by 
Isabel Flores, STEMSEAS Student
On June 20th while at sea, the E/V Nautilus had a ship-to-ship communication with the R/V Kilo Moana. It was a unique opportunity to chat with another cohort of STEMSEAS students on a parallel expedition! We all introduced ourselves to each other and discussed our expedition’s respective missions. While our expedition is a transit with a focus on seafloor mapping and science communication, their expedition incorporated plankton tows and conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) measurements in the water column (and conductivity is a proxy for salinity).
The E/V Nautilus uses a multibeam sonar system to produce 3D maps of previously unrecorded sections of the seafloor. During the first few days of our cruise, the ship was pitching (rocking front-to-back) too much for the sonar to get clean readings. Later in the week when the sea was calmer, readings were coming in and being processed in the data lab.
The R/V Kilo Moana is also equipped with a multibeam sonar system, but is not currently mapping. During their current expedition the vessel stopped every 10-12 hours and measurements are taken. A CTD is used to profile the characteristics of the water column and, in addition to the CTD measurements, the R/V Kilo Moana performed plankton tows which caught copepods, radiolarians, salps, jellies, and other small creatures!
It was amazing to talk to other STEMSEAS students and hear about their work and studies. I wish them the best on their continued expedition. Our expedition is also ongoing: World Hydrography Day is June 21 and we continue our efforts to make science communication accessible and engaging for the public!
