While we are well into the second half of our time at sea, I figured it wasn’t too late to give you a day-in-the-life post. Maybe because of my odd schedule, or maybe because my scientific duties onboard are not all-consuming, but it has taken me awhile to get into a groove on this cruise. Regardless, here is what a day looks like for me.
My shift is 4pm-4am so I wake up every day around 2:30pm. I’ve recently started opening my porthole when I go to sleep so that when I wake up the sunlight coming in helps coax me out of my bunk. I get ready for the day, packing up my backpack with snacks, a book, workout gear, and any other random thing I could possibly need in the next 12 hours, and I make my way downstairs to the lab. First thing I do, whether I get down there at 3pm or 3:59pm is go and look at how the LADCP has been performing while I have been asleep. I make sure that the initial quality control checks have all come back looking good as well as make notes of how many rotations the instruments are reporting on the downcast and upcast. We have been experiencing issues with the wire that lowers the rosette twisting and kinking which is terrible as it impacts the communications with our instruments. So it’s my job to report if I see excessive spinning on any of the casts.
Depending on whether we are on station and where the rosette is in the water, I may get some free time to enjoy the sunshine or else I could get right to work. I try and sit outside in the sun and read for at least 30 minutes each day when I get up to ensure that I get a daily dose of fresh air and sunlight. While the rosette comes back on deck I hook up the LADCP and start the data download. I am also helping the Alkalinity crew by taking samples for them during my shift. Alkalinity samples are taken in the middle of the pack- after the gas samples, which are very volatile and must be captured right away, and before samples for nutrients and other organic matter. Sampling for alkalinity is relatively easy- 3 rinses of the bottle, then fill it up and let is overflow for one and a half times the volume. This ensures no residual water from previous stations is left in the sample.
Evenings are my favorite onboard even though they really are my mid-mornings. Dinner is served from 5-6pm and I go up during that time and make myself 2 plates (lunch and dinner for later that night) and get them wrapped up and stashed in the fridge. Then I sit and enjoy a bowl of oatmeal with everyone- my roommate so kindly sets a bowl aside for me each morning at breakfast and even adds berries when they are available! After dinner people gather out on the fantail to enjoy the sunset and often hang around until the stars come out. I am now consistently able to locate the southern cross and we can now see the big dipper as well. |
As night falls, things onboard quiet down. On Thursday nights there is Bingo, but other than that some people play cards, others chat in the mess over popcorn or other leftovers, and many are hard at work on their analysis. I get a few hours of work in each day but between LADCP analysis and helping to sample when the rosette is on deck, the 12 hour shifts pass quickly. I eat “lunch” around 10pm and sometimes enjoy an ice cream cone outside while watching the stars. When my shift ends at 4am I make my way down to the gym to get in a workout before bed. They have upgraded the gym area and we have a treadmill, elliptical, bike, urg, as well as free-weights and a multi-use workout machine. Lots of choices to keep you entertained and your workouts diverse. After a workout I eat my “dinner” as the kitchen crew is prepping breakfast for everyone else. I make my way up to my room, and after a quick shower it’s time for bed!
We recently crossed the equator and while it was somewhat anticlimactic, we did notice warming temperatures and letting down of the winds. Luckily the breeze has picked up again and afternoons outside are temperate. We are also in a very biologically-rich area- the net tows have yielded large volumes of plankton, copepods, ctenaphores, and even larval eels! During the night we are entertained by squid darting around near the surface and flying fish jumping out of the water as they attempt to flee.
With two weeks left to go there is still much science to be done. Spirits onboard remain high- enjoy some of the fun signage scattered around the boat that helps keep us smiling throughout the day.
With two weeks left to go there is still much science to be done. Spirits onboard remain high- enjoy some of the fun signage scattered around the boat that helps keep us smiling throughout the day.