Today was a day of transit.
We did a lot of work on the buoys, preparing them for deployment and Rick, with the help of Tonya our Chief Survey Technician, got about half of the cups that his students decorated for ‘shrinking’ into the mesh bags to attach to the deep CTD when we do one
. The CTD is a rosette of bottles that are sent to depth, in this case 3000 meters (how many feet is that and how many atmospheres of pressure?) where water samples and a record of the Conductivity (salinity), Temperature, and Depth are taken. These CTD’s will help provide a double check for the electronic data that our
buoys collect and add to the data used to model El Nino/La Nina.
One of the side activities of the CTD is to send down the cups to be squeezed by the pressure. We also have a cup of similar size that will be used as a control so that students will be able to see the changes that the cups undergo.
Rick also has brought along a Styrofoam wig head from his daughter Teri to see the effect on a larger scale.
In addition to our work on the buoys we had our first at sea drills including an abandon ship drill. But since we had a similar drill in port we only were required to muster to our stations with our exposure suits, long sleeve shirt, head cover, and long pants and wear our personal flotation device.
At the end of the day some of the crew had a little fun on the deck with a marshmallow gunfight. Maybe this is an idea for the faculty back at the Senior Academy, it sure seemed to be a great for the crew to unwind after a busy day at sea. Keep warm, I hear that is is pretty chilly in Billings. Rick
Today was a day of transit. We did a lot of work on the buoys, preparing them for deployment and Rick, with the help of Tonya our Chief Survey Technician, got about half of the cups that his students decorated for ‘shrinking’ into the mesh bags to attach to the deep CTD when we do one 
buoys collect and add to the data used to model El Nino/La Nina. One of the side activities of the CTD is to send down the cups to be squeezed by the pressure. We also have a cup of similar size that will be used as a control so that students will be able to see the changes that the cups undergo. Rick also has brought along a Styrofoam wig head from his daughter Teri to see the effect on a larger scale.
Hi Dad!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see my "shrunken head" - lol! I have to say my eyes are green with envy, we're freezing here! Take care and I'll be checking in...
Love, Teri
Hi Teri,
ReplyDeleteGlad that you got to see the head and that you had one for us to shrink. I know that we will be sending it down to 3000 meters, so over 9000 feet down some time in the next week. I will be sure to post an after shot so that we can compare them. I hope that you guys are doing great and that the cold isn't as bad as it was yesterday. We are heading into warmer weather, but the seas are a little rough...it is pretty hard to type when the chair starts to roll across the floor of the stateroom. Thanks for picking up Mom and Casey and for watching the Pix. Love to everyone, R
Howdy Rick and Art,
ReplyDeleteI think my first attempt at "Post a Comment" was lost at sea. I'll try again.... So happy you thought to include me in your adventure. Be sure to send me data on your salinity and sqeezures. I check salinity and temps on my peice of the reef everyday at home.
When Gail saw your wig head she giggled and indicated you'll be home soon - hang in there. When I saw the picture of you and wig head, I thought, "What happened to the doctor haircut?" Are you trying for the Captain on the Black Pearl hair cut. All I can do is shake my head. Oh and Art, we expect to see your picture with a big WAHOO!
I agree with Teri we're pretty cold here in Bozeman -3 degrees, and I'm green with envy too. Take care and don't fall out of your bunk during the rocky weather. We'll check back in on Monday, Jan 11th. Till then -- smooth sailing--
Micki
Hi Micki and all our Bozeman friends,
ReplyDeleteWe are glad that you are able to follow us and be part of the adventure. We are still in transit to our first Buoy at 8N:155W and should get there about 5AM tomorrow. We will do a CTD first, down to 3000 meters and then mover on to the deploy of the new style buoy. I think we will end the day with another CTD at 7N and then head for our next buoy at 5N. Should be a busy day. Keep warm...-3 sounds like the temp in the deep freeze on the ship...Have a great weekend all.
Rick and Art