A Day at Sea

Members of the science team help the Resident Technician retrieve the CTD rosette aboard R/V Melville

My alarm goes off at 0600 and I lay in my rocking berth listening to the jingle bell sound of the Chirp Sonar.  Swinging through the main lab on the way to the mess hall I glance at the white board for updates and messages.  Coffee is enjoyed on the fantail while searching for whales with some of the crew and science team.  I do a run through of the morning's sampling supplies before heading back into the mess hall at 0730 for a quick breakfast of bacon, eggs, potatoes and fresh fruit.  We then prep the rosette and computer for the 0800 CTD cast.  We're scheduled to sample a line of stations along the coast so this will be the first of three casts today.  Radio checks between bridge, winch, lab and deck, then the rosette goes over the side and down to a predetermined depth as we watch the PAR plot for the chlorophyll max.  Then the winch brings the rosette up in increments and all niskin bottles are fired, collecting water at different depths.  

Gloves are important when taking water samples to avoid contamination

Once the rosette is recovered and secured on deck, the science team circles around it in waves, taking seawater samples to be analyzed for things like dissolved oxygen and carbon, nutrients and chlorophyll.   Once sample collection is complete, everyone gets busy at their stations in the main lab, running through their different analyses while the ship motors on to our next station.  

Maintaining the deionized water system in the analytical lab

Running water sample analyses in the main lab

The rest of the day follows this pattern: CTD cast, water collection and sample analysis in the lab with an 1130 lunch break. A day at sea revolves around mealtimes so the quality, quantity and diversity of options is important... fortunately we're well taken care of and on today's menu is chicken fajitas.  Members of the crew take their coffee breaks at 1000 and 1400 and are an endless source of stories if you're able to step away from your lab bench.  Some people are able to wrap up their work by dinner at 1700 and we all settle down in the library afterwards for a brief science meeting.  The chief scientist gives an idea of how the big picture is forming and where we're headed from here.  It also gives us the opportunity to describe our individual roles in the expedition and learn about different areas of research.

Today was a light sampling day so we take the opportunity to start a load of laundry, clean our cabins or get caught up on paperwork.  We meet on the forward deck to watch the sunset and enjoy an impromptu guitar solo.  The rest of the evening is spent playing cards in the mess hall or watching a movie in the lounge.  Working at sea is more tiring than you'd expect so everyone heads down to their berths early for a good night’s sleep.

Relaxing after a long day