Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 20:20:33 +0100
Subject: The dreaded Drake Passage, Microbiology Team, Information/Logistics Teams, ASA and Cruise End
Pictures: Microbiology Team IM/Logistics Team, ASA Team, Group Photo 1, Group Photo 2,

We are now about six hours away from the tip of Tierra de Fuego, and, mercifully, the ocean has calmed quite a bit. Last night was very rough, with winds averaging over 45 mph and in excess of 60 mph at times and waves hitting us from the west relentlessly. I was looking out of the window of our room, which is on the 3rd deck, therefore quite high, and some of the waves which washed over the deck sent water all the way to us! The night was not very restful, the bed was rocking so much you could not stop from shifting and rolling from one position to the other (hoping you would not be catapulted out of it!). At one point, an especially violent wave caught the ship in such a way that it sounded like a cannon ball had just been fired at us, with both the sound and the impact waking up those who were asleep. Now, even though we're still rocking a little, it's much better, and once we've passed Cabo San Diego, we will be protected by the proximity of land, then "safe" once we enter the Straights of Magellan.

Despite the bad weather, we have been making good time, and it appears as if we'll be in Punta Arenas Thursday afternoon rather than Friday morning, which will give us a bit more time before we hop on our various planes. Now that all the scientific work is over, there is a big demand on computers, since there is data to enter for almost all the groups. But there is also time to relax, socialize, read a book, watch a movie...

I had been wanting to talk to David Karl, the PI for the microbiology and carbon flux group, and ask him to explain what they were doing, but he seemed to always be busy or deep in thought. So I sat down with two of his group members, Chris and Angie, and asked them to tell me. David happened to walk in on us just at that moment, and added his words to theirs.

David's group is interested in the microbiology of the water and ice, which means they look at particles and nutrients found in the water column samples brought back by the CTD. They try to measure the biomass (amount of living organisms) and they analyse gasses found in the water, such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and phosphorus, to know what their concentration is. They also study bacteria, to find out whether they continue to grow during the winter season, or whether they just maintain themselves in a kind of dormant stage until more light and heat is present, during the summer months. They have also made these analyses on the various stages of sea ice we've been collecting and try to determine the importance of the role played bythe ice in these processes. Because of the need for more sophisticated intruments than what they have on the ship, a lot of their samples are being shipped back to Hawaii, where they will be analysed. Until then, they cannot have an accurate knowledge of what they have found on the cruise. David added to that the fact that it is very difficult to come to any conclusions based on just one winter, which may be atypical: according to him, what's important and necessary is to have "time series" where the study and sampling are done repeatedly over a long period of time. For that purpose, he uses sediment traps, which can provide data on a continuing basis. His other point was that it is also important to make comparisons between different areas and environments: for example, do the same work in sub-tropical waters, around Hawaii for example, as well as near the Chilean coast, in Japanese waters, and by Easter Island. Only after a few years of all these being in place will there be any results to draw valid >conclusions from.

That concludes the interviews with all of the groups present on the ship. However, I need to also give tribute to the "virtual" presence of people without whom all this could not happen, people back "home" who receive the data and analyse it, people who keep the lines of communication open, and enable scientists on the ship to do their work.

Karen Baker, in San Diego, for example, who receives all of my e-mails, and transforms them into the web pages and is a PI and data manager for the Palmer LTER. Ultimately all the data obtained on this cruise will be archived by Karen. Another essential person is Charleen, our POC (Point of Contact) for all logistics leading up to and after this cruise. She coordinates with ASA (Antarctic Support Associates) as the "interface" between them and all the Palmer LTER PI's who are spread all over the US. Charleen is literally the "oil" that helps this team function so smoothly.

Then there are the ASA folk (Tobias, Kathleen, Mark, Susan, Chris, Mike, Christian) with Karl Newyear as the Marine Project Coordinator, who carry out a wide range of functions such as: organizing the logistics for shipping to/from PA and getting our equipment through various custom offices, operating the zodiacs on the ship, providing computer administration and keeping the computers (and henceemail) running, and helping with a myriad of miscellaneous tasks associated with operations on the deck of the ship such a launching and retrieving krill nets, etc. Also there is John Booth, Science Tech at Palmer Station, who captures satellite data and then transmits this invaluable information to the ship on a daily basis.

Without all this "unsung" support, and others that I probably have missed, the cruise would not have been the success it is. The cruise end photo shows the Palmer LTER Ice Cruise 99 Team.