Dispatch 20: Furthest North     Print

Gerty Ward

August 5, 2008

Greetings from 83N, 150W.

Many of the 79 officers, crew and scientists on the 2008-30 cruise of the LSSL. I am up on top taking the picture.		The drift bottles have been numbered and sealed and are now about to tossed into the ocean, at 83N, 150W. Who knows where they will end up?

In honor of being at our farthest point north, we sent Styrofoam cups down with the Rosette to 2710 meters. What do you think happens to a cup down there, with the weight of all that water on it?  See the end of this post to check your thinking.

We also tossed out our last set of drift bottles on the helo deck.

After sampling at this station, we are heading southeast along 140 latitude.

Styrofoam cups at 2710 meters are subjected to the intense pressure of the water column above, and the air above that, and the water all around it. Styrofoam is a lattice filled with air.

Captain McNeill tosses a drift bottle off the LSSL heli deck, 83N, 150W.		Why Do The Cups Shrink? Cavaleo sits atop a display at MIT explaining WHY the cups shrink. Note how small the cup below him is.

Our mascot Lulu is now sporting a shrunken head.

A LSSL mascot, Lulu's head is signed by all.		My cups, from the left: Fred, Sponsors, Alice, Eric, and Carl.

I decorated 5 cups, one each for my family and one to thank my supporters of this great adventure: PolarTREC, WHOI, The LSSL Scientists and Crew, Durham Academy and my family.

All photos by PolarTREC teacher Gerty Ward unless indicated.