Ball Diamond Ball

What does a work day look like out to sea? Well, every expedition is a little different, so schedules vary. Some ships run a 12-hr on; 12-hr off schedule. Our expedition was on an "as scheduled" basis. A normal day may look like this:  --- 0600:   Alvin  pre-dive preparations 0800:  Alvin  launch Sometime between 1200 & 1600:  Alvin recovery  [Immediately after  Alvin  recovery (coinciding science)] (a)  CTD Team :  Cast #1: Cast for bottom water sampling for radium Cast #2: "regular vertical profile cast" (duration depends on depth; 1,000m cast takes ~2 hrs) (b)  Alvin science sampling team : Gathering and processing all  Alvin  samples (bio, geo, water, and data downloads); (duration 2-3hrs) >1600:  Evening/ Overnight activities If possible hydrothermal vents or seeps- CTD "Tow-yos" (most ran from 1700-0600) Geophysical mapping and surveying (as soon as ship moves until next  Alvin  pre-dive @ ...

When preparing for an expedition, there are three big “buckets” to consider: What do I need to bring for my research? What do I need to bring for daily necessities? What can I bring to make ship life more fun and comfortable? The first two are always a known struggle. < inner voice constantly narrating… what am I forgetting? > The third is a bit more creative. Should I bring snacks? Does the ship have workout equipment? A TV lounge? Books? Where do I charge my devices? Should I bring a glue stick and construction paper and colored pencils and silver glitter pipe cleaners ?  To provide some perspective, here’s a quick tour of some “daily living” highlights aboard the R/V Atlantis. 1. Sleep . Yep, it’s important. Most nights are not a solid, uninterrupted 8hrs, so it’s helpful to bring a little something to make it feel like home. Given the Alaskan temps, I opted for a twin down comforter (basically sleeping in a warm cloud 🥰). Packs easy in a vacuum bag… worth every ounce of...

One of the primary scientific “tools” on this expedition is the HOV (“Human Occupied Vehicle”) Alvin . To say this is the “Main Character” of this expedition would be a massive understatement. The Alvin provides Researchers the ability to view and sample deep-sea environments in situ .  So… what’s it like? How do deployments work? I can provide a verrrry general overview (I’m just a geologist, so I’ll try my best). Think of the Apollo space capsules being recovered at sea… operations are fairly similar. PRE-DEPLOYMENT. Operations  start at 0500 with engineering checks and set up. Two Researchers and one Alvin  Pilot are in place by 0800 for an ~8 hour dive. ⭐️ FUN FACTS : the Alvin  Pilots pack lunches for the Researchers, and everyone must wear natural fibers… which basically means everyone is wearing cotton pajamas! But LOTS of layers- it gets cold! DEPLOYMENT.  The Alvin is lowered into the water by the R/V Atlantis ’ massive A-Frame, and begins its decent...

📍Dutch Harbor, AK (pier-side) Our wonderful STEM SEAS leg has officially wrapped. Traveling from and to Dutch Harbor was… eventful… but everyone finally made it to their destination. A morning “Hurricane” (aka- normal Alaskan weather) swept through and grounded most flights for several hours. STEM SEAS gearing up for a post-expedition 1,000m hike. As one group left, another arrived. The Science Party for AT50-38 is onboard and ready to hit the seas running. The science plan is robust and I’ve already made my peace with the upcoming lack of sleep. AT50-38 Science Party briefing. While we are still pier-side, we also organized some STEM outreach with the local schools and Tribes. We decorated cups and held some lessons about deep-sea fauna, volcano seismics, and engineering boats. Our team also enjoyed the opportunity to learn about local customs and traditions! Great start to the next leg. Oh, and we had our safety and operations orientation for diving on the  HOV Alvin! Getting a ...

Already lost track of the days- as one does- when out to sea. As the STEMSEAS transit winds down, we finally had the opportunity to do a deep CTD (2,000m). A mix of professionalism and shenanigans… and a few CTD Dance Parties. And yes, we made tiny cups. Double bonus- we just saw an orca!!! Students making their new album cover. Deploying the CTD. Recovering the CTD. Final CTD recovery. Echo! -S.

Glimpses of life at sea through the porthole: Stern view. Angry seas. Students in a Wes Anderson moment. More to come. Echo! -S.

Day 6. STEM SEAS students learned about the CTD and how to deploy/ recover the rosette. Per usual, lots of laughter, wonderful ideas, and a whale spout or two!  Fun note: every time I swap out my sea sick prevention patch, I rapidly become far-sided. So… if my text and grammar are to a little funky, don’t hold it against me 🫣 STEM SEAS learning how to prep the Niskin bottles. Learning how to prep the Niskin bottles. Lesson in data and how to interpret CTD casts. Bravo Zulu ! -S .

Day 5 and we’ve officially entered calm seas! Temps are getting cooler and daylight is getting longer. Everyone hit their stride with their onboard projects, downtime games, and lively meal discussions. While most ocean researchers can vividly recall their worst weather, they also recall these productive days with gentle rolling seas. Starboard side of the R/V Atlantis . Today, we covered some water column and nutrient lessons, brainstormed student projects, and deployed an Argo float. Nutrient analysis. Possible CTD cast tomorrow- stay tuned! Argo float lessons. Art experiment to visualize the rough seas on previous days. Echo! -S.

Day 3 & 4 were pretty interesting as we navigated 20ft seas. Lots of naps and a few attempts for lessons on cartography.  While everyone was enjoying fresh air on the deck, we noticed little oval jellyfish-looking things being slung through the air by the bow’s wake. Pretty fun to watch! Carefully avoiding the stingy parts of a Velella Velella.  Turns out they are By-The-Wind Sailors (also called Velella Velella) . They look similar to Portuguese Man-Of-War. However, Man-Of-War are colonial animals, while By-The-Wind Sailors are closer to jellyfish. One thing is for sure… definitely not a rock. Bucket of By-The-Wind Sailors We managed to scoop up a few (and safely return them). I’m willing to bet those ones we “abducted” and the ones that get thrown through the air will have the BEST stories to share with their friends 😆 Echo! -S .

Day 1 & 2 out to sea. The STEM SEAS crew is ready for our 11 day adventure! Everyone had a nice opportunity to enjoy mobilization in calm seas, being heckled by seals (furry ones, not SEALs), and getting a nice glimpse of the Channel Islands. As we pushed further west, everyone started getting their sea legs in rougher seas. A storm along the middle California coast currently has ~6.5m seas. More heavy seas tomorrow as we get a few nautical miles closer to Alaska. R/V Atlantis at the dock (MARFAC, San Diego, CA) HOV Alvin in its home on deck. Initial emergency drills Foxtrot Whiskey,   -S

T-minus 12 hours until I'm wheels up. I'm meeting the R/V Atlantis in San Diego, CA to join the  DOD STEM SEAS  crew.  We are welcoming a wonderful group of ~15 students for their first experience at sea! Our AT50-37   transit will take us from San Diego, CA to Dutch Harbor, AK- a "mere" ~3,300 nautical miles. Not bad for their first time out to sea, huh?  To spice things up a bit, the Pacific decided to roll out the red carpet by spinning up Tropical Storm Alvin along Mexico's west coast. Fitting, since we have the HOV Alvin onboard for the next leg, AT50-38 . A quick peek at Windy shows some ominous red blobs. Probably best to avoid those... Windy data show some patches of cranky seas ahead. First up, a 3,000 mile flight across CONUS-- while lugging enough gear to span 5-weeks-- and climates ranging from Southern California, Dutch Harbor hiking, and the rolling seas within a stones throw of the Bering Sea. As a fun puzzle, I'll occasionally sign off wit...