Office of Marine Programs
University of Rhode Island
Narragansett Bay Campus
Narragansett, RI 02882-1197
Phone: 401-874-6211
Fax: 401-874-6486
Email: OMP@gso.uri.edu
Comparison of Carbon Flux
Mediterranean Sea
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
2030 local time (EDT +6 hrs)
Today's Weather: mostly cloudy, waves <1ft., temp ~70 deg. F
Today has been relatively busy at sea. The weather continues to be warm with calm seas permitting us to work without interruption due to the elements. The ship's crew had a fire drill today complete with turnout gear and air tanks. They take these drills quite seriously. During the drill the scientific party mustered in Endeavor's main lab with our life preservers on. The drill put a delay in our morning science schedule. The replacement drifter continues to move south toward the coast of Algiers. We will retrieve the drifter by noon tomorrow and immediately steam to the first of a series of stations as we proceed north toward PLN. Tasks completed today include a productivity cast for the Greek scientists, two additional CTD casts for water samples to be used for analysis of particulate organic carbon and thorium-234. We also completed two pump casts to 100 meters each. You may be asking why we are completing the pump casts and using the particulate trap drifter. My understanding is that Dr. Moran and his colleagues want to compare estimates of carbon flux derived by both methods to determine if they are similar.
While we have been busy there are times for relaxation. Granted this is not a cruise ship, but the weather is great and down time is spent playing guitar and banjo (not me playing), movie watching (some classics, True Grit, Blazing Saddles, Animal House, and some newer films like Along Came Polly), and talking with crew. Everyone has a story to tell and it is interesting to listen. They are interested in what my students think of this experience. To date, I have only heard from a couple of you. Don't forget to write me if you have time (srv@seawave.net). My apologies for the brevity of this message. Stay focused on your work and stay tuned for more news from the Med.
Best regards,
Mr. V
