Dispatch 7: First Day of Autumn

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Rick Krishfield

September 21, 2010

It is the first day of autumn today, but you wouldn't know it from the view outside. This morning I awoke to the sound of breaking ice. Though we're still waiting to refuel before we head too far north, we've entered the southern portion of the ice pack to occupy a few of the planned CTD stations that we can reach without wandering too far away from Tuk.

The work has been fast and furious for the hydrographers and chemists as the station sampling has been close while we transect the continental slope in order to resolve the different waters between the shelf and basin. This can be very taxing on these scientists. For instance, CFC samples need to be analyzed right away and take about 30 minutes each, so a large backlog is developing depriving Rick Nelson and Nes Sutherland of any free time throughout the day. Similar time constraints are also being experience by the others. Regardless, I haven't heard anyone complaining.

Meanwhile, the workload has been relatively light for the mooring and buoy group, who are still in the process of preparing their instruments and gear for operations farther north.

Last updated: October 7, 2019