June 3rd, 2021
Our transit south has brought us to Blake Ridge, a deep site off the coast of South Carolina, where we arrived around ten in the morning after a 16 hour transit through the night. Shortly following our arrival, the crew and Sentry team coordinated a Sentry splashdown, and the autonomous submersible set off on a twelve hour quest to collect plankton samples above the site. We the science team had finished a majority of our sample processing from previous dives so we had time to relax and tie up loose ends. The Young Lab PhD students have the lengthiest sample processing, which involves among other things dissecting and preserving mussels from the seafloor.
Meet a Scientist on Board
Hello! My name is Fiona, I am an undergraduate REU student at Western Washington University. Though I have spent time on boats before (sailboats are my favorite, from college racing dinghies to hundred-foot schooners) this is my first research cruise and my biggest boat. This cruise has been long-awaited, as I actually applied for the REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) over a year ago, before covid came and brought travel to a halt. Now, even with masks and quarantine, I am very happy to have the unique experience of being aboard. Back home in Washington I study snow algae in the Kodner lab at WWU. I enjoy good hikes, animals of all shapes and sizes, art, and gardening.
During this cruise I normally spend slower days lounging on deck as much as possible – standing outside long enough, you can often spot dolphins or, now that we’re in warmer weather, flying fish – but the past few days have been extremely humid. Also, I had my own work to do. As an undergraduate at Western Washington University, I am still taking a couple of classes while onboard. Our data allowance (400 mb/day) has thankfully been enough to let me keep up with recorded lectures and assignments since my classes are still online. I was able to kick back in the library to do some readings and take a final exam for Developmental Biology of Plants. The quarter is wrapping up, and I am thankful that the transit to our next site will be long enough to give me time to finish our homework.
The crew also treated us today with a tour of the bridge. The Thomas G Thompson has a high tech navigational system, a feature that is particularly helpful on a research ship. In addition to standard shipboard equipment like sonar and AIS, the ship contains an autopilot system which can be used to automatically hold position on precise coordinates while Jason, Sentry, or the CTD casts are in operation. While on the bridge we were also encouraged to take turns sitting in the captain’s chair and look out on the ocean, to receive the full experience, we were also granted some binoculars! Like the science team has been doing, there are also watch rotations among the captain, mates, and crew to make sure everything is running smoothly. The bridge tour really made us appreciate all the technology, resources, and most importantly the people that make this research possible. It also provided insight as to why it’s so noisy in our sleeping quarters when we are at a site. The bow thrusters that maintain our position are working hard, but are right next to where we sleep.
Later in the day the science team had a late night. Sentry resurfaced around 23:00 (11 pm) and as we are searching for larvae, we have to sort the samples as soon as possible. This means we don’t sleep until we’re done! Pictured here is the teamwork between Tessa Beaver (WWU), Sean (Sentry), Casey Barnard (UO) and Lauren Rice (UO) lifting and rinsing down the “plankzookas” of Sentry’s SyPRID to retrieve the plankton samples. Once the collection tank is retrieved and poured into a bucket, the samples are whisked away for processing.
With Sentry safely on board the RV Thompson, Jason gets ready to dive down to the site. Typically Jason and Sentry are not in the water at the same time to avoid entanglement with Jason’s cable tether to the ship and ensures no collisions are possible. These are expensive machines and need to stay in prime condition to ensure all our science goals can be met. Tomorrow we will work with Jason samples and redeploy Sentry for one more collection before leaving Blake Ridge.
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