64PE366 – Day 5

The distinction between early spring and late winter is blurry when you step out on deck for the morning CTD’s to find snow swirling in your face.  Despite the winter conditions, we are starting to see life, in the planktonic sense, at our stations. For example, we’ve found a few chain forming diatoms doing their best to stay near the surface using their silica spines to create drag and reduce their sinking. They are trying to stay poised and ready for those sunnier spring days that are just around the corner.

It will be particularly interesting this year to compare these very early spring conditions with what will hopefully be an abundant bloom for CHARLET-4 cruise at the end of April. Personally, CHARLET-3 means more experiments then in the past to hopefully better understand even the 8 station transect that we are doing.  Luckily I have two brave students, Emma and Larissa, who have joined to assist and learn about what research cruises are like.

They’ve dealt very well with a physically demanding schedule, very cold conditions and a sea that continues to build in the chilly winds.  I thank them, especially today as it is particularly busy.

A new addition to equipment I use, the RAMSES, is a depth pressure sensor.  In the past I’ve used measured markings on the cable to tell depth.  This is less than ideal as the RAMSES is often pushed with the currents and waves so 40 meters of cable does not necessarily mean 40 m straight down.  In an attempt to improve this method in a previous cruise I was given a loan of the captain’s dive computer.  I held my breath for each transect, hoping the 10 or so zip ties I used to secure the dive computer were enough.  Luckily this time the integrated depth gauge takes the worry away.  Now, transects are a bit faster and I am more confident that I will be able to successfully align light spectra (which is what the RAMSES measures) with depth.  Now all we need is a little more light to measure.

Finally, as is tradition with CHARLET cruises, we have taken in a windblown bird.  He has survived, even after being named which is usually taboo, and makes frequent visits to the wet lab where the heated air from the engine room is blown out constantly.  I don’t blame him, I too make frequent visits to that heater.  For now I’m looking forward to 3 more stations with Fluffy (the bird), observing the fun.