It has been a week since we left port in Lautoka, Fiji and science on board is well underway.

My days starts at 0100 when I wake up to get ready for watch. I head to the computer lab around 0145 to relieve Benny. We go over what happened during his watch and anything to keep an eye on for the next 8 hours. Now that all science operations are underway, watch standing can vary, but typically we monitor the incoming data for the multi beam, the sub-bottom profiler, and the magnetometer. So far, we have mapped over 900km of the seafloor and measured the Earth’s magnetic field over large segments of this track. 

The Computer Lab, where we live data streams come in and can be monitored

If you squint, you can see a rainbow lands right on the magnetometer winch. We were very hopeful this was the good omen we needed after a full day of troubleshooting the instrument.

Watch during OBS deployments looks a bit different. A couple hours before the estimated time of deployment, I help the OBS technician on watch set the instrument clock and configuration and ensure the sensors are properly recording. We then tackle the acoustics, checking that communication with the instrument is functional. 

45 minutes to half an hour before the ship reaches the deployment site, we assemble and mount the recovery aids and enable the acoustics. Once we are sitting on the site, the OBS is deployed over the side and sinks to the seafloor. We track the drop rate of the instrument from the main lab using the acoustics that were enabled just before the launch and a deck box that communicates with it. This is also how we survey the position of the OBS and determine its final location. 

When the OBS surveys are completed, we get to deploy the magnetometer, which get recovered before the OBS deployments, and start monitoring the magnetic field strength. This week, the magnetometer gave us some trouble, but after troubleshooting and relaying our issues back to shore, we were able to get the instrument functioning and recording accurate readings once again.

My watch overlaps with breakfast so my watch mates and I take shifts eating and monitoring the data just in case one of the instruments starts to misbehave. 

Breakfast tends to be my second meal of the day as it is served 6 hours after I wake up. My first meal is around 0230 when I raid the leftovers fridge like a raccoon and discover what was for dinner the night before. 

Bagged noodles have become a new staple of my diet!

At 0945, I turnover with Avery and give her a rundown of the morning events and any other information that could be helpful while she stands watch.

At 1000, I am set loose and free to wreak havoc on the ship or take a nap. For the most part, I choose sleep.