Day 8: Did someone say bad weather?

Today was a tough day. We had rough weather the entire night and for most of the day. My knee-high boots have helped a bit, but fifteen minutes into every day, a big wave bashes the side of the ship and rolls right over our entire operation. It’s been a battle but I will take every precaution to keep my feet dry. It may include jumping like a girl at times, but hey, I got to do what I have to do. I would much rather my boots remain, dry as opposed to turning them into a pair of buckets.
We arrived at station two and positioned the bow into the wind. The waves were still bobbling us around but there was work to be done. The CTD and the water sampling equipment had to be prepped and an additional sensor was put on the cage. It’s capable of measuring the transmission of light in the ocean.


Our work involved taking out an altimeter and replacing it with a PAR (Photo synthetically Active Radiation) sensor. This device measures the intensity of light in the oceans. The unit is paired with an identical sensor that is mounted on the ship to measure the level of sunlight in atmosphere. Thus, when the two sets of data are compared, one can tell the difference and the level of light that penetrate the depths of the oceans.


Our CTD and water sampling cast are always successful. We manage to launch and retrieve the unit without a hitch. The second of our test (the primary reason why we’re here) did not go well today. No sample was recovered.