The Art of Science
Decorating floats and cups onboard the RVIB Palmer
April 15, 2024
Although there is a ton of science happening aboard research vessels, there is also a surprising amount of arts and crafts during the down times. So far on this cruise, many science technicians and crew have been involved in decorating the SOCCOM and GO-BGC floats before we deploy them. A school or class adopted each float before we departed and they all provided a name for their float, as well as inspiration for our decorations. We all enjoy taking a break from our normal jobs to doodle together.
![DecoratingFloats2 Decorating an adopted float onboard the RVIB Palmer](https://www.go-bgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DecoratingFloats2.jpg)
Decorating an adopted float onboard the RVIB Palmer
![Sakai Clyde Adopted float Sakai Clyde](https://www.go-bgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/sakai-clyde.jpg)
The finished product – Sakai Clyde!
![DecoratingFloats3 The black Navis floats are decorated with silver and gold sharpies](https://www.go-bgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DecoratingFloats3.jpg)
The dark Navis floats are decorated with metallic sharpies!
![Float1 AmeliaEarhart1 Artwork on adopted float Amelia Earhart](https://www.go-bgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Float1-AmeliaEarhart1.jpg)
Artwork on adopted float Amelia Earhart
![Float1 AmeliaEarhart2 Artwork on adopted float Amelia Earhart](https://www.go-bgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Float1-AmeliaEarhart2.jpg)
More artwork on Amelia Earhart
Today we decorated a float named “Saruhashi” that was adopted by Sakai Intermediate School in Bainbridge Island, WA. They named their float after geochemist Katsuko Saruhashi, who developed the first method and tools for measuring carbon dioxide in seawater. She devoted much of her life to advocating for equal opportunities for women in science. We thought this was a great name for a float and enjoyed decorating it!
![Sakuhashi Saruhashi adopted float](https://www.go-bgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/sakuhashi.jpg)
This float was named after geochemist Katsuko Saruhashi.
In addition to decorating the floats before they are deployed, we also decorate Styrofoam cups. This is a tradition in oceanography where you draw or write on Styrofoam cups, put the cups into a mesh bag attached to the CTD, and then send the CTD down to the ocean depths. The result is similar to a Shrinky Dink – when the cups come back to the surface, they are much smaller than they were before! This is due to the large amounts of pressure squeezing all of the air out of the Styrofoam when it is deep in the water. Drawing on the cups is a fun activity, whether it is your first time or fiftieth time.
![StyrofoamCups1 Decorating styrofoam cups on the RVIB Palmer](https://www.go-bgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/StyrofoamCups1.jpg)
Decorating styrofoam cups on the RVIB Palmer
![StyrofoamCups3 Beautiful cups all ready to shrink!](https://www.go-bgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/StyrofoamCups3.jpg)
Beautiful cups all ready to shrink!