Introduction

Diary

Participants

 

R/V Pelagia Cruise HERMIONE /CoralFISH
	Diary overview
Tuesday, 20 October	‘Lander...’
For most people, the day started at 06:30 when the ship was lifted by a very big wave. Things were flying through the cabins. Not only cabins turned into a mess, also the galley, where the cook has started preparing breakfast. Some expensive measuring apparatus, like a current meter, fell down from the table, even if they were secured. A big tank full of water and live animal samples from the bottom was flipped over; all - but two - samples were gone. This was not a very good start of the day.   Because the swelling of the waves was very high, we could not pick-up Thom's lander, which is still standing on the bottom. We started doing a CTD-transect. Five positions were taken in a line over Galway mound.
During each CTD, which measures density, salinity and temperature (among other), bottles of the Rosette samples were filled with water of two to four different depth - at the bottom and at the surface and sometimes at 600 and 800 meter depth. The samples waters are filtrated and used to determine lipids, the amount of carbon and nitrogen, algae pigments and nutrients, such as silicate. After the CTD, which ended somewhere in the afternoon, a small boxcore was taken. There was not much in this boxcore, mostly sand, some pebbles and some broken shells. Rachel took some cores for measuring oxygen. After dinner, the ALBEX lander was deployed, that was prepared during the CTDs. A current meter, a datalogger (fluorescence and OBS) and a baited camera (with mackerel) was attached to the lander. The brand new HD-camera was also attached to the lander to test if the camera and the lights - both visible (white) and infrared light - are working as they should. At the end, when we leave the Belgica mounds area, this camera will be attached to an ALBEX lander for a year-round deployment.   The weather was not that bad. The wind was mostly around wind force 5 and started to increase during the afternoon and evening. Sometimes it rained, which gave beautiful rainbows through the sky. The day finished with a nice drink in the messroom.   Inge van den Beld