16th August

Thursday 16th August 2012

Most folk had a long lie for the first time since the watches began, in my case 7am. Iceland was nowhere to be seen as there was a heavy mist but the sea was flat calm.

Around 9am, the pilot boarded the vessel and guided us in to port. I had heard that the skyline of Reykjavik as you enter the harbour is spectacular but not today unfortunately.

The big clean up has begun. All the labs must be emptied and equipment packed and stored for the return trip to Southampton. All log sheets have to be entered on computer and the sun has just come out. The students have all gone ashore leaving the rest of us to envy them.

There is not much more to be said other than the views of Colin Griffiths, the Principal Scientist. It has been a very successful Extended Ellett Line trip with all work accomplished, additional stations sampled, no downtime and no equipment failure. The weather helped enormously. Of the students he was very complimentary, saying they were very supportive and professional.

                                      Colin (R) having a briefing session.

The final word should come from our Captain, Antonio Gatti, who has been with NERC for 20 years. For fourteen of these he was based at British Antarctic Survey and the last 6 at NOC. During this time he has sailed into many exotic ports such as montego Bay, Cape Town, Valparaiso, Montevideo, Antigua and many more.

This is his second last trip on this old Discovery but he is looking forward to joining the new Discovery in January for her sea trials.

What were his impressions of this cruise? Well apart from being blessed by the weather, it was a fairly uneventful trip with no need to run for shelter. He looked forward with trepidation to the prospect of having so many students with little or no seagoing experience but was pleased to find that they settled in well to the ship's routine, worked hard and gave no cause for concern.

A last picture now of the pilot whales that were with us a few days ago courtesy of Lewis.

Well here endeth the Extended Ellett Line, Discovery 2012 blog and here starteth a few days R&R in Iceland.

Goodbye

15th August

Wednesday 15th August 2012

My watch started as usual at 4am just as the 'A team were finishing sampling in the most horrendous rain storm. Fortunately it had cleared up by the time we had to emerge on deck.

The last CTD was completed at lunchtime and the afternoon was spent in a flurry of packing up gear and samples. The little turnstone? was still around and not quite as nervous as yesterday but not eating the titbits offered. I suspect a crust of bread is not as tempting as a juicy worm anyway.

Today it is Kirsteen Allison's turn to do some blogging. She is a SAMS/UHI undergraduate who is about to do her 4th year having spent last year in the Arctic studying at UNIS.

Today is the last day of sampling and the last day of watches. I am in Team Expendables and our watch is 8-12 so it’s the easiest for our sleep pattern. We don’t miss any meals and we have one more person than the other shifts, hence our name, but that just means we do more work! Today we did the last CTD, which is nice as we also did the first CTD way back in the Sound of Mull. I woke up to the view of Iceland off the portside (left) of the ship and in the distance we could also see the famous Surtsey Island. The island first reached sea level in 1967 making the island only 45 years old, which is younger than the ship we are on the RRS Discovery (being 50 years old)!

It was a beautiful ending collecting the samples from the last two CTD’s (IB22 and IB23) with Iceland in the background. This was slightly hampered by the fact we were surrounded by hundreds of noisy birds, that thought we were a fishing boat! :) Once all the samples were all collected it was photo time!

Team Expendables from right to left Karen, John, Olly, Kirsteen (me) and Charlotte.

After our sad farewell to the CTD and Team Expendables, it was time to pack. In only a few hours most of the equipment was packed away in the chemistry labs. The samples were wrapped in many layers of bubble wrap, tissue, cardboard, tape, bean tins (Alex), zip ties and then put in boxes which are then put into even bigger boxes. So once the samples have survived their cozy journey to the labs, I think it might take much longer to actually get to the samples than it did to take them. :)  

To top it all off tonight we had a wee social gathering to celebrate the cruise and the chefs kindly brought through platters of food. Tomorrow we will be heading in to Reykjavik and will be our last night onboard and our farewell to the ship before it goes on another few trips before its retirement.



14th August

Tuesday 14th August 2012

At 3am I woke up clinging to my bed. Yes! The weather that any marine scientist should expect while working in the north Atlantic had arrived. We have been very lucky so far so can’t complain about a few 4.1 metre waves tossing us about. The forecast is for it to subside a bit then return again tomorrow but we have managed to deploy our 100^th CTD.

Twice today a pod of about 20 pilot whales ‘buzzed’ us but it would be a brave person who would expose their camera to the elements.

The other wildlife story is our little stowaway bird, a lbj, who was staggering around the deck looking for food. Lewis managed a photo and sent it away to be identified as a meadow pipit. This morning it had moved into the hangar but unless it eats and drinks it won’t survive until Iceland.

Later another land bird, some sort of wader, perhaps a turnstone, took up residence for a while.

Today's blog is supplemented by Rosie Houlding, a SAMS/UHI student who is also going to the Arctic to spend her 3rd year at UNIS.

As an upstanding member of the 'Slackers' day gang, I spend most of my day correcting the mistakes made by the tired, and generally confused, watch shifts.  I arrive on shift at 8.30, by which point the 'Living dead' have returned to their preferred comatose state and the 'Expendables' are at the height of their working day (watching the waves from the hanger and setting up a playlist for the next four hours, the highlight of today's being Hot Chocolate - You Sexy Thing).

My work consists of analysing chlorophyll samples collected by the watches, then inputting the data into software that maps contour plots of the surveyed area, much to my dismay I get quite a bit of enjoyment from this, sadly earning my status as a science geek.  My workload tends to be relatively short lived, normally comprising of roughly two hours of analysis in the morning.  The duration of my '12 hour shift' tends to include short bursts of data crunching (possibly more accurately described as data manipulation), followed by distractions from the other watch members, especially the 'gAy team' with their muscle flexing, face stroking and entertaining outbursts (such as the incredibly accurate rendition of 'Everybody Dance Now!').  With my shift I'm normally unfortunate enough to manage a gym slot every day, thankfully the weather is rocky enough that I can excuse myself for the time being and occupy myself with 12 cups of tea and 4 packs of hobnobs a day instead. 

The weather has taken a bit of a turn for the worst over the last couple of days, nothing drastic, just a bit dour, force 7 this morning, makes tea making a little more interesting. (I think two weeks ago that would of been more of a 'ohhhh sheeeeeeett!!!')  Haven't seen the sun in a few days, wildlife's been a little quiet too, but i can now successfully identify a seagull.  We saw a wee pod of pilot whales this morning which was pretty cool.

Tonight should be interesting, a few of us seem to have taken on the task of watching every s**t film that the ship has to offer, tonight's our last chance so we'll have to surpass ourselves.  Then tomorrow we can do our student selves proud after all our 'ardcore sampling.

Cheers

Rosie

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Finally the day couldn't go by without mentioning those who see to our well-being and managed to produce an outstanding curry night. As luck would have it, a CTD landed on deck just as it was being served and those of us on that watch had to work whilst salivating at the smell which wafted from below. Eventually we got there and it was well worthwhile.

All this was prepared by the very shy and retiring Lloyd an the left and Mark, right. Thanks guys.

12th August (part)

Sunday 12th August 2012

A grey and slightly chillier day. The air pressure has been dropping steadily for a couple of days and a little more thought is required when moving about the ship so maybe we will be experiencing some more difficult conditions.

This morning a lonely little common dolphin came to play with us for about 15 minutes, coming quite close to one side then disappearing underneath the ship to emerge on the other side. This first cetacean sighting in several days caused a little excitement. It was moving too fast for a photo so Zoltan chopped this from a video he took.

My brother has sent a message to correct the A team. Apparently it is wrong to refer to those not on watch duties as 'slackers. ”. The correct term as used in Nelson’s Navy is “idlers”

From next station onwards we will be following the 20 deg line of longitude northwards so once again the mast will be interfering with the internet connection. Karen had written about the Apex moorings, the second of which was deployed about 4pm, but her laptop has taken ill and is now in Zoltan's sick bay. Hopefully it will be fixed for the next blog.

13th August

Monday 13th August 2012

The day started grey and dreich but I still have not needed my wet weather gear. It is definitely becoming more difficult to walk in a straight line and is advisable to hold when going up and down stairs or through doors.

The 3rd Argo float was successfully deposited at a deep station in the middle of the Icelandic basin and we have only 12 CTDs to go with an estimated finishing time of Wednesday late afternoon.


Today Jason Dobson, who has just completed first year of the Marine Science degree at SAMS, is in charge of the blog.

Days on board the Discovery have become very ‘routine’. Shifts have been set out, meal times are scheduled and sleeping patterns are now running smoothly, in my case meaning, not sleeping between 12pm and 4am, missing breakfast and lunch and having the regular nap on watch. It’s a good feeling to know my back is covered as the incredible ‘A team’ work through the night. As I am the baby of the cruise I am susceptible to making a few novice mistakes. Fortunately, my team have taken pity on me and named me ‘the face’ from the ‘A Team’. These mistakes regularly occur through the night shift after deprived of sleep and reluctance to nap before shift as I would never be able to wake up on time… as I have already shown.

This morning’s shift started right on 12am as I took post and found out there was minimal work to be done as the station required little sampling and wouldn’t surface for over two hours. This gave me an opportunity to finish my book while struggling to keep my head from falling unconsciously onto the desk (time well spent I know). Work can be very relaxed during the nightshift as much of the sampling takes time to filter and log, another area where being a novice has induced several minor mistakes; from labelling wrong, to placing 2 filters in the same tube. Not to worry though as all is resolved in the morning when our star chlorophyll analyser is impatiently waiting for me to rouse from my cabin so she can mock me for being such an idiot.

At the end of every night shift there is always a little amusement in watching the 4-8 watch members (the Living Dead) wander into the lab to start shift as the stumble aimlessly and speak incoherent drivel. But they soon come to life when the cold air, wind and spray from the vessel attack them as they work on the next CTD. When I finally made it to bed, eyes shut and ready for sleep, I remembered that I am within meters of the engine room and sleep is almost impossible without some bangin’ tunes. I’ve had to download a bit of James Blunt with the hypothesis that no one can stay awake long while listening to him. After 10 minutes my theory is proven and I’m sent into a deep sleep. However, this master plan works so efficiently that waking in the morning is a struggle and being called for lunch is a regular occurrence to which my fellow students seem to have given up on.

The afternoon watch 12-4 consisted of three hours and fifty minutes of boredom while carrying out the usual hourly checks until the CTD surfaced which is likely to be the busiest of the trip. Luckily the ‘A team’ were in control and worked overtime until the living dead resurrected and started their shift. Once all the hard work has been done its time to dive into juicy steak and relax for a quiet evening before shift.

This cruise has been an incredible experience for all the students who have partaken. Some have discovered their inner scientist and adoring their work. Others have taken the chance to get an early start on their dissertation and living the dream. For me, this cruise has been a real eye opener and has given me an immense motivation to drive me through the following years of my degree. I am beyond thankful for being given this opportunity and extend my gratitude to those who made it happen. Thanks guys!

12th August (part 2)

Sunday 12th August (part 2)

Karen Wilson is a SAMS/UHI undergraduate just completed 2nd year. She hopes to do semester 2 at UNIS in the Arctic next year. Her laptop has recovered after its operation so here is her blog.

Along with the task of sampling the Ellett Line and servicing the Wyville-Thompson Ridge mooring we have been charged with deploying 4 Argo floats in the Iceland Basin as part of the United Nations World Climate Research Programme. At the end of my eight to midnight watch last night we dumped the first one into the fog. It wasn’t quite the photographic opportunity it could have been as the fog closed in mid afternoon and 24hrs later it’s still with us.

 

Argo floats are free drifting devices used to measure the temperature and salinity of the upper 2000 m of the ocean.  With over 3000 floats in operation at any time it allows continuous monitoring worldwide.

          Cruising depth and cycle time is pre-programmed before deployment .Metoffice.gov.uk

The depth of the float is controlled by an oil and bladder system which alters the buoyancy of the device allowing it to rise or fall within the water column. Although depth can be controlled the floats are at the mercy to the ocean current. The data gathered is useful for studying the influence of ocean currents on climate change.

Apart from the excitement of CTD sampling the highlight of any day is if any wildlife is spotted, some of the crew are particularly interested in the seagulls. Today was my first mammal sighting in almost a week, one lone common dolphin that joined us at the side of the aft deck for a while. Hopefully there should be more wildlife sightings before we reach Iceland at the end of the week.

                              

11th August

Saturday11th August 2012

Another day of calm waters and little wind. There was an unannounced safety drill at 10:30 with a few grumpy people in pyjamas gathering for a 'man overboard' exercise so for the unsociable watches it was a day of grab a sleep when you can.

Today Ribanna Dittrich, a SAMS/UHI undergraduate who has just completed 1st year, shares her thoughts with us.

My day started quite early in the morning at about 8(ish). I am a member of the “day gang” or the “slackers” as the watches call us. I don’t really understand why. According to the plan, we do have the longest shift from 9(ish) a.m. to 9(ish) p.m. That’s a 12-hour-shift! Ok, we might finish work 3-4 hours earlier…every day…and we might have a few breaks between work…every day. But it would probably be really exhausting if we worked the whole time, I guess. There is not much to do for me though as a first year student who has been very lucky to get one of the highly coveted places on board the Discovery.

I am assisting Clare Johnson analysing aluminium concentrations to trace water masses. Chemistry is used to underpin physics. Amazing, isn’t it?! (or as we would say on board “This is some Big Boy S***!”) Samples are only taken in deeper depths of more than 1,000 meters. That means we don’t get as many samples as all the other busy people around us. Even though we are also analysing samples of last year’s Ellett line, there is still plenty of time left every day to be squandered away. During the last couple of days, I found myself planning our first night out in Reykjavik. The first night after 3 weeks of counting and rationing our weekly alcohol units (you have to know that we are only allowed to drink 14 units per week. The guys get 21!). So next Friday is going to be legendary!

The North Atlantic is still on its best behaviour so far. The sea is very calm and we had as many sunny days as we had grey days. Today can be counted as another sunshine day. It’s summer out here.

                                    

John Wynar bathing in the sun on the front deck!

At 10.30 am we had a “man-over-board-safety-drill” where we were all staring at the sea, trying to find the imaginary man over board (quite difficult task) and waiting for him to be rescued.

We are now heading towards Iceland along the last 17 stations and tonight, the first Apex float is going to be deployed. Also tonight, there shall be a Perseid meteor shower. Where is it better to see shooting stars than in absolute darkness?! And believe me, it is incredibly dark out here!

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As Ribanna has pointed out, the Apex float will be deployed tonight about midnight as part of the Argos programme. Tomorrow Karen will tell us all about it. In the meantime, the following map will show our progress so far.