Information
Comments
The run of good weather and cooperative sea-ice continues. In the past 24 hrs a further 7 sites were sampled, with the night shift once again completing 4 sites in their 12 hr watch. At mid-day today we had sampled 68 sites, one more than the total of 67 originally planned. We are now sampling the first of the additional transects in to deep water over the edge of the continental shelf. The sea-ice has been particularly kind to us - only a few days ago the western-most sites we sampled yesterday were covered with sea-ice and were inaccessible for sampling. The high resolution satellite imagery available to the ship has been invaluable in making decisions about where and when to attempt sampling throughout the voyage. 56 species of fish have now been collected, with 16 species added to the list during this second phase of CEAMARC sampling in the western sector. More than 40 rapid spleen and cephalic kidney cell cultures have been prepared from a wide range of fish species and the best ones will be used later for comparative gene mapping. Primary fibroblast cell lines have been prepared from species representing the most important families of Antarctic notothenioids and successfully grown up for, as far as we know, the first time on board a ship. These will be used for genomic studies on the adaptations of Antarctic fish to their environment. Regards, Martin and Sarah.
Map
A map showing Australia and Antarctica. The map shows the journey of one voyage that has occured in the season, with each route highlighted in a distinct colour.