Chukchi Borderland Project
 
 
 

Daily Updates from

our Teacher at Sea

 
 

August 22

Working with the CTD Rosette
 
 

A crane is required to lift the CTD Rosette.

 The science team is getting ready to put over the side of the ship a CTD Rosette (Conductivity, Temperature and Depth Sensor).  Over a 35 day period, we will be putting the CTD into the water around 100 times.  On an earlier date, I showed you how the Rosette Bottles are opened.  We send the CTD down into the water to measure water properties and to collect samples of seawater.  The Rosette  has 36 bottles mounted in a circle around the electronics and on command the scientist can close the bottles as they choose. They may only close 15 bottles or all 36 bottles.  It is on a trigger release system.  While the CTD is down under the surface, the scientists are busy doing different tasks; anything from watching the CTD depth, monitoring nutrient and salt measurements, or oxygen content from previous seawater samples, or preparing for the CTD to return.  As the trip continues over the next month, I will be discussing the different types of measurements.

 
 
A few final adjustments are made before lowering over the side.

 
Rebecca Albert, MSO, giving the go-ahead.  Proper coodination is essential among all involved.

 
Once the instument is over the side of the ship, data returning must be analyzed.  Here Jim familiarizes Wendy  with analyzing CTD data on the computer.

 
Susan working on the Nutrient Analyzer.
Ron working on automatic sampler, part of the Nutrient Analyzer.

 
Mary teaching Ms. Grimes about what she does on the computer.

 
Working outside in Arctic weather requires a lot of clothing.  Putting on the different layers before going outside to work on the CTD is a must.

...layer number one.

 

...layer number two.

...layer number three.

 
Finally done!

 
Guy - working on measuring CFC's.

 
Ron measuring the oxygen content of the water.

 
Jim taking a water sample to measure the oxygen content of water.

 
 
Local sheriff back in town.  I am logging all the data as the scientists pass it on to me.

Sample Cop is my name, data is my game.