July 6, 2010
By Leslie Peate
We are at the point in our expedition where the volunteers are handed the main responsibilities of running the deck and the lab. The scientists and mates stand by in order to prevent disaster, but we have learned enough to be able to take care of the ship. It is time to show what we can do. It is a fun part of the learning process on the ship.
Today I was in the lab for morning watch (0700 to 1300 hours). Between hourly plastic observations; hourly recording of temperature, salinity, wind direction, current speed, etc.; on top of processing samples and net and instrument deployments, there is a lot to think about.
This morning I was crowned the "Labmiral." I feel very comfortable in the lab and with everything that needs to happen there, so I was excited to have the extra responsibility. Morning watch in lab has lately been the busiest one each day. Dr. Giora Proskurowski typically has us do a CTD (carousel) cast, three to four Tucker trawls, a neuston tow, and a surface station. That is a whole lot of collecting going on! Then, mixed in with this 6-hour watch, we have to help with the sail handling that is required to do these deployments.
Today was no different, except that it turned out to be the hottest morning so far. Our sunscreen was even having a hard time battling the sun. By 0930 hours we were set up and ready to deploy. First on our to-do list was the CTD cast. I found myself harnessed to the boat (as the "dancer" who is in charge of keeping the CTD under control while out of the water). The science doors opened, Athena Aicher was on the wire; Dylan Meyer was on the J-frame. All of us were ready to go.
There are a lot of commands given during deployments like this – the slightest misunderstanding or mistake could be disastrous. Commands like "wire lower", "J-frame in", and "surface!" are typical ones heard on the science deck. I looked to second scientist Dave Murphy to start the process and he simply looks at me and says "Don't screw up" and smiles. Oh! I didn't know I was being given TOTAL responsibility. All of a sudden I find myself with the fate of over forty thousand dollars' worth of equipment on my shoulders.
A lot of "What-if this goes wrong?" went through my head, but hey, it's now or never right? This is why I'm on this expedition; to do science, to get my hands deep into it, and to learn new things. So I took a breath and got started. First, J-frame the CTD off the boat, making sure it doesn't get slammed into the sides of the ship on a swell. Next, lower the wire it is attached to, sending it into the water. After a series of steps to get clearance for deployment, we send the CTD down to 210 meters. Once there, it is immediately brought back up. Getting it onto the boat and secured is the last step. Success!
The CTD deployment ran like clockwork, but there was no time to relax. Next on the list was a series of three Tucker trawls. This special net is able to be sent down to a specific depth in the closed position, with it being opened only in response to a "messenger," a weight that we hurl down the towing line. This type of deployment allows scientists to take biomass samples from specific depths. On our trip we use it to see how deep the plastic may be mixed down. The first trawl was at around 18 meters depth. Once that biomass was captured and stored in the lab, the second trawl was sent to 35 meters and the third was sent to 55 meters depth.
During the last trawl, we also did a neuston tow on the other side of the ship. The neuston tow collects biomass from the surface of the ocean. We tow it for 30 minutes and during this time we also take a surface sample of water for nutrient and chlorophyll measurement.
By 1300 hours we were ready to get out of the sun and have lunch. During the watch turnover, I had to brief the oncoming watch on everything we did and what they needed to do to follow up. We all felt a little guilty leaving Jenan Kharbush, the new "Labmiral," and her watch with so much work. They had three Tucker trawl samples and two neuston samples to process. Processing includes counting the plastic pieces found, doing a 100-count on the zooplankton, weighing any Sargassum weed collected, as well as measuring the biomass. This kind of work is par for the course though and we welcome it – data collection at its finest.
Today's watch felt like it would never end, but it was very productive and exciting. It was a great day for me to be "Labmiral." I loved the challenge, and learned a lot as well. These experiences make us better leaders and learners. We are challenged and trusted on a daily basis. As a result, each of us will leave this ship a better, stronger person.
