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Ahoy Shipmates!
A quiet day on passage to the survey area. Late yesterday we departed from
the spectacular Fiordland coast on the South West of New Zealand's South
Island, which will most likely be the last land we will see for the next 42
or so days. The weather remains kind (for the Southern Ocean at least) and
the acoustics and observer teams are hard at work.
The acoustics team in the "sound lounge" are utilizing passive sonobuoys
which they drop at regular intervals as we steam south. The signals from the
buoys are then transmitted back to the ship and we listen into the whales on
a specialized acoustics processor. So far we have had excellent success with
a couple of research first - tying whale song down to a specific animal, and
also discovering that New Zealand Pygmy Blue Whales live further south than
was previously thought.
Team Observer are working hard during daylight hours up in their hides on
the bridge roof looking out for whales and other marine life. Their results
are reported back to a logger inside the bridge who records the
observations. Things have been pretty quiet on the observation front today
due to some rain and restricted visibility this morning, with mainly sea
birds and New Zealand fur seals to be seen.
The plan for tomorrow is to continue our passage to the survey area, making
our observations as we go.
Until tomorrow,
Regards Chris, Margaret, and the VWhales Team
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.