Dispatch 17: Tours and Cups     Print

	Related Multimedia
	September 23rd Photos » View Slideshow

Hugo Sindelar

September 23, 2018

Location: 74° 42’ N 146° 42’ W

Weather: -2°C (28°F), Mostly cloudy, lightly choppy seas, Northwest winds at 15 knots, seawater temperature -0.5°C (31.1°F)

Sea Ice: None

Today was a day to share our science with the crew of the CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent.  The JOIS and WHOI teams hosted two science open houses today at 10:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.  The open houses are a chance for the crew to get an idea of all the science being conducted during the cruise.  The crew is often quite busy with their specific task at hand, which makes it hard for them to know why all the scientists are doing what they are doing.  At each different science laboratory, different JOIS or WHOI scientists shared their work, and then crew members had a chance to ask questions.

The other major project has been the “coloring of the cups”.  It is a JOIS tradition to draw and color Styrofoam cups and send them to the deepest CTD station, CB-5 at 3,850 meters.  Both scientists and crew have been creating cups the past few days.  The diversity of designs is fun to check out.  Many commemorate the cruise.  Others are made for friends or family.  And we even have numerous Pokémon making a journey to the bottom of the ocean.  Because Styrofoam contains quite a bit of air, the pressure of the deep ocean crushes them to miniature versions of the originals.  They are being sent down tomorrow, so I will be sure to have pictures of the results.  I am told that the drawn designs are still easy to see and are often “improved” after their trip.  We will see!

We are entering the home stretch now with a little over a week to go.  The WHOI team will be recovering Mooring A tomorrow and then redeploying it the next day.  After that it is a sprint to the finish as we rapidly complete the final CTD “lines” on our way back.  More information on that to come!