Oceana Latitude–morning came fast today, by 6:30am the entire crew was on deck ready to deploy the first mooring. However, instead of a beautiful sunrise the Oceana team began its day to an unnerving thunder and lighting show.
Eight was the lucky number today. The eight man crew successfully deployed eight moorings today. The complete process from preparation of anchors and lines, to deploying the anchor, marking the line, and clipping on test strips went smoothly and efficiently.
The weather calmed down after the morning storm and was a key to the efficiency of the day. For the first time during this leg of the trip the Oceana team finally had the pleasure of setting the last mooring of the day to a breathtaking sunset.
Tomorrow we have a few more moorings to set in place. Then it will be time for Oceana’s Marine Scientist, Kim Warner to start mapping the water column by doing a CTD scan. Essentially, an electronic probe will be hoisted and deployed below the sea surface and will continue to send back signals to the ship from different depths. Transmitted signals will map the water column and sea current and will provide an underwater view to give information on turbidity, temperature, and oxygen levels that will enhance the data collected from the test strips in Dr. Jeff Short’s experiment.