Author: Mason Schettig

So after returning from our short one day cruise out to our hydrostation, we spend a couple days prepping everything up for our BATS cruise (Bermuda Atlantic Time Series). This is a 7 day cruise that takes place once a month and is one of the longest running oceanographic time series. So far we have been out 5 days and aside from a few minor set backs, everything has been running smoothly.

The first issue we encountered was an oxygen senor with our CTD. For some reason it would only work below 20 meter, and after tinkering with it we only made more issues trying to fix this one. After a while we called it a wrap and put the CTD back to its original setting and just left the issue to deal with at the dock because we did have a secondary sensor that worked just fine.

After a few days of deployments we encountered our second problem which was our COM7 winch that we were using to tow our MOCNESS. We were performing a test run without collecting samples and while we were towing the device back in our winch kept tripping its breaker and shutting off mid recovery. Luckily this was the test run and we did not deploy it too deep but it was an extended effort to get it back on board.

Aside from that the trip has been a great success. We’ve had a very successful MOCNESS operation were all 8 nets collected great data and with this particular device, that can be difficult. The MOCNESS is comprised of 9 nets that are triggered electronically to open one while closing another to collect plankton samples at varying depths.

Unfortunately this is my last blog because my internship will come to an end next Tuesday (June 21st). I wish I could stay much longer but am very grateful for the opportunity that I have been given to be an intern at BIOS (Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences). I have gained so much knowledge and experience in just the short 6 weeks that I have been here. I will attach a last picture when we make it to shore because it would probably take the rest of the trip to upload anyway haha.

All the best,

Mason Schettig

So this past week has been filled with lots of fine tuning to get everything ready for our trip to Hydrostation S which is part of BATS (Bermuda Atlantic Time Series). BATS is the longest oceanographic research time series in the world which is an awesome event to be a part of. Another MATE intern (Elizabeth) has hopped onboard so we have been running heavy with MT’s the past few days. 

This past Tuesday we took off and made our way to the Hydrostation with the seas being a little rougher than normal. First deployment was a custom made incubator ran by a scientist from Old Dominion University. This device had many serenges that would draw water in with each on having different agents in them to give specific details of the water. It had a long line with a weight pulling the device down and an acoustic release for when they are ready to recover the device which will be June 30th. After making sure the device was on the bottom (talking to it through a transducer) we made a CTD cast to the bottom collecting water samples in our Niskin Bottles on the way up.

After the bottom cast we made a 3 hour transit to the hydrostation were we would spend most of our time. The longer the trip lasted, the worse the weather and sea conditions got. We made a hand full of CTD casts throughout the day getting plenty of water samples for the BIOS science team. Once we started working into the night it started getting really rough and wet on the deck. It was the first time I had seen our crew use three tag lines just for a CTD cast and it was completely necessary. When coming back to dock we had to make a special trip around the island and spend a day in St. George because it was to windy to come in through our normal channel. All in all it was a great experience working in those conditions, makes one really appreciate calm days.

Now we are getting ready for a 7 day cruise with the BATS team from BIOS and we will be taking off June 12th (Sunday). We have only minor preparations to touch on tomorrow and then we will be ready to rock in roll. After this I will only have one more blog but I love the crew here and am so happy I was given this opportunity to work with BIOS.

All the best,

Mason Schettig

So last Friday the R/V Atlantic Explorer made it back safe and sound from a very successful cruise. It was a great learning experience seeing how things are wrapped up at the end of a science research cruise. Once back at the dock it there was still a fair bit of work to demobilize. The spectacular Filopino crew worked quickly and efficiently using the crane to hoist the heavy equipment off the vessel and on the dock. I gathered with the other MT’s to the tech lab to clean up the data folders, organize it in a neat/orderly fashion, and then all of the data collected was burned on to a CD with two extra copies. 

After the hustle and bustle of the demob, we gathered with the science crew to get opinions of how the cruise went (very successful I may add) and just talked about things other than work before they made there way back home. Luckily for me I had the following two days off (Saturday and Sunday) to relax as well as explore Bermuda (it is a travel destination after all). I borrowed one of the Marine Technician’s bikes to get around more efficiently since its not too big of a island.The waters all around are bright turquoise blue with rich culture and history around every corner. I stayed moderately close to BIOS so I wouldn’t risk getting lost or too worn out to make it back safely. I managed to find a secluded beach were I decided to swim around and cool off. The water was warm, clear, and quite inviting. After many miles on the bike I made my way back to BIOS. The remainder of the weekend was designated to touching base with loved ones and catching up on some sleep.

The first day back at work we hit the ground running to get everything in order for the upcoming cruise. First task to tackle was reassembling our CTD and doing some fine tuning to make sure everything is running properly. After a couple cable splices and troubleshooting we had all of our sensors working well and then all that was left was to mount on the Niskin Bottles which was an easy task. 

After taking care of the CTD we moved on to the next mission critial task which was fixing the issue with our 12 kHz Depth Sounder. This proved to be an easier than expected task. After searching through the ceiling panels we discovered the plugs were not connected to anthing and just had to made a terminal box for them to plug into. A few soldered wires and connections later it was back up and running. 

At this point we have knocked off all the tasks needed for our next departure so we have been working on smaller issues that just have been pushed to the back burner. We will be leaving next Monday for a day cruise to a Hydrostation that will be a quick out and back trip. That is all for now but will have more next week!

The second week at sea has been much like the first, very busy. There was a change in plans however which required an entire day of transit to a new work site and our waypoints were made up on the fly. This didn’t slow down operations however once we arrived to the new location. Along with tons and tons of CTD’s we have been deploying and picking up a Woods Hole Glider (measures Internal waves, surface waves, wind speed and direction), Wire Walker (Surface wave spectra), and more of the OOBS (Ocean Observing Buoy System). Most of these devices are dropped off and left to collect data for roughly a day or so and then we get a GPS fix on them and go pick them up. 

Weather wise, its been pretty inconsistant which is to be expected in this area. One moment it will be clear and sunny then next it is stormy with sideways rain and lightning. For the most part the seas have been forgiving with smaller swell sizes so the ship hasn’t been rocking too hard.

Today is actually the last day at sea and we are currently in transit back to Bermuda. We should be making it back tomorrow (May27) around roughly 1300. It has been a great first cruise with BIOS and an amazing science crew to work with. All the guys from John Hopkins as well as Scripps have maintained great, positive vibes and are nothing less than respectful to the crew and the intern (me). I could only hope to work with a team like this in the future.

Picture of me getting ready help recover a Woods Hole Glider
*Photo taken by Nick Mathews

What a busy first week it has been. To start my internship off I met all the crew and staff a BIOS (Bermuda Institute of Ocean Science) and was welcomed by all. Right off the bat I was helping get all the gear and equipment on board and helped mobilize so we were prepared to get underway. For this cruise we have been working with the John Hopkins Applied Science Lab as well as a crew from SCRIPPS Ocean Institute. After testing and fine tuning all the equipment as well as going through the briefing we were quickly underway. 

The first two days were designated for transit to the work site which was named “Aquarius” and this location is about 300 miles southeast of Bermuda. During transit we mainly focused on our CTD and fine tuned all the senors incorporated with it. The science crew provided us with a few of there gear to mount and connect into our CTD system which took a little extra effort to fit everything on, as well as get the correct calibration coefficients tuned in. Once everything checked out and was tested we could move on to other preparations such as assuring our network was up and running so we could easily transfer data to the science teams with a public folder. 

Once we arrived to the work site we quickly were saturated with many different operations that occur at all hours of the day. My first deck operation was a CTD cast which was pretty straight forward and I just played  minor roll until I got more comfortable with the ship. After a couple casts, I began take more responsibility and was handling tag lines and taking lead. Later in the evening we deployed a buoy system called OOBS (Ocean Observing Buoy System) which consisted of 3 different buoys with many different sensors (CTD, ADCP, Mets, ect.) all connected with small float buoys in between. It is approximately 400 meters in length and this was the very first time I had seen anything like it. It was a fairly complicated deployment but with a good crew it went very smooth. 

Throughout the first week we deployed mainly CTD’s but also deployed a Woods Hole Glider, Wire Walker, Profiler 2 and XBT’s. It felt like once we started it never stopped. There are operations going on about every 45 minutes to and hour unless we are making a lengthy transit across the work site. 

By this point on day 7 I am feeling more and more confident in my deck skills and am getting more comfortable with how the ship operates. Everyone works as a team and they work very well. I would like to make a special consideration for the cooks aboard. They make great meals and Randal the head cook makes deserts to die for. A typical dinner could be anything from Lamb shanks with rice and cucumber feta tomato salad to Filet with baked potato and pasta salad. Deserts vary as well from key lime pie, chocolate cheesecake, to fresh baked cookies and everything is make from scratch. A good cook can make or break a crew and on this boat they are the final touch to a wonderful crew.

Unfortunately I could not attach any pictures while underway. The internet is slow and the majority of bandwidth is designated to the scientist (for good reason!) Once I make it back to shore I will be attaching many many pictures of the awesome operations that have been going on! 

That is all for this week but can’t wait to see what lies ahead for me on this adventure! 

Picture of me coiling up cable from the recovery of the SPMR profiler. 

*Photo taken by Peter Rogowski from Scripps Institute of Oceanography

Hello everyone!

The clock is slowly ticking until I leave for my new adventure to Bermuda. I leave in two days to arrive at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) for a 6 week internship aboard the R/V Atlantic Explorer. These past few days have been slightly hectic with finishing my last days at work, packing for an extended stay, and organizing all the documents for my internship. All the effort will surely be worth it when I can finally step off the plane and begin my wonderful internship. 

A little background of me, my name is Mason Schettig and I am from Wilmington, NC. I recently graduated from Cape Fear Community College receiving my degree in Marine Technology. Prior to graduation I’ve worked in the United States Coast Guard as a Marine Science Technician, along with waiting tables in many of the local restaurants. I am beyond excited to have this opportunity to expand my education as well as experience. Upon my completion of this internship I will be pursing a career with NOAA as a Hydrographic Survey Technician on one of their research vessels

Not too much to talk about now since I haven’t started the internship but next blog I hope to have some fun adventures to talk about after I hop into this incredible internship! 

Until next time,

Mason Schettig