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In the last 24 hours, we have conducted many deployments including another MIDOC trawl which was highly successful and resulted in another haul from the deep. It was another big effort from the AA crew to keep the trawl steady and at the right depths at the right time under difficult circumstances.
If all goes well, the return from a MIDOC trawl is 6 small bags which represent the sea life found are various levels between 0 and 1000m. There was a significant component of fish in last night’s trawl including several species of Myctophid. Upon interrogating Andrew, our senior Scientist on board, I learned that one of these, Krefftichthys, is normally found around Heard Island well to the north but the ocean currents are bringing them down this far south.
We had another major success last night when the trace metals rosette was successfully deployed by Christina and Nick down to 1500m. We’ve had a few problems getting this gear working but persistence has paid off and it now looks like we will get a full program of trace metals work done on this voyage.
And finally: it’s Australia Day here on the Aurora Australis and we are celebrating by working reduced shifts. In order to maintain 24 hour operations, our marine science team is divided into two 12 hour watches and most teams switch over at midnight/midday. This morning, in recognition of the day, and to give people a bit of a break from the frantic activity of the last week, we have declared a deployment free time from 10am to 2pm which means that people can have a shorter working day of 10 hours. It may not sound like much of a concession but hopefully it will give people a small chance to regroup. During this 4 hour window, we will cruise into a nearby ocean eddy of scientific interest and let the computers record acoustic and other underway data while we put our collective feet up.
It seems to be working. This morning, as I stalked the corridors looking for anybody who could tell me how to spell “myctophid”, there seemed to be a slightly reduced sense of urgency as no deployments were imminent requiring people to rush around to get ready.
The formal marine science program will come to an end just as we reach Mawson on the 20th February and so, fortunately, it appears that we won’t have to celebrate 8 hour day in March by only working 10 hours!
Lloyd and Brett
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.