2014 R/V Point Sur Chief Scientist Training, Cruise No. 2 » Elizabeth Harvey

Always time for science.

Elizabeth Harvey — Sat, 11 Oct 2014 13:26:18 +0000

The physical oceanographers on board have been so patient this entire cruise, staring thoughtfully at their computer while they wait to find internal waves. Finally, I am happy to report, we finally found some, at 6AM this morning (we are due to dock at 9AM). No time like the present. The ship steamed into more shallow water, and lo and behold, internal waves! This just goes to show that good scientists always have tenacity and never give up trying to find great things.

Here is an image of the internal waves.

Midnight musings.

Elizabeth Harvey — Sat, 11 Oct 2014 09:51:28 +0000

Hello again from the night shift. This is our last night onboard, we are doing a few last transects looking for some more internal waves. There was one spotted last night, so hopefully we will see a few more before our time is up. Due to the quick turn-a-round that the boat and crew has to make (to make way for next week’s cruise that starts Monday), we will get into port this morning and start the unloading process.

I just thought I would leave what I have learned from this process. First, ORGANIZATION. Not only of yourself and your research (there are things I wished I had brought on this cruise), but of the daily cruise plan, event logs, meal times, etc. I think Chief Scientists Ana and Kim did a fantastic job juggling all the research needs of the science team as well as keeping the bridge and crew informed of changes along the way. Even the best laid cruise plan will need changing, so I would think the second thing that I took away from this experience is that you need to have a certain level of calmness to be a Chief Scientist. Things will go wrong, winches will leak hydrolic fluid, someone may get seasick, but if you approach these issues with a level of calmness and flexibility it really keeps the anxiety level of everyone on the ship calm. Finally, I think communicating with the science and ship crew is integral to a successful cruise.

I have really enjoyed my time here on the R/V Pt. Sur. I am excited to get back to my laboratory and analyze the samples that I collected here. Also, I am really thankful for the knowledge I have gained and the colleagues I have met. Lastly, I just want to say a really big THANK YOU to the crew of the R/V Pt. Sur, the crew has gone above and beyond to help all of us out in conducting our science, and we all really appreciate it.

Last, here is a beautiful view from the bow of the ship, taken yesterday afternoon.

Up all night for some fun…

Elizabeth Harvey — Thu, 09 Oct 2014 15:32:40 +0000

The late night shift is currently steaming to the next station, so time for a blog update! We are running 24 hour operations here on the Pt. Sur, which means that the science party rotates watch 12 hrs on 12 hrs off. This allows us to conduct operations all night long, visiting more stations, and collecting more samples.

No beautiful picture to post. The internet on the ship is slower than what we normally use on the mainland, so getting a picture to download and upload is quite a feat. It is interesting though, the things you take for granted in every day life that you go without when on a research cruise, internet for one.

First day on the Pt. Sur

Elizabeth Harvey — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 05:21:21 +0000

Today was the first formal day of the Chief Scientist Training Cruise for group 2. Most of us arrived on Sunday, and we have spent today in a variety of workshops and informational sessions on how to be a good Chief Scientist, the proper way to write a research cruise into a federal funding application, and taking a tour of the boat itself.

We also had safety training, which ended with a race between 2 scientists to get into a survival suit. The point of this suit is to help prevent hypothermia if we have to abandon ship, and can be easily seen for rescue. It is important that everyone on the science team knows how to get in one, and overall that we are all briefed on the safety rules of the vessel.

Here is co-Chief Scientist, Kim getting into her suit.

Finally, here is a picture taken from the outside deck at the Moss Landing Marine Laboratory. The view is magnificent.