28 July 2017 Mobilization Day

"Live and breathe safety on this ship" were the words spoken by the Oceanus Captain, Captain Ronald Short. We had all gathered for the mandatory safety talk to learn protocol for going on deck while at sea. The "Abandon Ship" drilled followed and we had to don our one piece immersion suits. Soon after, the ropes holding the Oceanus to the port were released and we were off.

Leaving port, we went around mountains which treated us to idyllic views. The waves were gentle and we could see fin whales in the distance while tube-nosed birds called fulmars followed our ship.

The scenic views inspired me to think of sea chanties of old, but soon after, we encountered 10 foot swells and waves and I began singing the "Seasickeness Blues". I've been wearing a patch to alleviate motion sickness and after several hours, I think it's working.

It's now 10:40 p.m. and we will be stopping soon to measure one of our stations along the transects. At each station, we use plankton nets of different sizes to get live samples. We also employ the CTDA research tool that is submerged in the water to measure conductivity (salinity), temperature, and depth., a tool that measures the conductivity (salinity), temperature, and depth as well as the dissolved oxygen levels, pressure, chlorophyll levels, and fluorescence of the phytoplankton present.

Regardless of the time, the scientists on this team are prepared to follow safety protocol as they lower and raise these large measurement tools from the deck.

Polar Profile

Jami Ivory comes to the team from Oregon. She recently graduated from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at the College of William and Mary, where she received her Masters Degree in Marine Science. Some advice that she would like to share with young people trying to decide on a career comes from her college counselor, who told her, "You only need one job, not thousands. Pursue your passion and study something you really love." Jami is happy she followed that advice and is now a marine scientist and certified scientist diver.