Ice bound again.

Since we only made it to Station B yesterday the goal for today was to get out to E and finish the series of samples (this is because we are trying to relate changes between the two).  But last night the ice came in.  At this point in time I thought that all of the ice was gone but to my dismay, the wind brought back loads of brash ice and some large icebergs.  Today was utilized in finishing up sample analysis from yesterday, running an isotope experiment, and starting a grazing experiment.  

Normal sampling for us includes collection of water at specified depths and analyzing them for dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), dimethylsulfide (DMS), dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), chlorophyll pigments and chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM).  Experiments that show how these compounds behave under specific conditions are in addition to these measurements.  

DMSP is important to our study because it an organic sulfur compound that is produced by phytoplankton most likely as a cryoprotectant.  What this means is that DMSP might help protect the phytoplankton’s tissue during periods of freezing.  This compound is also suspected of having antioxidant properties, helping protect tissue against oxidation compounds like hydroxyl radicals.  

DMSP is the precursor of DMS.  It is not fully understood why phytoplankton break down DMSP into DMS, but we observe it regularly.  The importance of DMS is that it breaks down under different circumstances to become a sulfate aerosol which acts as a cloud condensation nuclei.  What this means is that the more DMS that is produced, potentially, more clouds will be formed.  This is one of the most important focuses of our studies.  We are most interested in the biogeochemical organic sulfur cycle to see how exactly sulfur effects our environment, and how t is transferring from one place to the other.

Windy Sampling

When your schedule is disrupted by storms, like we saw yesterday, you jump at the chance to make up the sampling. Today the Winds slowed down to a steady 20 knots and only gusting to 25, so we jumped out in the zodiacs to grab our samples. Keep in mind that 20 knots is the limit for allowing zodiacs to go out with gusts not to reach above 25. So we were just at the line.

For this trip out we took an extra set of hands (John Dacey) to help drive the boat into the wind while Kerry and I do the sampling. This is totally necessary once we reach station B due to the benthic topography. We were headed out to Station E with a big white line across the horizon. As we got a little closer we could see that Station E was completely obstructed by thick brash ice and we had to turn around.

Sampling at Station B made us very happy that we had brought John to steady the boat. We stopped on station, swapped drivers and changed some of the positions of our gear. Within this 3min period we had drifted 500 ft. The wind and waves made every aspect of the sampling event an adventure. The boat is rocking and the person tending the Go Flo bottles legs’ are dipping in and out of the water, while waves are inviting themselves into your lap. This sampling was a bit on the hairy side but was a lot of fun to experience.

Sampling Woes

The weather took a turn for the worst last night.  The wind picked up and was howling.  At about five this morning Kerry was abruptly awoken with the sensation of cold water on her face.  A couple seconds later she was fully awake, shocked into consciousness by cold rain pelting her in the face.  The wind was gusting up to 50 knots and rain was filling the sky.  We have a tendency to fall asleep with the window open due to there being only one temperature for the entire floor in the building we sleep in.  So the high velocity rain was forcing its way in through the top of our window and had started to soak our bed.  Kerry jumped up and closed the window.  Shivering, she jumped off the bed and dried off with a towel.  Looking out into the harbor I could see that the water had taken on a whole new personality.  Waves were reaching as high as three feet, a total 180 from most mornings here. The most amazing aspect of this is that the waves were moving in the direction opposite of tidal flow.  It was crazy to watch waves forming away from the shore.

Well the real reason that I told this story was to show the kind of event that would keep us from sampling.  Ya, there was no chance that we were going to head out into this weather to sample today.  This allowed us one more day to try and get caught up with our samples.  True, we have not yet totally excavated ourselves from our built up workload, but we are very close.  Two of our GC’s are now functioning perfectly and we are keeping them working at all hours possible.  We are pulling shifts to keep things running; this is allowing the “off” person to get some much deserved “me-time”.  Things are really great right now, and I even had time today to get back to the RAD VAN.  

Seasons Feelings!

The weather here has been so extremely abnormal that everyone who has been here before is commenting on it regularly. Yesterday we had a stupendous morning. The Temperature was up around 40 and the sun was intense, the regulars started up their normal inquisitive banter about global warming. But by afternoon the clouds had rolled in and the temperature dropped quickly, snow started to fall and all were delighted to see a more typical weather pattern. For me there was a deeper feeling of finally setting the mood for the season. In New York and the east coast I understand that there have been a couple storms so far and the snow might not be sticking around yet but it is definitely obvious that the winter and Christmas season are upon you. To my delight I awoke to find that about 4 inches of soft powder had collect and was now beautifully coating everything. I am starting to get the seasons feeling. We also set up our Christmas tree on this wonderful day.