With the cruise under full swing there has been science 24/7 around the clock, I have drifted towards the noon to midnight or later shift. Most people have 12 hour or 8 hour shifts, the weather was much colder and more windy earlier this week, currently it has been foggy and less cold as we are northwest of Barrow. As shifts rotate, I am constantly seeing new coast guard faces. Most of my time recently has been consumed with GIS related projects. I have been collaborating with the sediment scientists to create a map of past cruises, comparing past sampled site’s biomass in grams per carbon and overlaying the current cruise sites. I have been assisting with the sediment scientists helping sample sediment from the Van Veen grabs, and collecting live specimen from them as well. In addition, I have continued to assist with the bongo net toes, seeing some interesting specimens such as copepods, arctic cod, prickleback, other fish larvae and jellyfish.
This week I aided in repairing the Salinometer; removing, cleaning, and replacing the conductivity cell as well as calibrating the system. I also disassembled and reassembled a Benthos Pinger, making sure it is in working condition for deeper water Haps Core samples. On average, most of the area we have been in has been no deeper that 100 meters. Today we have been in waters over 1000m deep. For the deep-water core sampling Brett and I securely attached the Benthos Pinger allowing for a more accurate depth reading to help successfully retrieve cores.
I have also been monitoring the CTD casts and ensuring the casts go smoothly. I have learned how to clean fiber optic cables and create fiber optic connections thanks to STARC’s fiber optic crash course. Currently, I am optimizing some of the niskin bottles and writing a manual on the proper specifications. In addition, I have some GIS manuals to write up on how to mosaic and import ICE imagery into the QPS system so they can be overlaid with the live location of the ship. I have been attending the nightly planning meetings with the head of the departments, usually nothing interesting happens but it is nice to be involved and see how the operations are planned.
It looks like no ice will be seen on this trip, global warming is very visible compared to previous summers. Scientists have shown me pictures of walruses and polar bears with plenty of ice around from previous years at the same location we are currently at. In addition, earlier this week we rendezvoused with the two sail drones, there is a picture going around with a seal catching a ride aboard one of them. One of the Coasties convinced me to hit the gym with him earlier this week and I am still sore. I am still learning a lot every day, my mentor is a great teacher and my co-workers are always willing to explain present issues to me.
They filled the ice cream freezer with ice cream bars, it’s hard for me to stay away from all the Blue Bunny treats! For Labor Day yesterday, I attended the celebration in the hangar, enjoying some snacks and games with both scientists and crew. The northern lights were visible a few nights ago, but sadly I was not awake to see them, I am hoping I will get to see them before the end of the cruise. Time seems to be flying by with only about 10 days until we return to Dutch Harbor.
Photo Credit: Amanda Norcross