Here's a picture of the Revelle on its current mission, taken by the chief scientist on the Melville, Kenneth Coale. Three Scripps vessels are working together on this mission.
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Picture of Dan and an iceburg
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August 9, 2002: Dan is currently on the Melville, studying the "Incipient Rift" Under "Dispatches" on August 8, you can see a picture of Dan.
Also, he writes:
Apart from that, yesterday was hump day, meaning we are over half way through the cruise--this one to study the ocean floor west of Costa Rica. Check out the web site at www.env.duke.edu/IncipientRift. We first made maps of the ocean floor with our multibeam system, then they began dredging up rocks. They also tow a deep sea camera close to the bottom. On August 18, at 3100 meters, a large squid swam under the camera. The picture has been posted, I believe, along with other less interesting photos of the ocean floor.
SCRIPPS maintains a web site with lots of good information on the institute, including research projects, sailing schedules, layout of the ships, etc. and the current chief scientist on board has created a mission web page for this cruise.
On a visit in December of 1999, I took pictures of the Scripps Institute, some of the Scripps ships (in particular the one he's one right now), and the rest of my trip. Also, there's a "webcam" that looks down over the buildings where Dan works when he's ashore.
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Here's a picture of the Revelle on its current mission, taken by the chief scientist on the Melville, Kenneth Coale. Three Scripps vessels are working together on this mission.
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Picture of Dan and an iceburg
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This afternoon icebergs appeared quite unexpected. Last time down we first saw ice the size of coffee cans, then of bath tubs, cars, houses... This time there were suddenly icebergs, many and big, with no preamble. They are like giant white lean-tos with sculpted, vertcal sides and a slant roof. It was deliciously disquieting. We were at 58-50 south, 172 west, and plans to work at 65 degrees south are now in question. At lunch today we blithely talked of reaching the Antarctic circle. However, it lies almost 500 nautical miles south of here. The chances now seem slim indeed. Still, icebergs already. We don't know what to make of it. Dan
Currently: 61-37.89S 170-45.71W 10.3 Knt 179.4 Hdg 4097 Mtr Surface Temp = 1.674 Deg C Life preservers are worthless in this water. We'd be dead in five minutes. The water is now about 35F, yesterday it was still 43F. When working on deck we always wear life preservers, but should we fall overboard the ship couldn't turn around in time to save us. A vest would keep our bones afloat, providing some consolation for the family, I suppose. However, we do have bulky exposure suits, heavy bulky rubber affairs that leave free only a patch about the nose and eyes. They are designed to keep us warm and dry for a while at least. We would only don them to abandon ship. The icebergs have disappeared. We saw so many of such size--up to three miles across--that it is stunning to see no more. Perhaps a big chunk broke off and calved the ones we saw. I notice we are running below cruising speed, so the captain has become cautious. Surely we will see more. It takes the Revelle almost six hours to cover a degree of latitude, thus we should make 63 south by this evening and 65 south by tomorrow morning. Some of us, including the chief scientist, would like to reach the Antarctic Circle at 67S. However, the captain tells us the ship is only insured to 65S, and they would have to get a waver to continue south. No problem, we say. We want to become blue noses. The absence of birds is surprising and disappointing. Last time they flocked to the ship by the hundreds. Perhaps we will see them in more fertile waters. Some of the areas we have passed are so devoid of nutrients there are akin to deserts. Dan
> >Are the icebergs beautiful as well as a bit scary? > They are gorgeous--white and pristine--and scary because they pose an unthinkable if unlikely hazard. We admire them from a clear distance. They have broken away from the continent to drift, devoid of life, until returning to water as part of a great cycle. They assume succeeding shapes as they melt and tip. Icebergs have holes, columns and spires, saddles, strangely sculpted figures. Those we saw were all upright, but others later will have tipped to show green ice at an angle to the surface. Because there are so many types, the uniformity of those yesterday was a surprise. The radar indicated one was three miles across. It looked bigger yet. Now at 62-40S, we have continued south for almost a day without seeing more. It was foggy early on, but by noon it was 35F and sunny as Honolulu. Dan
Early this morning we drove to 65-50 south, then turned around and went back north to above 65 and did a CTD (water test). Then we turned around once more, and have been sailing south again for the last hours. Now: 66-24.70S 170-23.12W .9 Knt 253.3 Hdg 2837 Mtr We have stopped just twenty miles from the Antarctic Circle, the Holy Grail of science, with clear water ahead. Surely we will make the final push. Visible earlier were dozens of smaller icebergs, dozens and dozens if you counted every chip of ice out there. Green ice was visible on some. One iceberg featured the shape of a reclining mermaid supporting her head on one elbow and contemplating the small pyramid at the other end of the platform. Once on station, the science party again add a mixture of iron to the water as we steam back and forth. This is an area high in nitrogen and silicate and low iron, the "limiting factor." This should cause to flourish phytoplankton such as "diatoms," microscopic shell fish with a shell wall made of silica, or glass, that are at the base of the acquatic food chain. Zooplankton, tiny biological counterparts to the phytoplankton, feed (graze) on them and are fed upon in turn. Dr. Richard Barber from Duke University believes we will see the ocean turn green with life. Again, our sister ship the Melville is following two weeks behind us. They will pick up the study once we leave. A couple of the scientists have found a small plant organism they cannot identify. However, they believe it is of the sort that both eats and uses photosynthesis. What? I had never heard of a plant like that. But of course I had, the venus flytrap for instance. It grows in areas poor in nitrogen, for which it traps flies. Otherwise it uses photosynthesis like any other plant. Today the bridge spotted a couple of whales, and twice they have reported seeing a lone penguin. The water temperature is about 31F. Dan Date: 0122/07:09Z Course: 197.3 Depth: 2841 Lat: -66.411710 Speed: 00.6 Lon: -170.385403 Gyro: 253.3 BOWMAST BOWMAST BRIDGE AirTmp: -0.67 RelWndM/S: 5.7 RelWndM/S: 7.2 BarP: 986.20 RelWndDir: 0.2 RelWndDir: 338.0 RelH: 90.1 TruWndM/S: 5.4 TruWndM/S: 6.9 RelHTmp: -0.52 TruWndDir: 254.0 TruWndDir: 230.4 DewP: -1.77 WtrTmp: -0.449 Salin: 33.811 SndVel: 1445.4 Cond: 27.767 SigT: 27.167 Fluor: 8.989 O2mll: 7.821
Well, we did it: We crossed the Circle briefly last night. We are now blue noses. Alas, the captain didn't think we would get this far south and so neglected to bring the certificates. You'll just have to take my word for it. We have now pulled back a few miles to our work site of the next days. 66-24.69S 169-33.12W .6 Knt 263.6 Hdg Water and air temperatures are just below 32F. It is wonderfully sunny in splendid contrast to our trip in 1998 when we met fog much of the time. Let's hope it holds. I count 14 icebergs within a few miles including some very large ones. Those facing the sun are a brilliant white. For the most they look like the top of a mesa, with sheer sides and a flat or slightly slanted top. However, the closest, at about two miles, is sculpted in the shape of an elongated S on its side. Now I hope to catch sight of a penguin. Dan
Jan 23, 2002 We're at sea on REVELLE as part of a multi-ship operation with MELVILLE and POLAR STAR to perform the Southern Ocean Iron Enrichment experiment (SOFeX). Two patches of iron enriched seawater will be formed in the Southern Ocean as part of the experiment: one patch north of the Polar Front in low Si waters and one patch south in waters with Si>60 uM. REVELLE's role in the experiment is to survey sites for each experiment, perform each of the iron additions, perform initial sampling of each patch and then to map the spatial extent of the patches. MELVILLE will follow on to perform detailed biological analyses, while POLAR STAR follows up to assess carbon export from the patches. We have been at sea for two weeks now. The first patch was formed near 56 S, 170 W in waters with less than 1 uM Si. There was a rapid biological response to iron addition in the Northern Patch. Phytoplankton doubled in three days. After a second addition of iron to the patch, we departed to form the Southern Patch, leaving the patch unattended except for instrumented, drifting buoys. MELVILLE has now arrived at the Northern Patch. It has confirmed the presence of iron enriched water by detecting elevated concentrations of the inert tracer SF6 that we added with the iron. They are continuing the biological sampling on the 10th day after the first iron addition. We are now at 66 30' S, 170 W doing the initial survey for the second iron addition. Conditions are a little complicated because the spring bloom does not appear to have occurred this year south of the Polar Front. However, we are narrowing in on an experimental site and expect to begin iron addition tomorrow. Daily reports from the expedition can be found on the MBARI web page at http://www.mbari.org/education/cruises/SoFex2002/history&purpose.htm . Ken Johnson Chief Scientist
The servers obstinately refused to crash last night, so I actually got to sleep through. Previously I had been called out at 1AM and again at 4AM. Thus I awoke refreshed to find my cabin sporting a new look: everything loose was strewn about, everything on the deck had walked across the way. We were in the trough, taking large waves from the side (athwardship, in ship's parlance.) Date: 0124/19:22Z Course: 059.9 Depth: 3483 Lat: -66.502728 Speed: 08.1 Lon: -171.682272 Gyro: 059.6 BOWMAST BOW MAST BRIDGE AirTmp -1.14 RelWndM/S: 21.9 RelWndM/S: 21.6 BarP: 957.13 RelWndDir: 65.1 RelWndDir: 62.0 RelH: 96.7 TruWndM/S: 20.5 TruWndM/S: 20.0 RelHTmp: -1.28 TruWndDir: 135.3 TruWndDir: 132.2 DewP: -1.68 WtrTmp: -0.555 Salin: 33.777 SndVel: 1444.9 Cond: 27.653 SigT: 27.144 Fluor: 0.898 O2mll: 0.398 Wind speeds are up to 22 meters per second, which is roughly twice that in knots. The barometric pressure has dropped. Notice the latitude, 66' 33" is the circle, so we are just three nautical miles north of it. So you can confidently report the seas are up at 172E on the Antarctic Circle. Whoa! As I write this we take a grand clout that has my chair sliding back and me flailing for balance. At breakfast a scientist said he was in the shower when he heard a big noise and thought everything on his dresser had hit the deck. Instead he found the roll had thrown the top drawer open, his things had slid into it, and the draw had closed again. The room was tidier than before. The current profile, which measures ocean currents beneath the ship, is normally reliable. We check it regularly, collect the data and give it little further thought. But this time it is needed, and it failed. After many attempts to restart it, much checking of the communications cable, much study of the manual for troubleshooting procedures--all of which proved inconclusive--we decided it was a hardware problem, and we needed to swap some boards. With heavy heart I started to remove the cables only to find a loose power cord. With it firmly seated the instrument ran just fine again. The day had begun with the server crashing, the current profiler down, and me in despair of getting anything up again. Instead I slept well and awoke to a splendid storm. Dan
Well, that wasn't so bad. The ocean is again calm, though my room shows the effects. Everything formerly on an upper level has sought a place at the lowest. Thus, from knee-level up everything is free and neat as a pin. The floor, however, is littered with books, papers, data tapes, computer cables. But I didn't do it! And I hear my mother's voice: No, and you didn't clean it up, either. People are working on deck again. In this weather they wear mustang suits--bright-orange insulated overalls--and the ever-present life vests. Some are college students who one day have never changed a light bulb and the next are at sea deploying scientific equipment over the side. It is quite a thing to see the experienced students, men and women, setting up at the start of the cruise. They see their familiar equipment aboard, either by crane or by lugging it, set it up, lash it down, test it. They grab a drill as easily as testing equipment. And within a day the labs will be transformed into a maze of electronic and chemical equipment, tanks, bottles, computers. Of course, preceding all this is the division of space according to a master plan, preferably agreed upon beforehand. If not, those on last get last pick, unless they have clout. Then the lesser, already set up, must give way with as much good grace as they can muster. Periodically chemists and biologists collect ocean water at various depths. For this they send down a CTD with a "rosette" of tubes to capture water at desired depths. They are doing one right now. However, it is not just a matter of collecting the water, there is again apportionment. For this they meet early on to work out a water budget. Each puts in a request for CTD water; if requests don't exceed the amount available there is harmony, if not, they have to work out the amount each will get. On some cruises all the interested parties are present to make certain no one draws off too much. Then the order of the draw becomes important, because no one wants to have to take what is left, which might not be their share. But generally there is much good grace, and if their is a common thread in running through the cruises it is how pleasant people are. Dan
Our ship has no rudder!
We are near icebergs in freezing waters without a rudder. The wheel on
the bridge doesn't respond. What will happen to us?
Well, not much, really. The Roger Revelle has never had a rudder aft
or a wheel on the bridge. Instead it employs what are called Z-drives:
diesel engines turn generators which power two electric motors each
driving a shaft. Each horzontal shaft engages via bevel gears a
vertical shaft, at the bottom of which a second set of bevel gears
turn a horizontal shaft holding the propeller, or thruster. The
thruster can be turned around the vertical shaft to point in any
direction, like an outboard motor. The Z comes from the horizontal to
vertical to horizontal configuration.
____________________________________
\ |
\ |
\ |motor| |motor|== | (2 thrusters aft)
\ | | |
\_____|_____________________|__|
|-x |-x
(View this as a text file if it is jumbled on your screen.)
In the process the rotational speed is reduced 2.5 times with each set
of gears, so if the motor turns at 500 RPM the thruster turns at 100
RPM.
With the addition of a (retractable) forward thruster, the ship can move
laterally or aftwards, in any direction, in fact. Thus, no tug ever
touches the Revelle, though sometimes we are forced to take one, and it
might buzz around selfimportantly. Many large cargo ships and tankers,
too, now have a forward thruster to enable them to dock and depart more
easily.
Z-drive propulsion is inefficient for straight ahead sailing: our cruising
speed is only 13 knots. However, it is important to follow exact lines
when surveying and to maintain absolute position when on station. For
these, the Z-drives coupled to the global positioning system (GPS) are
ideal. When locked on a position the Revelle stays right there.
Sometimes I look out and wonder how we will ever get anythwere, so
slowly do we move. But after some days and nights without pause we
arrive at our destination--finally. Never mind that it takes us the
better part of two days to cover what a jet does in an hour.
Dan
Date: 0127/07:17Z Course: 185.9 Depth: 3304 (METERS)
Lat: -66.443552 Speed: 05.6
Lon: -171.954843 Gyro: 188.7
BOWMAST BOWMAST BRIDGE
AirTmp: -0.97 RelWndM/S: 8.0 RelWndM/S: 9.8
BarP: 981.93 RelWndDir: 36.9 RelWndDir: 33.0
RelH: 71.8 TruWndM/S: 5.9 TruWndM/S: 7.3
RelHTmp: -0.91 TruWndDir: 243.3 TruWndDir: 235.3
DewP: -4.82
WtrTmp: -0.452 Salin: 33.808 SndVel: 1445.4
Cond: 27.762 SigT: 27.165 Fluor: 8.325 O2mll: 7.751
ShrtWvRad: 27.6 LgWvRad: 396.1 PAR: 172.115
The ceiling is low, the sky and sea grey, the waters calm. There are no icebergs to the horizon. But nearby there is much to see. This morning Antarctic petrals were performing there morning abulutions in the water just outside the lab. They fluffed their feathers and splashed to bring water in; they rolled on their back to groom their breast; they stuck their head underwater and blew bubbles. The other day in the gale I felt sorry for the birds until I took a look outside. Icy, forty-knot winds? No problem for them, they were flying about undeterred. All the birds out here fly back and forth but never seem to land and feed. We wonder if it is the behavior of restlessness. Or optimism. This evening I went to the bridge to see some horizon after a day at the monitor. Suddenly a whale broke surface at the bow. Sure, it was a small one, but it looked big to me. It surfaced briefly three or four more times, then headed aft near the surface just off the bridge. It might have been twenty feet long. Although it was only visible for a few seconds, the picture is still very real. While walking the beach in La Jolla I thought of a means to starve whole flocks of seagulls. Take a loaf of white bread with little food value and throw a tiny piece in the air. Instantly the gulls break into a feeding frenzy, battling and squabbling for their share. Slowly continue the feeding until the bread is gone. At that point the gulls have collectively burned far more calories than were in the bread. A few more days of that should reduce the population noticeably. Of course, only my sister dislikes seagulls, and even she couldn't be bothered. Dan
Earlier this afternoon we finished several hours of adding iron and then did CTD's down to 200 meters. They had to do three of them to acquire the amount of water needed. Soon we will be moving again about the patch of iron enriched water to sample at various sites. We take in water through an opening in the bow, run it through various sensors and send a stream to the hydro lab where is is further analyzed. Values such as these WtrTmp: -0.467 Salin: 33.822 SndVel: 1445.4 Cond: 27.760 SigT: 27.177 Fluor: 8.516 O2mll: 7.733 are from sensors in the bow. They are sea temp (deg C), salinity (PSU), sound velocity (m/sec), sea conductivity (um/cm), sigma-T or water density (kg/m^3), flourometer reading (?) and oxygen content (ml/liter). These readings come in every second and are averaged and written to disk every 30 seconds. The chief scientist speculates that the growth from the added iron has trapped more solar energy and thus fractionally increasing water temperature within the patch. This afternoon those on watch on the bridge witnessed an iceberg break in two. Suddenly it caved in at the center, the opposite ends rose, and water shot up. When I saw it later it was still trapping waves and sending up high plumes of water. I hadn't realized the density of the icebergs on the way down. The first mate told me there were once 83 on the radar at one time. The Melville, now on station a few miles to starboard, reported 100 on the screen at once. We will have to wend our way through them again on the way back. Here, however, the icebergs are several miles apart. We see mostly Antarctic petrels, sooty albatrosses and prions, all gloriously acrobatic fliers. Dan
Charles Christiansen had a question about our distance from the South Pole. Our position at 22:15 GMT on Jan 29--local time 11:15 on Jan 30-- was 66-26.37S 172-04.89W Figuring 60 nautical miles per degree of latitude, the pole lies 90' - ~66'27" or 23'33" south of here. Thus, it is 60 * 23 + 33 or 1413 nautical from here . Figuring 6076 feet per nautical miles, that amounts to 1413 * 1.15 or 1626 statute miles, equal to 1413 * 1.852 or 2616 kilometers. The air temperature is 33 degrees on this equivalent of June 30. The ceiling has dropped, the seas are up, the barometer is down, and a typical summer snowstorm is upon us. If there are icebergs out there we don't see them. God bless the Southern Ocean and Antarctica! Dan Date: 0129/22:45Z Course: 081.4 Depth: 3024 Mtr Lat: -66.446488 Speed: 09.6 Lon: -172.060597 Gyro: 078.7 BOWMAST BOWMAST BRIDGE AirTmp: 0.68 RelWndM/S: 17.4 RelWndM/S: 20.1 BarP: 967.86 RelWndDir: 333.5 RelWndDir: 312.0 RelH: 98.7 TruWndM/S: 14.1 TruWndM/S: 17.2 RelHTmp: 0.60 TruWndDir: 45.4 TruWndDir: 18.3 WtrTmp: -0.482 Salin: 33.823 SndVel: 1445.3 Cond: 27.748 SigT: 27.179 Fluor: 7.377 O2mll: 7.737
This morning the chief scientist said we will break off the survey here in the south later in the day and head back to the northern patch. It was welcome news. They hope to locate the patch by mean of beacons left drifting with it. The drifters might not be working or they might have left the patch, so it isn't certain we will find it. To return we will have to run the spectacular gauntlet of icebergs to the north. As much as we want to reach land again it will be hard to leave them behind. After 31 days at sea we are out of bread, butter, milk and (soon) eggs. Everyone is a bit put out because too little was ordered. But imagine, we have 64 on board, and 64 * 3 meals/day * 40 days equals 7680 meals. That's a lot of food. Still, we expect to be out of salad at this point but not out of milk. This is the first time in my experience that we've been without butter or eggs. The visibility is again low. Yesterday during the fire and boat drill lovely thick flakes of snow fell. There was little wind, and the atmosphere was festive. We came upon in an area of ice shards, as if an iceberg had exploded, and then we were out of it again. In these waters there is always a mate and a seaman on the bridge. The seaman's duty is to scan the water ahead for "bergie bits," smaller, but substantial chunks of ice invisible to the radar but large enough to ding the hull. We passed within half a mile of a pristine iceberg no more than twice our size. It was perfectly white and unblemished. The waves crashed against the ice sending water high. Icebergs appear to be of compacted snow, but they are probably nearly as dense as ice. I believe I mentioned how the waves undercut the sides to form caves at the waterline. Sometimes caves at opposite sides of a corner join, leaving a pillar of ice to support the block of ice above. When the pillar finally collapses the iceberg will be that much smaller. I read till late and was roused from sleep by heavy waves crashing against the hull. My afternoon nap appears all the more inviting. Dan
This morning the chief scientist said we will break off the survey here in the south later in the day and head back to the northern patch. It was welcome news. They hope to locate the patch by mean of beacons left drifting with it. The drifters might not be working or they might have left the patch, so it isn't certain we will find it. To return we will have to run the spectacular gauntlet of icebergs to the north. As much as we want to reach land again it will be hard to leave them behind. After 31 days at sea we are out of bread, butter, milk and (soon) eggs. Everyone is a bit put out because too little was ordered. But imagine, we have 64 on board, and 64 * 3 meals/day * 40 days equals 7680 meals. That's a lot of food. Still, we expect to be out of salad at this point but not out of milk. This is the first time in my experience that we've been without butter or eggs. The visibility is again low. Yesterday during the fire and boat drill lovely thick flakes of snow fell. There was little wind, and the atmosphere was festive. We came upon in an area of ice shards, as if an iceberg had exploded, and then we were out of it again. In these waters there is always a mate and a seaman on the bridge. The seaman's duty is to scan the water ahead for "bergie bits," smaller, but substantial chunks of ice invisible to the radar but large enough to ding the hull. We passed within half a mile of a pristine iceberg no more than twice our size. It was perfectly white and unblemished. The waves crashed against the ice sending water high. Icebergs appear to be of compacted snow, but they are probably nearly as dense as ice. I believe I mentioned how the waves undercut the sides to form caves at the waterline. Sometimes caves at opposite sides of a corner join, leaving a pillar of ice to support the block of ice above. When the pillar finally collapses the iceberg will be that much smaller. I read till late and was roused from sleep by heavy waves crashing against the hull. My afternoon nap appears all the more inviting. Dan
We have broken off the survey at the southern patch and are headed north on calm seas under a brilliant sun. May conditions remain so. 64-18.25S 171-42.92W 11.6 Knot 6.2 Hdg 2481 Mtr The chief scientist told me the amount of chlorophyl in the southern patch had increased tenfold from the addition of iron. The Melville remained to continue the survey in the southern patch for some days. She was a lovely sight yesterday as we maneuvered nearby to retrieve instruments floated over to us. Water temperature has now risen above 0 centigrade (32F) for the first time in days, and the barometer is up. There are very few icebergs on the horizon, but we should find concentrations ahead. Revelle should be in the northern patch in a couple of days--if we find it: the beacons could have shut down or left the patch. Dan Date: 0205/20:46Z Course: 015.7 Depth: 2425 Lat: -64.278053 Speed: 12.1 Lon: -171.708483 Gyro: 007.1 BOWMAST BOWMAST BRIDGE AirTmp: 0.41 RelWndM/S: 10.1 RelWndM/S: 11.3 BarP: 995.21 RelWndDir: 329.8 RelWndDir: 325.0 RelH: 78.6 TruWndM/S: 5.7 TruWndM/S: 7.2 RelHTmp: 0.50 TruWndDir: 303.3 TruWndDir: 302.2 DewP: -2.75 WtrTmp: -0.093 Salin: 33.732 SndVel: 1447.0 Cond: 28.004 SigT: 27.087 Fluor: 7.262 O2mll: 7.748 ShrtWvRad: 490.4 LgWvRad: 379.9 PAR: 1260.948
One fine evening in Lyttleton I walked high up the slope of the large half-crater in which the town lies. There were lovely traditional houses with tended gardens and, above them, expensive, new ugly ones with concrete terraces. I climbed above the last houses and continued on a trail towards the top. Birds still sang in the setting sun, and the view to the port below and the peninsula beyond was a feast for someone who had spent weeks at sea, and would do so again soon. When I returned down the trail and continued along, I began to hear wonderful music: clarinet over a rhythm section softly playing traditional jazz. When a voice rose it took me a moment to recognize Leon Redbone, whose music I had first heard with friend Ron in Sioux Falls. The music was so to my mood and the evening so pleasant, I paused in enjoyment. However, after some minutes I began to feel I was overstaying my welcome, that I shouldn't be lurking outside people's houses eavesdropping on their music. So I began to affect interest in the ridge high above and the gardens nearby, and I made a great show of looking up and bending down, all the while listening. Presently the door opened and a voice called, "You like Leon Redbone? Come on in!" And in I went. My host was Bill Martin, an 81-year-end native of Lyttleton, a retired sailor born into a seagoing family. He loved all of Leon Red bone's music and would admit to listening to nothing else. He also enjoyed rum and tonic, which he offered without ice. So it was that an introduction in South Dakota led to another in New Zealand. Bill had gone to sea at an early age and retired after well over fifty years in the merchant marine. He had sailed on tramp steamers and derelict cargo ships during the early years and particularly during WWII, and he spun, nonstop, harrowing tales of hard, dirty work with wretched food and poor living conditions. He told of jumping ship in California, where he met and came to idolize Harry Bridges, the organizer for the Longshoremen's Union. (Bridges was Australian?) He also worked for a year as a logger in the California lumber camps, until someone "dimmed" him (turned him in) "over a woman." Immigration packed him off on a cargo ship bound for Asia via Vancouver, where he immediately jumped ship and worked for a while. But finally, wanting to go home, he shipped out on a tramp bound for Australia. It was diverted to Africa, then to China, by which time food was short and pay in arrears. There he noticed the interest Chinese workers paid to bales of something he couldn't identify. He took a piece ashore and learned it was shark's fin, worth $50 US a bale. They began offloading a few on the night watch, then, to increase the amount, they brought in a mate and the cook. The cook? Yes, you can't keep anything from a cook. When they sailed again, the original 400 bales numbered just 80, but no matter, said the mate, the bills of lading had been lost. Periodically Bill would insist on another round because, "I'll be a long time strarin' at the lid." He now lived in Australia because he found the Lyttleton winters too cold. Apparently the ridge above town blocks the winter sun for much of the day. Earlier I had taken the "Open House" on a Realtor's sign at face value and walked in. It was a roomy two-bedroom, single bath cottage on a narrow lot with patio and long, unimproved garden to the rear: $45,000 US. How was it heated? It's not heated, I was told, it's insulated. Aha. I later made some music CD's and dropped them off at Bill's place the day Revelle left for the Southern Ocean. He probably gave them away. Dan
Here is the latest report from the the chief scientist. I would only disagree with the comment about "difficult conditions." While it is never easy to operate down here, we could hardly have expected better conditions. Someone on Melville took the photo when we were together in the southern patch. Dan
REVELLE has finished operations at the South Patch of the SOFeX experiment. We created a 15x15 km, iron enriched patch near 66°S and 172°W in high silicate, high nitrate waters. The first iron addition was begun on Jan. 25 and we have since added iron three more times. MELVILLE joined us on Jan. 29 and they began a series of detailed biological studies, while we focused on adding iron and mapping the patch distribution. The experiment is progressing beautifully and chlorophyll concentrations were elevated more than 10x when we departed. A large geochemical signal of nitrate and carbon dioxide consumption is developing. POLAR STAR will arrive following MELVILLE to continue the study of the iron enriched patch and its impacts on carbon export to the deep-sea. I would like to thank Captain Tom Desjardins and the officers, engineers and crew for their support of our work at the South Patch of the SOFeX experiment. Conditions have been quite difficult with frequent encounters with ice, low visibility and high seas. Their dedication to supporting science has enabled what we believe will be a land mark experiment in our understanding of ocean biogeochemistry. Particular thanks to Resident Technician Tammy Baiz for supporting a science schedule that was changed four or five times a day. You can find daily updates from the experiment at http://www.mbari.org/education/cruises/SoFex2002/history&purpose.htm Ken Johnson Chief Scientist picture credit is Kenneth Coale, MELVILLE Chief Scientist
Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2002 06:46:17 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: Of special interest
Please remember to follow the daily logs of this expedition at http://www.mbari.org/education/cruises/SoFex2000 The report of February 9 is particularly engrossing. It is without doubt the finest piece of journalism you will read this year. Dan
Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2002 20:47:06 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: Ausgleich!
Three days ago yesterday we passed within a half mile of a huge iceberg, some 450 feet high. Everyone agreed it was easily the most spectacular one the whole cruise. Alas, I was below helping a technician with her computer. Everyone has gone on and on about how impressive it was, and I feel sick about missing it. There is balance, however, because the next day we passed an even bigger one, though about four miles off. Like the pictures of the previous one, this, too, was a giant lean-to: perfectly rectangular base, straight sides, a flat roof sloping uniformly to the opposite side. Its architectural regularity was astonishing. We approached on an angle to the short side, which because of its size we took to be the long one. However, as we came around the true length became apparent: almost half a mile. Though the swells were (and continue to be) moderate, waves were breaking well ahead of the leading face, indicating a broad shelf at or just below the waterline. There was a spot of bright, turquoise blue to one side indicating another underwater ice shelf. We were in 5-degree (41F) water by that time, and it was surprising an iceberg that large could maintain such integrity this far north. But the real thrill came when someone noticed movement in the water. A moment later, a couple of porpoises broke surface. Then the mate on watch spotted a herd approaching to starboard, and on they came. Lovely! But they were too big for porpoises, the markings weren't right, they were...orcas! The first I had ever seen. They crossed right under the bow and continued on. Opposite the last iceberg I offered one of Margaret Robinson's caramels to the Southern Ocean and ate the last. She has sent them to me each Christmas and I've taken them with me on my travels. These had been to Amsterdam, Machu Pichu, the Galapagos, and New Zealand. Their time had come. Now: 54-07.98S 169-09.30W 11.6 Knt 191.1 Hdg 4815 Mtr AirTmp: 8.44C 47F WtrTmp: 7.79C 46F The area where we saw so icebergs on the way down is well behind us. We saw very few, though very large, ones on the way back. Nor did we see many birds. Perhaps they are south of us. As for the experiment, they have reported from the Melville that the waves crashing on the fantail are now green instead of blue, a visual confirmation that the chlorophyl has increased markedly. Here they are adding the last of the iron to the patch; afterward we will break off and head north to Lyttleton, where they have food. Dan
Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2002 08:58:08 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: Why iron?
My cousin Ada Marie writes from Knoxville to ask why they add iron instead of, say, manganese, which is "a component of the chlorphyll molecule. I guess the effect is less direct--a matter of the Fe helping to provide nutrients for the chlorophyll?" Yes, I believe that's it. I'm told there is 20 to 200 times more manganese than iron in the ocean, so it is less likely to be limiting. Too, it is more soluble than iron and oxidizes slower. I just now asked about the role of iron: enzymes need iron to make use of nitrates and to convert light energy to chemical energy during photosynthesis. So far so good. But just as understanding of the process appeared imminent, my chemist-informant started going on about iron furthering ion transfer and the like, at which point I felt obliged to cut him off. He was beginning to pierce the veneer of understandablility. They say most of the iron introduced into the water comes in the form of dust from land, particularly the deserts, and it must be constantly replenished. In the northern patch, where silicate is also limiting, they have found an increase in diatoms, for which no one has an explanation. Dan
Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2002 07:04:01 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: Expedition headed back
53-43.22S 170-09.61W 12.4 Knt 311.2 Hdg 5317 Mtr Sunday, February 10, 8PM We have broken off the survey according to plan and are headed in a northwesterly direction back to Lyttleton. We should be there Thursday morning. As is often the case at this point, talk begins in earnest about the first evening in, travel plans, dinners ashore, home. Some were unsuccessful with the URL to the daily reports. Try this instead to reach the shocking expose of February 9. http://www.mbari.org/education/cruises/SoFex2002/history&purpose.htm Dan
Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 06:31:32 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: A wake-up
When we get close, the crew begins counting down: three days and a wake-up, two days and a wake-up... We arrive at the pier at 6am in the morning, so we are down to just a wake-up. Mercifully. But that is tomorrow. Tonight I am stuck doing boring end-of-cruise paperwork for which the only satisfaction is seeing the end of it. We have had lovely sailing the last days, which continues to the moment. For the last couple of days we have had trailing seas, and the ship has been steady in spite of the release of water from the antiroll tanks. Two days ago we were still driving into a moderate swell, and it was a joyful experience to stand on the fantail and see the water several feet below and the the next moment, in a dip, see the crest a few feet above. For the last days more albatrosses have tracked us. They sail effortlessly on long, fragile-looking wings angled down at the tip. They skim so close to the ocean it looks like the lower tip might strike the water and send them cartwheeling. Of course it never happens. These are the birds that race ahead of the ship, circle back, make swooping figure eights, come forward again--all without flapping their wings. They make the minute adjustments that enable them to maneuver with absolute precision, which makes them a joy to observe. I've heard no plans for a party tomorrow night, but those things just happen. People will go out to dinner in smaller groups and find each other later, and there will be a communal release of the tensions of the last days. People will swagger and posture a bit even in disbelief of what they have seen and done. Few imagined they would ever experience this. Before I began sailing I would sometimes see ships entering or leaving a harbor, and invariable I would see someone standing impassively at the railing and wonder who that person was and where he had been or was going. Now I am that person. And I stand there and wonder who out there is wondering about me. I guess I'm too selfconscious to be a real sailor. Dan