August 6, 2005

Science. There is always science. We forge on with CTD casts and scientists monkey around with their tools: unclogging an observation hole in the deck; gingerly moving a computer controlled winch from the stern to the bow; deploying another $40,000 float; and fiddling, ever fiddling, with data and ocean models. But there is more than science that sustains a rich life on this ship.

Sun. Bright sun. All day, 360^o, horizon to horizon brilliant sun. Just that would be enough, but today the sun brings more surprises. Frost flowers, little tufts of moisture that froze the instant they hit the -20^oC air, twinkle in the morning light. Sun dogs, vertical shafts of colored light on either side of the morning sun, bark at you to gaze at the horizon.

Sun dog sunrise, courtesy of Capt. Mike Watson	Roo checks out the sea ice, a friendly iceberg, and the bright sun.

A Saturday science meeting brings together some great minds, and some joking around.

August 4, 2005

CTD Casts on Maud Rise continue. We have completed 22 of 66 casts, over 486 miles of ocean. These happen 24 hours a day, almost as quickly as it takes to get from one location to the next. Distances between casts range from 5 to 11 miles. Each cast has a small life of its own.

When we arrive at a CTD location, or station, the ship's pilot goes into some fancy maneuvering. She/he zigzags forward and back, creating an opening in the ice so the cage, or rosette, can get into and out of the water. He/she also positions the ship so that it sits up against a floe, and using the ship itself as a big sail, it drifts with the wind and ice, keeping the opening clear behind it. If the ship doesn't create a large enough opening, and if it doesn't drift correctly with the wind, ice can interfere with the cable or make it very difficult to bring the rosette out of the water. The science party relies on this expertise.

In the Maud Rise area, ocean depth varies between 5300 meters and 1200 meters (16,000 to 3,700 feet deep). While CTD casts can go as deep as 7000 meters, our casts are typically going to 700 meters. Water samples are taken at this depth, at about 250 meters (where the temperature is fairly stable), and at about 80 meters (in the mixed layer of water under the ice).

As soon as the rosette is aboard, the ship is off to the next station (unless another science event requires staying put). Water samples are collected immediately, and this, too, has a special protocol. Samples for testing oxygen must be taken first to ensure that the atmosphere's oxygen doesn't mix into the water. The glass sample flask must be flushed at least 3 times; it must be filled slowly and carefully so no bubbles form or stay in the flask; and it must be filled to overflowing. Two chemicals are gently added to the water sample which will allow a lab tech to test for the oxygen content. After drawing water for the oxygen samples, the water for testing salinity is taken. These bottles are also rinsed three times before a sample is collected. All samples must reach room temperature before testing can happen. Naturally, whoever collects samples must record flask numbers, Niskin bottle numbers, cast number, and date.

Brian collects water samples after a cast.	Kristin controls and watches the cast from the computer.

August 3, 2005

CTD Casts. It's what we steamed towards for 11 days. Although it's not the only science work going on, it is the focus for nearly 8 days of ship operations. What the heck are they?

The ship's technicians use a wench to lower a 500 lb metal cage out the starboard side of the ship. It has electronic sensors that measure Conductivity (salinity of the water), Temperature, and Depth, hence the CTD. There are also sensors measuring oxygen and the clarity of the water. In addition, it is equipped with up to 24 Niskin bottles. They go down wide open, and can be closed electronically at any depth in the cast. Each bottle captures 20 liters of ocean water at the location it was fired.

Naturally, the entire operation is aided by a computer and software. A computer monitor provides a constant display of salinity, temperature, depth, oxygen, and clarity. The investigating scientist watches the readouts and makes decision about where to trip the water bottles in order to have samples. The computer's software, meanwhile, is recording 24 measurements per second in accuracies up to 1 part per ten million as it descends and ascends, and conveniently, stores that data on a computer drive as it goes.

The CTD casts happen in lines, or tracks. The investigators decide on precise locations for each cast, and space these out over the area of study. How precise? The second cast was at 63^o29'14 S and 0^o32'53E. How big an area? In Phase 1 of the cruise, 66 casts are planned over 486 nautical miles, in six different lines. The casts take place one after the other, 24 hours a day, until finished.

The CTD package comes back from a cast.	Each black dot shows the location of a CTD station in the Maud Rise region.

That's the how; now the why. Let's say 66 patients from a small town visit the doctor. What can you guarantee will happen? Each of those patients will have his/her pulse, respiration, blood pressure, and weight taken and recorded. Well, CTD casts are the vital signs of the ocean, and this area around Maud Rise has 66 places where it's going to be checked. Salinity and Temperature are the foundational pieces of information to begin understanding how the ocean is behaving in the Maud Rise region. Salinity characteristics of even 1 part per million can be significant indicators to the scientists.

Why take water samples? Chemical oceanographers need the water to test for quantities of organic and inorganic materials, things like freon, CFC's, oxygen, carbon dioxide, helium, nitrate, phosphate, and tritium. These chemicals, when found in the ocean water, are clues to understanding how the ocean or our environment behaves. Physical oceanographers take samples to check the validity of the sensors. Salinity and oxygen will be tested in the lab, and the results will be compared with the data coming from the sensors. Any difference, or offset, will be calculated into the data. Absolute accuracy is important for the purposes of this study, and for anyone else in the scientific community who will see or use the data.

Tomorrow, I will continue to write about the CTD casts, giving more specifics about collecting data and more specifics about the casts on this cruise.

August 2, 2005

How do you check the weather? Temperature? How the wind is blowing? Maybe the humidity (especially if you live in the Midwest or East Coast)? If you're the kind that watches the weather channel, or you have a simple device at home, the barometric pressure might interest you.

Well, that's what the atmospheric scientists want to know, too. Peter Guest of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA collects this data for the ship's scientists, his own research, and the worldwide scientific community. One tool in his arsenal is the weather balloon (more on kites and weather masts later). Everyday at 11:00 am and 11:00 pm, he launches a large helium balloon which carries a radiosonde. This "package" is a rectangular box with a temperature probe, a humidity sensor, a pressure gauge, a GPS unit to determine position and wind speed, a radio for transmitting the data, and a small battery to power the whole thing. These launch times are chosen to coincide with the synoptic times of noon and midnight, worldwide times to take weather data.

Brian holds the radiosonde package, Peter has extra string, and Josh has the balloon right before an 11:00 am launch into 50 mph winds.

August 1, 2005

Another 24 hours or so remains before we begin the work of collecting data from the ocean under the sea ice, and collecting water samples. Despite the apparent lack of "work" during this last part of the transit, an amazing amount of things still happen...

...Watching the weather is both important and interesting. As I mentioned yesterday, the hourly ice observations contribute data to a worldwide effort to collect ice information. Since last night we've seen temperatures rise from -17^o C to 0 ^oC. A 40 knot wind (45mph) blew snow horizontally past the ship and across the sea ice. The ice itself changed back and forth from solid floes 50 cm thick, to leads (openings) hundreds of meters wide and long, to slush. Most of the ice and snow around the ship has melted.

...We tested a CTD cast to make sure the system was working. In a CTD cast, a huge metal cage with large water bottles and sensors is lowered into the ocean to a certain depth. The sensors collect and record data on Conductivity (salinity), Temperature, Depth, and oxygen. Water samples are collected at different depths. It seems that the scientific problem of collecting accurate data is being solved by these tremendously sensitive instruments. While that is true, the sophistication introduces new sets of problems: sensors can malfunction, electrical connections can go bad, or a programming glitch may arise.

...We practiced the procedure for retrieving water for the samples that will be analyzed for oxygen and salinity. An exact protocol must be followed to ensure that the samples will produce valid results.

...Members of the science party who will work directly on the ice about 10 days from now began discussing safety and logistics concerns. Scientists who are crafting computer models of ocean and ice behavior also met to discuss their progress.

...The strength, safety, and warmth of the ship make it a cozy place from which to watch our progress through the ice. However, we must also endure the grinding sounds of sea ice scraping across the hull. Conversation in the galley is difficult and falling asleep can be almost impossible.

...Personally, I continue to climb the steep slope of learning about physical oceanography and its instruments within a community of world-leading researchers. Terms such as heat flux, thermobaricity, shear, effusivity, cabbeling, advection, lagrangian cells, and micrsostructure fly around the ship all day. It's a fascinating world of creative, intelligent, and passionate people who are working on important ideas about the ocean's behavior.

July 31, 2005

As we steam further south, below 56 degrees South latitude, the ship no longer pitches and rolls with the swells of the ocean. Instead, we rock and jolt with the crunching and smashing of sea ice. The endless vista of a dark ocean with its waves and whitecaps has become the flat, endless landscape of ice, with an occasional iceberg jutting out.

We are going deeper into the belt of sea ice that surrounds the Antarctic continent. This huge mass of ice grows every winter and melts back to the continent's edge every summer. The scientists on this ship are very interested in the behavior of the ocean water below this layer of ice, from the underside to several hundred meters below. Other scientists are very interested in the sea ice itself. The thickness and extent of the sea ice is part of what defines the ocean-atmosphere interaction and the weather. Since sea ice cannot accurately be recorded remotely, an important part of the cruise is taking observations of the sea ice.

The ASPECT program stands for Antarctic Sea ice Processes and Climate. This is the scientific community's effort to build a database of Antarctic sea ice characteristics. What characteristics? Isn't ice, well, just frozen water? It is said the Inuit people of the Arctic have dozens of words for snow and ice. That is not far from the truth for the descriptions required of the ASPECT program.

Twenty four hours a day, on the hour, someone on the ship is recording an ice observation from the bridge. First, it states the total ice concentration for the sea, from 0-100%. It then describes up to three types of ice from 13 possible choices. Next, the size of each type of floe is estimated from 8 possible choices, ranging from the size of pancakes to floes of over two kilometers. Then, the surface of each flow is described from dozens of possible choices, ranging from level ice to covered with old, weathered ridges. You're still not done. The sea ice description must include one of 12 different kinds of snow types found on each floe, and one of 10 choices of open water that might be found between floes. Keep going: add one of 75 possible weather descriptions and one of 8 descriptions for visibility. Finally, record some of the basics: time, longitude, latitude, temperature, and wind speed.

All of that is the science of recording the sea ice conditions. There is also the human, beautiful aspect of the ice.

The ice names are kind of fun: frazil, shuga, grease, nilas, pancakes, young grey ice, grey-white ice, first year, multiyear, brash, or fast ice. How the ice behaves is also pretty neat: it cements together, fingers of ice floes interlock, one floe slides over another, thicker floes bash into each other and create ridges, edges collect drifts of snow, open areas are sculpted by the wind, frost flowers twinkle with the sunlight or the spotlights of the ship, blocks of ice lay in chaotic jumbles after floes have pushed into each other. The sea ice gives sunrise and sunset a new look, too. Just as a person can stare into a fire and watch its flames dance, the sea ice offers endless opportunities for admiring its changing size, shape, and texture. There is nothing boring about our new landscape.

July 30, 2005

There are 30 members of the scientific party aboard 0the ship: "grantees," who have received funding from the National Science Foundation for research, and Raytheon Polar Services Company employees who offer professional expertise to help the grantees on the Palmer. So, how many crew members does it take to run the ship for this science party? I was shocked to realize that 24 people keep this ship on course and running smoothly.

You can find some of the nuts and bolts about the ship at its website, http://www.polar.org/science/marine/nbp/index.htm, things like its history, how long it is, how much fuel it holds, its strength in the ice, etc... What you won't find is a description of how a talented crew of 24 supports a full range of oceanography work.

You can think of the ship in four parts: the bridge, the decks, the galley, and the engine room. Naturally, the captain is responsible for the entire ship, but he (or she) is also the head of the bridge crew. He, in this case, Captain Mike Watson, is assisted by the Chief Mate, Scott Dunaway. Next in line are the Second Mate and Third Mate. They steer the ship, making decisions about speed and course, so that the scientists get to the places where their work needs to be done. These bridge positions require a combination of experience and licensing by the U.S. Coast Guard. While it used to be possible to work your way up the job ladder, it is now more common to attend a maritime academy in order to be in the officer ranks. Maine, Massachusetts, Texas, New York, and California have academies, and the federal government runs the Merchant Marine Academy.

Another main area of the ship is the engine room. This is headed by the Chief Engineer, Robert Morris. He has a First, Second, and Third Assistant Engineer. Like the bridge crew, these are licensed positions, overseen by the U.S. Coast Guard. As you can imagine, they maintain and repair the engine, but they also run the fresh water system, generators, the electrical system, plumbing and sewage, winches, and hydraulic cranes. The engineering officers work with an Oilers on each watch, who help them with their work. Working below the main decks, they are rarely seen, but they keep things running, literally.

The bridge and engine room work a 4 hour on/8 hour off shift. After each 4 hour shift, bridge personnel walk the entire ship to make sure everything is, well... ship-shape.

The boatswain, Sam Villanueva, is in charge of the deck crew and much of the day to day maintenance of the ship. Imagine the tasks you do to keep your home running smoothly: cleaning bathrooms and hallways, replacing light bulbs, painting, and making minor repairs. His crew consists of AB's, Able Bodied Seamen, a title one receives after 3 year of working on a ship and passing an examination. They work an 8-12 hour shift each day.

Finally, and pretty important for daily moral, is the galley crew. The chief steward Silverio Nestor, is in charge of the cooks and galley hands. They work a 12 hour on/ 12 hour off schedule. As I mentioned before, they provide 4 meals a day and keep the galley open nearly 24 hours for snacks and drinks. Can you imagine what kind of a shopping list the steward has for 54 people who plan to spend 60 days on the ship? In just 10 days at sea, we've seen everything from apple tarts to zucchini.

The Palmer's crew is quite international, represented by American, Chilean, and Filipino nationals. Most of the crew has been together for a while, making this a friendly and efficiently run ship. Captain Mike has been on the ship 13 years. Since the US Coast Guard is no longer performing ice breaking duties, the Palmer and the Gould, both owned by Edison Chouest LLC, are the only two American ships supporting polar research.

July 29, 2005

More of the same... sleep, eat, work on computer programs, eat again, more programming, do laundry, snack, adjust instruments going into the ocean, discuss incoming information, discuss historical data, check out the sea, plot strategies for sampling water, practice a fire drill, plan work shifts, watch a movie, read... everything in preparation for arrival in the ice and the beginning of round-the-clock work stations when we will collect data from the ocean and start running the ocean models.

The stern wash as we cut through a stretch of drifting ice.

The forward dry lab in which there is a dozen or so screens displaying relevant data or someone's program.

July 28, 2005

We are still in transit to our destination in the Weddell Sea and starting our second week at sea. As I mentioned yesterday, preparations are in full swing. But once we arrive, the schedule will become more intense as work stations go around the clock to collect and analyze data. During these 11 days, however, there is more to life than just work and sleep.

Naturally, there's eating. The ship's galley serves up meals 4 times a day; the standard breakfast, lunch, and dinner hours plus midnight rations, or midrats, for those who are working or sleeping during the regular dinner time. The galley is open almost 24 hours for a snack or drink, too. The old expression, an army travels on its stomach, is certainly true here. Each meal offers a variety of well prepared food, including desserts. I think the meals taste even better because we don't cook or clean up, thanks to the excellent galley crew. The social interaction at meals is just as important as the nutrition and taste. Meal time is a relaxing opportunity to continue a conversation about work, to share stories, or to learn more about each other.

The exercise room gets regular visits from the crew. I've become good friends with the treadmill. In addition there are two bikes, a stair stepper, a rowing machine, and a weight machine which allow everyone to stay in good physical shape.

Because we are in transit, everyone keeps a fairly normal workday pattern. This makes it easy to get together in the evening for a movie in the ship's lounge. Sometimes, it is recorded episodes from a TV series or popular cable show. Other times, it's a movie from the ship's library or from someone's personal collection. In addition, each room has a small TV/VCR for an individual's entertainment.

Another diversion is going to the bridge. The bridge is on the 5th floor of the ship, the 05 deck. From here, the captain and his mates control the ship. Unless something extremely important is going on, we are invited to hang out on the bridge. It has the best view on the ship, and therefore, it's the best place to see wildlife, sea ice, icebergs, or developments in the weather. Today, as we climb and descend the ocean swells, there is a great view of the bow splash. Another great viewing spot is at the bow of the ship. Here, you might get a closer view of a marine animal or cutting through the sea ice. You have to be ready, however, for the sub-freezing temperatures and the wind chill, plus the deck can be covered in ice. All these interesting sights bring out the photographer in everyone.

As you can imagine, plenty of reading gets done on the ship. Some of it is professional stuff. Scientists catch up on articles they need to read or edit, or they look at data about our trip. Some of it is recreational reading, too. The conference room has 100's of novels from which to choose and most everyone brought along a couple of books, too. The computers download a web version of the New York Times.

During the transit, it's necessary to have meetings. The science party assembles to make sure everyone is aware of the upcoming schedule, to share progress, or to discuss problems and questions. Another necessary diversion is tending to the laundry. Each living deck has a set of washers and driers. These are just like the ones you have at home, which means they won't work if the seas are too rough, like today.

July 27, 2005

This must be why it's called a "cruise". For about 7 days and nights, we have been cruising at about 10 knots, making our way east from Punta Arenas, Chile to the edge of the sea ice in the Weddell Sea. We have a few more days of cruising east and south until we arrive at our destination.

Although we haven't arrived, the ship is still humming with work, but it's not quite the image I had of "oceanography". I was fortunate to join a cruise in the summer of 2003, in the Arctic, on the Coast Guard Ice Breaker Healy. The scientists on that trip were studying the waters of the Kane Basin and Nares Straits, on the west side of Greenland. While we were in transit on that cruise, scientists and technicians were furiously constructing and testing moorings (instruments placed in the water to collect data) and preparing for the collection of hundreds of water samples that would be analyzed on the ship and in labs back home.

The scientists on this cruise are no less busy, and they are furiously preparing, too. But just about every one of them is hunched over a computer in preparation for arriving at our destination. Some are working on large scale or small scale computer models of the ocean. Someone else has a model of what the ice itself is doing. There are programmers hard at work preparing for one instrument to talk to another. Floats that will be dropped into the ocean to follow the currents at the mixing layer also need programming. Other scientists are programming their computers in preparation for the vast amounts of data that will be collected and processed. Daily, the ship receives data from satellites and from ship mounted instruments and, yes, that data is handled by computers. Heck, even I'm at a computer a lot of the time to write and edit pictures.

That's not to say these oceanographers don't get their hands dirty and wet. By the end of this week, some of the science crew will be working in 12 hour shifts lowering a variety of instruments into the water to collect data about temperature, salinity, pressure, heat transfer, and current. Others will be observing and recording ice conditions. After that, more data will be collected from huts positioned directly on the sea ice. Atmospheric conditions will be recorded by sending out balloons and kites from the deck or ice surface. And, the computer work will continue as well.

It must also be said that my first cruise was dominated by chemical oceanography: studying what is in the water. And to be fair, much of their data was also processed by computers back in their home labs. This cruise is dominated by physical oceanographers: studying how the water and ice are behaving. This requires vast amounts of calculations based on physics, and only a computer can adequately handle these complexities.

While in transit, however, no one is so busy that they won't get up and have a look to check out the first sightings of sea ice, penguins, seals, and small icebergs!

July 26, 2005

What's everyone doing down here? After almost a week surrounded by scientists and technicians in the science party, the picture is getting clearer. There are three main areas of expertise: physical oceanography, atmospheric science, and sea ice. The scientists are here to gather data, but are also running models of what they think should happen.

The physical oceanographers have backgrounds in physics and advanced mathematics, and they bring these skills into the field of oceanography. The ocean is made of layers of water which have different densities depending on the changes in temperature and salt content. The basic goal is to better understand how these layers act. So, these oceanographers are interested in current flow, heat transfer, and turbulence (mixing) in the area just below the ice, in the mixing areas, and deep into the ocean. They are using a variety of oceanographic instruments to measure these characteristics on a big scale and on a micro scale (what is happening over the course of 1-5 cm). Working with these scientists are specialists who help design, build, maintain, and deploy the special equipment that goes into the water.

There is a group of modelers on board. They, too, have a strong background in math and physics applied to oceanography. Their task is to design and run computer models that describe and predict what the ocean water will do under the ice, in the mixing layers, and even on the larger scale of 100?s of kilometers of ocean. The models, and daily satellite images, will help determine where the physical oceanographers go to find their data.

An atmospheric scientist is on board to contribute real time weather situations. This data will go into the models and will be used to better understand the sea and ice conditions.

Scientists studying sea ice will make hourly ice observations once we reach the sea ice edge. Characteristics such as type of ice, thickness of ice, snow thickness, and amount of ice cover will be recorded. These observations will be added to a world-wide database of ice information compiled by the Antarctic Cooperative Research Center at the University of Tasmania, Australia. These scientists will also collect samples of ice at various times in the study.

Why Maud Rise? Satellite photos over the past 30 years have revealed an area of low ice concentration, and even large openings (polynyas) near this undersea mountain. Scientists are trying to understand the factors that cause this thinning or opening in the sea ice. By understanding the waters in Maud Rise, we may learn more about how sea ice conditions throughout the Southern Ocean might change if oceanic and atmospheric conditions change in the future.

July 25, 2005

Here are a few questions you never hear: "What's the capital of Antarctica?" or "Name some countries that are in the continent of Antarctica?" You never hear those because no nation owns Antarctica, and you don't need a passport to enter Antarctica.

Then who is keeping track of everything that goes on down here? The Antarctic Treaty is a unique international agreement that guides policy and practice on this huge continent. It was written in 1959 and formally established in 1961. Twelve countries signed the original document, and now there are 45 countries around the world that follow its laws. It is an ongoing model of international cooperation.

What does the treaty do for Antarctica? First, it says that all the area south of 60 degrees South is free to explore and to do peaceful research. There can be no military action of any kind, from weapons testing, to military practice, to building a base of any kind. However, military resources can be used to support the science work that takes place here. In the case of the US, Coast Guard icebreakers and huge military cargo planes deliver supplies and provide logistics to the research stations on the continent and in the ocean.

The treaty also says there will be an annual exchange of ideas and scientific data among the countries and research groups that do work in the Antarctic. In addition, any participating country has free access to inspect and observe the actions of another group.

The treaty has led to more protections for Antarctica. The treaty now bans mining of any kind, and has special regulations regarding the care of the environment. Animals and plants, as well as any found animal or plant parts must be left undisturbed. Polystyrene packing materials are prohibited, so are house plants and seeds(although McMurdo Station has a greenhouse). Participating in any kind of business that generates private profit is also forbidden.

As recently as 1994, the US policy in Antarctica was restated in four objectives: protecting the environment; protecting opportunities for scientific research; maintaining Antarctica as an area of international cooperation for peaceful purposes; and conservation of living resources in the oceans surrounding Antarctica. Pretty lofty objectives!

A comment by former President Nixon captures some of the importance of the US Antarctic Program: "Science has provided a successful basis for international accord, and the Antarctic is the only continent where science serves as the principal expression of national policy and interest."

July 24, 2005

North Pole, South Pole, penguins, polar bears, ice, snow...it's all about the same, right? The short answer is no. Please keep reading to find out how different these places are.

Antarctica is a huge land mass covered in ice and surrounded by ocean. When you dig down, you are going to hit rock! The Arctic is frozen sea water surrounded by land. If you dig under the North Pole, you're going to hit water! Icebergs in Antarctica calve from glaciers and ice flows. These bergs are so huge they are measured in square kilometers. Arctic bergs also calve from glaciers, but are measured in square meters. Sea ice (frozen ocean water) re-forms every year in the Antarctic, nearly doubling the size of the continent. North Pole sea ice can be many years old and it circulates around the pole. In the Antarctic, 97% of land ice is part of an unbroken sheet over the continent, up to 3000 meters thick. North Pole ice is 3-4 meters thick, and the only land ice is found on Greenland. The elevation at the South Pole is 2900 meters. The North Pole's elevation is about 1 meter. Antarctica has very few beaches as the continental shelf drops off steeply and steep cliffs meet the ocean. The Arctic has many beaches and shallow coastal areas.

Plant and animal life is also quite different. The Antarctic has no tundra or tree line, but the Arctic has both. Between 66 and 70 degrees South, there are two kinds of flowers and some lichen and mosses in the Antarctic. Between 66-70 degrees North, the Arctic has 540 species of flowers and plants. The Antarctic supports a small variety of insects, but no land mammals (no polar bears!). The Arctic habitat is home to numerous varieties of insects, plus musk ox, reindeer, caribou, fox, hare, wolf, lemming and yes...the polar bear. Both continents can claim whales, porpoises, and seals. The Antarctic has 19 species of birds including, yes...the penguins. The Arctic has 107 species of birds, and alas, no penguins.

Human history is also quite different. There is no record of primitive or native people in Antarctica, while the Arctic has been home to native populations for thousands of years, each with its own rich cultural heritage and history. Below 60 degrees South, the only inhabitants of Antarctica are members of the scientific community. In the Arctic, above 60 degrees North, over 2 million people live in modern towns and small villages hunting, fishing, and mining. The crossing of the Antarctic Circle was accomplished by James Cook in January of 1772. The crossing of the Arctic Circle was made in prehistoric times.

Both place are cold, but the Antarctic can lay claim to being the coldest, windiest, driest, and highest place on Earth. They both store huge quantities of the Earth's fresh water, with some estimates claiming the Antarctic holds 90% of our fresh water. Finally, both regions are major contributors to world-wide ocean currents, global climate, and storage of carbon dioxide. And it's this last sentence that describes why a ship with 30 people devoted to science is cruising these Antarctic waters.

July 23, 2005

Quickly, I lose track of what day and month it is since there are none of the usual markers in our lives. Although it is Saturday in July, it doesn't feel like it because I didn't go on a long run, I don't plan to do any yard work, there is no chance for listening to my favorite weekend radio shows, and we don't feel the sunshine and heat of summer.

Instead, we are steaming east toward the Weddell Sea, to about 0 degrees longitude and 65 degrees south. It is expected to take 11 days to reach the Maud Rise part of the sea. The Maud Rise, off the coast of Queen Maud Land, is an underwater mountain in the middle of the deep sea where we plan to do take lots of data. We still have about 8 days left. During this waiting time, scientists and technicians are making sure their equipment and their computer programs are working. There is also a lot of plain, old-fashioned waiting. Luckily, we have not hit any extremely rough seas so far, making this long stretch easier to handle.

There are a lot of "players" that make this kind of a cruise happen. The NSF is the National Science Foundation, which is a source of US money dedicated to science work of all kinds. The NSF runs OPP, the Office of Polar Programs. This group, in turn, supports the USAP, the United States Antarctic Program. The USAP is the United States' effort to participate, and work cooperatively with foreign nations, in pursuit of scientific research in the Antarctic.Through the NSF, they provide funding to scientists who have submitted research proposals in ocean geology, geophysics, marine biology, ocean chemistry, and physical oceanography. This cruise is exclusively concerned with the physics of the ocean and there are 5 grants supporting 18 scientific crew members.

A scientist who is awarded a grant can't possibly do everything and provide all the equipment necessary to fulfill the grant's objective. That's where the next player comes in. RPSC is Raytheon Polar Services Company. This is a private company owned by Raytheon Technical Services Company. RPSC handles much of the support for scientists who have work in the Antarctic. This company handles transportation of people and equipment, medical and dental qualifications, ocean going vessels, lab operations, computer system management, field work on the ice or water, and global communications. The Raytheon employees operate and maintain NSF owned equipment so that scientists do not have to lug around tons of their own stuff for each cruise, such as lab equipment, heavy tools, and small boats.

Finally, there is ECO, Edison Chouest Offshore. This private company built, owns, and operates this ship, the Nathaniel B. Palmer, and the Laurence M. Gould. They built a ship with space for lab work, computer lab, and machinery to get measuring devices in and out of the ocean. They also provide the crew that runs the ship, from the captain and chief engineer, to the cooks and deck crews. They are under contract with RPSC, who is under contract with the USAP, which is funded by the NSF.

While it is easy to follow the money down from the NSF, it is important to realize it is a cooperative effort among all three that allows research to happen and helps the scientific community better understand the ocean.

July 22, 2005

Safety is the most important personal and community skill on the ship. OK, there are expert oceanographers, talented programmers, knowledgeable technicians, and a reliable crew. Everyone on board contributes an expertise to the success of the scientific mission. But working safely and living safely is at the foundation of everything we do.

Only 90 minutes out of port, everyone in the scientific crew met to learn, or relearn, the important safety issues. We had to understand that when the ship's whistle blows or an alarm goes off, it is to be treated seriously. There could be a fire, a person overboard, or a general emergency. Each person must collect a life jacket and emergency suit and report immediately to the safety station. We practiced putting the suit on, which is an insulated, water tight suit that covers you from head to toe in foam rubber. It's made to protect you from the near freezing water. We also practiced getting into the life boat, which is a big fiberglass capsule equipped with food and drink for one week. It's the last time we hope to see the inside of that place! We were also told to practice getting to the emergency station. In a real emergency, the lights of the ship may not work, and we need to have the route memorized in our minds.

Those are the worst case emergency preparations, and it isn't too different from the fire drills and evacuation drills we practice in schools, and that we are asked to think about in our own homes. But there are day-to-day safety concerns, too.

The ship requires a "permit to work." All scientific crew must check with the captain and crew if they want to do anything on the decks or put anything overboard. The ship's crew also needs to know if a piece of heavy machinery will be used, if electrical work needs doing, or something needs to be built or adjusted on the ship. By filing a permit to work, everyone knows what's happening, so the captain and crew can handle the ship accordingly and help where necessary.

Lots of safety rules for the scientists are common sense, but need reminding because life on a ship is a lot different that working on land. One must tie down computers, floats, buoys, tools, instruments, and supplies so they don't fall over or fall off. Hard hats must be worn when working underneath winches or cranes. A float coat must be worn whenever a person goes out on deck. And, one should never go on deck alone.

On a personal level, safety is also important. As the ship steams through rough seas, we are encouraged to take medication to help us adapt to the sea and avoid seasickness. Since we are living in close quarters, we are asked to wash hands frequently to prevent the spread of germs. We need to stay out of the kitchen to ensure it remains sanitary. The engine room is off limits due to dangerous moving parts and high noise levels. Even our bathroom habits have a safety rule. To keep the delicate system running smoothly, only human waste and toilet paper go in the toilet, or else the whole system can back up for everyone. Finally, everyone has to make sure personal items and doors are secured so they don't fly around as the ship rolls through the seas.

As I mentioned yesterday, the cruise has lofty and important science goals, but the most important issue is each person's health and safety. We've certainly heard that message loud and clear, and we haven't even got to the ice!

July 21, 2005

BON VOYAGE....VIA CON DIOS...AWAY WE GO We left the Punta Arenas, Chile dock at 14:00, which is 2:00pm in international, or military time. The cruise was scheduled to leave yesterday, but a crew member was recovering from a serious sickness, and the decision was made to wait a day to make sure the person was getting better. One day out of 56 days at sea doesn't seem like much. But Laurence Padman (Laurie), a senior scientist, said that at the end of the cruise we may have two days worth of science to do, but only enough time and fuel for one day. Then, that one lost day at the beginning becomes a lot of lost time. However, nothing is more important than a person's health and safety, so everyone is understanding of the delay and thankful for the crew member's recovery.

The first days on the R/V N.B. Palmer, even while we're in port, are like the first days in a new grade, in a new school, or at a new job. You have to figure out where everything is and how everything works. On the ship that means knowing the work locations such as the computer labs, the dry lab, the wet lab, the conference room, the room to do water sampling, supply rooms, storage rooms, tool rooms, and bathrooms! You also have to figure out your living situation: who gets the top bunk; where and how to store clothing; where and how to do laundry; when to eat, where the galley is, and how food is provided; what's available for relaxation (library, TV lounge, exercise room, snacks, drinks, sauna).

Then, there is meeting people and making the personal and professional contacts that will make this a successful cruise. Just like a new classroom, a new school, or a new workplace, some people already know each other. Others are brand new in all respects. Slowly, we learn each other's names and we find out about each other's lives. People talk at meals or during a pause in their work, especially now as the ship steams east and south for 6 days to the Weddell Sea. Everyone tells more about science backgrounds, personal histories, and day-to-day lives. We start to learn about who we'll work with and how we'll work with them.

The purpose of the cruise is to do important scientific work. But for that to happen, the ship has to be a comfortable home, and the ship's crew and scientific crew have to be comfortable with each other. In fact, our first meeting together is in 20 minutes!