march17

Click on the question mark to ask the class about oceanography, Glacier Bay, or the cruise. Your question and answer will appear on the Questions page under Quick Links.

7:30 PM

About midnight last night we crossed into Alaskan waters. As we cruised by Port Renfrew (the last Canadian port heading north) we dropped off our Canadian pilots. This is an interesting process. The pilot boat (surrounded by a rubber bumper) came alongside the Thompson and matched its speed. As we cruised along in the swells the pilots simply jump from the ship to the boat. Jasper and Erwin both took some great video of this, which we will post later if bandwidth allows.

About half of the students on board had a final in Physical Oceanography this morning (this week is finals week back at the UW), an upper-division course focusing on mathematical descriptions of oceanographic processes. Needless to say there were some frazzled nerves by the end of the two hour exam. Post test positive feelings faded quickly as we rounded Prince of Whales Island and encountered some big swells in Sumner Strait.

Several hours of increasing swells ended with the decks “secured for weather” and most of the science party trying to sleep it off in their bunks. Heading back north now through Chatham Strait the sea has calmed and people are coming out of hiding.

Tomorrow’s the big day, science starts as soon as we enter the bay. The schedule shifts constantly as we gain and lose time in transit. Even a couple of hours can make the difference between a project getting cut or not. Everyone is nervous about scheduling, and anxious to make it there on time.

-Jeff

March 17, 2008

Last chance to familiarize with equipment. Students learn how to prep and deploy the CTD (device for measuring conductivity, temperature, and depth of water).