the first few days of being aboard. Well most people do & if you don’t then you’re laying in bed most of the time. Luckily I can say I haven’t gotten sick yet! Being on the water 24/7 really makes you realize how much you take the land for granted. I used to hop in my car & drive where ever I wanted to when I was home. Now when I’m bored I find myself reading a book, sleeping, watching a movie, or socializing. Don’t get me wrong I’m having a lot of fun but I do miss having the ability to get in my car & go to the local ice cream shop or meet up with my friends.

      Well off to dinner I go, will blog again fairly soon depending on if any exciting events occur within the next few days! Also pictures will be posted after the expedition is over due to difficulty in transferrring them onto the computer. It’s very difficult to load them & make them the smaller size. 

Ashley Paradiso signing out

This is my first experience aboard a research vessel. So far it’s extremely differet than anything I am accustomed to. Before I boarded the ship, I was extremely nervous. Many thoughts ran through my head; what if I don’t like it ? What if I’m constantly sea sick? What if I’m the only female? Luckily once I boarded the vessel & met everyone aboard I was settled knowing that there were 5 other females. We are on our second day at sea & we have passed three waypoints already. The watch shifts are interesting because you get to collect data that will soon be used in every day life. We deployed Maggie the Magnometer yesterday afternoon & she was up and running in no time ! The shifts are hard to get used to because of the time changes & the weird hours that we are working. Usually i would be asleep from 12pm- 4am but now I’m on watch. So far we are making good time & taking down a lot of information. I’m looking forward to collecting as much data as possible throughout the duration of the trip. I’m also looking forward to learning more about the people aboard the vessel. So far there are plenty of people with different backgrounds who hale from different countries. I want to learn more about their cultures & how they got a chance to work aboard the RV Langseth. Well back to work, can’t wait for my next blog !