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The swell that in the early hours of this voyage sent some lurching back to their cabins has abated. Many in the expeditioner contingent have made the most of the calmer conditions to continue on with resupply preparations including the drafting of schedules and planning documents, as well as the review of projects that will be supported onboard during the voyage.
One such project, the Southern Ocean Continuous Plankton Recorder (SO-CPR) Survey has already been implemented under the supervision of Brad C. with the assistance of ship's crew. John K, the author of an excellent profile of this project, written for a similar sitrep several years ago will hopefully forgive the shameless reproduction of said profile below:
"As part of the SCAR Southern Ocean Continuous Plankton Recorder (SO-CPR) Survey, zooplankton samples have been intensively collected on most Aurora Australis voyages to the Antarctic continent and back since 1991, and continues this 2017/2018 season. (Antarctic) zooplankton are sensitive to environmental parameters such as temperature, movement of currents and water quality. Due to their sensitivity, short life spans and fast growth rates, plankton populations respond rapidly to environmental change and consequently make excellent biological indicators. Monitoring of zooplankton populations and communities is therefore an important tool in identifying the effects of both climate change and pollution on the Southern Ocean. Zooplankton are also the principal dietary components of many higher vertebrates, including penguins, seals and sea-birds. Therefore, changes in zooplankton distribution and abundance in the Southern Ocean are expected to have a significant effect on higher trophic levels. By employing a Continuous Plankton Recorder, or CPR, surface or near-surface zooplankton can be collected at normal ship speed during a voyage. The unit is usually towed about 100 metres astern of the ship for approximately 450 nautical miles at a time. By splicing consecutive tows together one is able to produce an uninterrupted transect across the ocean, providing information on zooplankton distribution patterns, community structure, and abundance levels.
During Voyage 2, a total of possibly 8-10 routine CPR samples are being collected on both the southward and northward legs of the voyage, between Tasmania and the Casey sea-ice marginal zone."
In other news, preparations for Christmas are well and truly underway. The relatively calm conditions enabled Chefs and galley staff to prepare a Christmas dinner with every chance of being enjoyed on Christmas Day itself, and a notification to the North Pole of a green lit heli-deck. Meanwhile, those expeditioners possessed by the Christmas spirit have descended on the E.Deck library with every inch of tinsel and Christmas decorations they can lay their hands on with colourful effect.
Regards,
James, Anthea and Gemma.
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.