Cruise Day 22
Speed 3 knots (kts)
Course 358° (N)
Location Makarov Basin, approx. 210nm S. of the North Pole
Depth 3802 m
GO DEEPER DISCUSSION: (see previous journal for the questions.)
To expand basic Metric System units, the following prefixes are used:
x10 (Ten): deca-
x100 (hundred): hecto-
x1000 (thousand): kilo-
x1,000,000 (million): mega-
x1,000,000,000 (billion): giga-
x1,000,000,000,000 (trillion): terra-
x1,000,000,000,000,000 (quadrillion): peta-
x1,000,000,000,000,000,000 (quintillion): exa-
x1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (sextillion): zetta-
and, the largest multiplier with a Metric System prefix:
x1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000: yotta-
TODAY’S JOURNAL:
We’re making more significant progress north through ice that has been easier to break than expected. Around mid-day today we had sunlight streaming through patterned altocumulus clouds, its low angle creating high-contrast illumination on floes, pressure ridges, and re-frozen melt ponds and leads. Later in the afternoon clouds and snow showers reappeared. A Black-legged Kittiwake (a type of seagull) came up behind the ship at nearly 86.5° N, a most unexpected visitor and the first life we’ve seen in many days off the ship besides clumps of under-ice algae that sometimes gets swirled to the surface as Healy breaks through floes. A friend paged me as soon as she saw the bird but by the time I made it out to check a few minutes later it had already moved on.
We pay a lot of attention to safety aboard Healy, and have lots of the same things you’d see at school or home to keep us protected like smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, and the equivalent of 911. But there are some safety-related items on a Coast Guard Cutter that you wouldn’t necessarily see in your everyday world. See if you can guess what these four items are- if you aren’t sure of the name that’s OK, but try to guess what they are for. Look for the answers tomorrow!
GO DEEPER!
Here’s a riddle to ponder:
A precious stone, as clear as diamond,
Seek it out when the Sun’s near the horizon.
Though you can walk on water with its power,
Try to keep it, and it’ll vanish ere an hour.
Aloft Con web cam updated every hour
Healy Track
That's all for now.
Best- Bill
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