The big day is finally here! Those of us participating in Leg 2 of the P16 North cruise load onto the ship for our first night together, preparing for our departure tomorrow, Tuesday May 19th. Our home for the next 5 weeks is the NOAA Research Vessel Ronald H. Brown, the largest of the NOAA fleet at 274 feet in length. She was commissioned in 1997 in her home port of Charleston, South Carolina. She was named in honor of the late U.S. Secretary of Commerce who was killed in a plane crash the previous year.
The mighty Ronald H. Brown. Photo courtesy of http://www.moc.noaa.gov/rb/
The objective of the GO-SHIP Repeat Hydrography Program is to occupy a worldwide grid of hydrographic stations on a decadal timescale. This international effort aims to study changes in physical oceanography, carbon chemistry, and marine biogeochemistry and ecosystems.
Our group will occupy the P16N stations along the 152 meridan, traversing the North Pacific from Hawaii to Alaska, following this line of longitude. The last time this section was occupied was in 2006. Despite the best efforts, poor weather conditions during the cruise in 2006 forced them to omit many station stops around 45-50N latitude so our cruise will be the first to sample this area of the ocean in nearly 20 years. We are especially excited to make observations during this El Nino year.
My specific job will be to lower the CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) device down to the bottom depth WITHOUT LETTING IT HIT THE BOTTOM (I have been told this is the most important aspect of my job). It can often take hours for the CTD to reach the desired depth so it is easy to get distracted. Additionally, ocean waves and currents can make it difficult to determine when to stop the descent while still reaching our goal of within 10m from the ocean bottom. All scientists aboard have a 12-hour shift and I was assigned to the midnight to noon shift. Needless to say this schedule will take some adjusting to but I am excited to see some amazing sunrises during my shift and get some free daytime hours to continue to work on my tan :)
I look forward to sharing this experience with you all and hope to provide you with some new information about our world’s oceans and the field of oceanography. Feel free to post questions or comments below! Our cruise group also has a more official blog page where scientists aboard will be occasionally posting about new findings and life aboard the ship so feel free to check that out also!
More to come in the coming days once I get settled onboard and learn a little more about what my tasks will be…