February 16, 2022
Angel Shark from St. Joseph’s Academy in St. Louis is in the water! For our second deployment, there was just as much excitement among the science party to help decorate the float! In fact, a large group tends to gather whenever I open one of the crates containing the floats, and many of the crew members are also interested to learn about the different sensors.
Angel Shark decorated and ready to start its mission
Alberto Gonzalez preparing to help deploy Angel Shark under a full moon
In the next day or so, Angel Shark will complete its first profile, recording important oceanic physical, biological, and chemical properties. Specifically, the float will measure temperature, salinity, oxygen, nitrate, pH, fluorescence and backscatter. Why are these variables so crucial? They can help scientists understand many different phenomena, including processes that control ocean currents, carbon uptake, and phytoplankton growth. What’s more, as the number of floats in the array increases, so does the number of questions we can answer with these data!
– Channing
A group of scientists and crew gathering to watch the float unboxing