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Journal Entries
2005-06
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| Jump to a specific journal entry by Marianne Kaput: | ||
| August 2005 | 23 | |
| October 2005 | 31 | |
| December 2005 | 15 29 30 31 | |
| January 2006 | 1 3 4 5 7 9 10-11 12-14 15 16-17 18-19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 | |
| February 2006 | 1 2 5 6-8 10 | |
| Click here to access journal entries by Giancarlo Lopez-Martinez or Luke Sandro. | ||
January 4, 2006 - Nearing Antarctica
Life is good, and I keep getting reminders of just how good it is each day. This morning we finished the XBT (eXpendable Bathy Thermograph) testing. That is where we graph the water’s temperature at specific depths. The water surface temperature is much colder now. It has dropped from 5° C (41° F) to 2° C (36° F) in just one day. The air temperature is around 3° C (37° F). Cold water and warmer air it is the perfect recipe for fog, and did we have fog! Big thick gray clouds that make the horizon line disappear.
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While out on deck we had another treat for the day — whales! Lots of them! They were humpback whales. The magnificent mammals can reach weights of 45 tons and lengths of 52-56 feet (16-17 m). They got their name because as they surface, they "hump" or arch their backs before they dive back into the water. By the time I went out on deck, they were way off in the distance but I could clearly see their blow holes in action spouting out sprays of water. Then they would dive back down into the water and flip their tails into the air as if waving goodbye.
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For a short period of time we had our first sighting of Antarctica today. In between the periods of dense fog, the icy mountain peaks would show through.
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Icebergs are visible off in the distance as they look like ice cubes floating in the water but we know that the part that is exposed on the surface is only a small fraction of what is below the surface. The water is so incredibly blue too. It looks as blue as the painted sides of an in-ground pool. In the photo below, you can see the Petrels and Albatrosses that follow the ship. They are big show offs as they perform dives and glides and swoop and sail right in front of us — as if they were part of a daredevil flying team. They have skills — flying skills — and love to perform for us.
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The people on the ship are very interesting. Most of the researchers are either college professors or college students who are very willing to share their work with me and are also very excited about this trip. Some of them will stay on the ship after we are dropped off at Palmer. Many of them are marine biologists, zooplankton researchers and microbiologists. The photo below is of Kim from California, a marine biologist who has traveled all over the world studying marine organisms.
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We find many ways to entertain ourselves on the ship and there are signs of science humor all over. Check out this sign on the marine biologists’ lab door:
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I find myself spending a lot of time on the bridge of the ship. It’s the warmest spot with the best view. Hey Jake, I found out that our ship’s captain, Rob, might work on the world’s largest yacht – yep, the Octopus. We will have to see if he will be able keep in touch with us. Click here to find out more about the Octopus.
- Marianne Kaput