First day at sea!

We have officially been at sea for a whole day! we left around 9:00 PM on April 9th, and for three days before that, I explored Montevideo, Uruguay with the scientists I am out at sea with. This is a small science party of myself, seven PhD students, one of their advisors, and a Spanish chemical oceanographer. The graduate students are all studying physical oceanography, except for one, who is studying biological oceanography. They have all been super welcoming and while communication has sometimes been a challenge, we have been able to figure it out and work together well. Throughout the cruise I will be on the 8-12 watch, along with deploying floats and collecting pH and HPLC/POC water samples that are used to validate the sensor readings of each float we deploy.

The other scientists on this cruise are collecting water samples to analyze oxygen, nutrients, and salinity along with recovering Pressure Inverted Echo Sounders (PIES), which measure sound speed through the water column. All of this data is going towards better understanding the ocean circulation in this area. The PIES have been deployed and collecting data for two years on the ocean floor. I am very excited to learn more about this technology because I have heard about it and have always wanted to see it in action. I love learning about the different types of technology scientists use to collect ocean data. There are always unique solutions to the challenges that the ocean environment poses.

There have been high winds and some rain, so I have not been able to decorate the adopted BGC floats yet. The crates that hold them are on the back deck, which we are currently not allowed out on. The transit has been choppy and we could not deploy a CTD at the first station because of the weather. We are moving to the second station in hopes that there are better conditions.

While cooped up inside the vessel, I have been setting up my lab station, playing card games with the scientists, staring out my porthole, and reading. They have taught me a few new card games and while I am not good at them yet, I have plenty of time to practice. I have really enjoyed the limited internet connection because it has allowed me to dive back into reading, which is one of my favorite hobbies. I may not be allowed outside right now, but staring out my window and seeing only the ocean has been surreal. I have not quite adjusted to not having trees around all of the time. 

~Paige McKay