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1. Black-tipped albatross.

2. Terri monitoring the CTD

3. Night-time Argo deployment.

4. Graham preparing an Argo float.

5. Argo deployment.

6. Ross and Mike 'doing' biology.

From: John Prytherch
Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:01
Subject: Busy at work

We have now crossed the Polar front, and the temperature in both the air and the sea is noticeably colder. So far the sea state is still fairly calm, though we are being warned of a storm system in Southern Drake's, which we might catch the remains of.

The science is progressing well, and everyone is feeling like a seasoned oceanographer! As the casts are more spaced out we are enjoying having the time to listen to music, eat our reheated food (on the plus side we don't have to dress up for the dinners!) and do a bit of bird spotting.

The Southern Ocean is home to several species of Albatross and the related Petrels. These huge birds glide gracefully a few feet above the waves as they follow the boat. They appear to be too large to be able to fly as they do, and hence are fascinating to watch. Some of the lucky day watch have also spotted whale spouts in the distance, but as yet none have been spotted close enough to identify.

The instrument I am chiefly responsible for is the LADCP (Lowered Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler). This is mounted on the bottom of the CTD frame, and uses high frequency sound pulses to measure the three dimensional current velocity as the CTD is lowered and raised.

Another of our jobs is to deploy several Argo floats during the crossing. These are autonomous floats that cycle between a depth of around 2000m and the surface, making measurements as they rise through the water column just like a CTD. Whilst at the surface they transmit their data to satellites. Several thousand of these floats are currently operating in the world's oceans and our deployments help to maintain the fleet numbers.

The floats provide an invaluable source of information about the oceans, especially in areas like the Southern Ocean where ship visits are rare and difficult.

John