Picture this. You’re standing on a research vessel in the middle of nowhere. There isn’t a single airplane or fleeting boat around. The only thing in sight is a vast blue ocean and an occasional albatross. To some people, this might sound like a nightmare. But to adventure-seeking-science-nerds, like me, this is one of the […]
Northern Light Lookout
Whoosh! The deafening howl of wind and waves struck me across the face. I finally found my footing after a bit of a stumble and a rumble and a tumble. Even though we’d been at sea for nearly a week, it still takes some getting used to all the rocking. Being near the top of […]
4/14
Today we observed the sediment samples through a magnification lense. The sediments were filtered out by a sieve which filters out any material that is less than 63 microns. The leftover sediments that were less than 63 microns were made up of pyrite, quartz, and some clay. We also analyzed the geography of the ocean […]
Everyday is a Great Day for Science!
Today was a great day! The weather is beautiful and the sun is shining. A couple days ago we took a sediment core sample off the coast of Oregon, and today we analyzed it. The instrument we used was a pvc pipe weighted down to get to the bottom of the ocean floor, and there […]
OUT TO SEA, ON A Scientific VESSEL, THIS IS AN EXPEDITION
I am determined to make sense of all the terminology, jargon, and namesakes for everything on and about this ship by the end of this expedition. Starting with the name Sikulaiq, which means, “Young Sea Ice” in Native Alaskan. The ship was built with the purpose of breaking up and traversing through that young sea […]
That’s a wrap, folks!
Over the week at sea we were able to see the constant coordination and teamwork that go into running a research vessel and science expedition. Without a doubt those who live on the ship have created a culture that is lively, comfortable, and open which was very clear to us from day one. They work […]
Laundry Day on the T.G.T
A day on board the Thomas G. Thompson means being fluid and flexible with all your plans…including laundry day. Laundry days are assigned based on your state room number. Sunday is assigned to our room (#32) along with 4 other rooms. We have been looking forward to laundry day since a bout of seasickness hit […]
A Sea of Remembrance
So far on the STEMSEAS trip, I’ve cried a handful of times, but not necessarily sad tears. Growing up, I was always very close with my dad, who wasn’t biologically my father, but he had always been a father figure to me. He had a boat that we would go on all the time, whether […]
Depth, Temperature & XBTs! OH MY!
Saturday (November thirteenth) the marine technicians demonstrated a device for us, that scientists use to collect data called eXpendable Bathy Thermograph (XBT). XBTs are designed to fall at a known rate, and therefore used to measure the water temperature based on depth and create a temperature profile. Its often used to verify that the depths […]
A tale of two hot sauces
As I was packing my bag to go on my STEMSEAS voyage, the first (okay, maybe like eighth and ninth) things I grabbed were two bottles of hot sauce. Looking forward to six days at sea, my excitement was peppered with realism—how good can the food be on a research ship? I figured I could […]
