by Today started early, like 5:30am early. But honestly? Totally worth it, because we kicked off the
morning with a wave glider launch alongside some genuinely incredible people. We watched it
speed off toward the horizon right into the rising sun, floating away on the waves. It looked
incredibly cute bobbing away into the distance.
After that, we got into CTD operations. We got to help in the control room, communicating with
the crew while we called out our stops and FIRED the bottles 1,530 meters down.
Okay, I have to be honest: I was REALLY nervous the first time. Like, genuinely. But the crew on
the R/V Sally Ride is so incredibly kind and patient. The water collected in some of those bottles
has not seen sunlight in a very, very long time. That felt powerful in a way that’s hard to put into
words.
Then came lunch, and the cooks on this ship absolutely did not have to go that hard but they
did. Tamales. AND horchata. On a research vessel. In the middle of the Pacific. I appreciate
them so much.
The afternoon was all about our samples. We analyzed water collected from all depths, from
1,530 meters all the way up to the surface, and the science happening in that lab was a whole
vibe. Phytoplankton, microplastics, water chemistry. Biology, chemistry, and math all colliding at
once, with data we collected ourselves just hours earlier. There’s something really special about
closing that loop.
We wrapped up the night with dinner and, of course, ice cream, because there is a lot of ice
cream on this ship and nobody is complaining. One thing about life on a research vessel: you
are absolutely, 100%, never going to go hungry.
