RSV Nuyina at the Shackleton Ice ShelfPhoto: Pete Harmsen
Denman Marine Voyage update
The Denman Marine Voyage is now at the Shackleton Ice Shelf and science teams are hard at work deploying CTDs, trace metal rosettes and other equipment. A live stream from a towed camera, filming the sea floor 600m down, transfixed those watching on board. The AAD's Lily West explains.
A stunning jade berg made an appearance just in time for St Patrick's Day.Photo: Pete Harmsen
Scientists and crew on the Denman Marine Voyage spotted the first section of the Shackleton Ice Shelf and the Denman Glacier last weekend - something many on board have dreamed of after years of study! We tracked the looming ice shelf all week as everyone made the most of calmer conditions to get through a huge amount of work.
For most of the week, the focus was on a CTD transect across the front of the Denman Glacier tongue. Over five days, 22 CTDs were deployed, along with seven trace metal rosettes, two multicores and two Argo floats. The data gathered from these exercises will provide new insights into what's happening in the water in front of the Denman Glacier.
The first (and second) towed camera were successfully deployed to the sea floor and we saw some detailed pictures of what life looks like 600 metres below the surface. This was live streamed to the theatre, where scientists and crew sat transfixed at the eerie depths revealed just below the ship.
Another successful beam trawl brought up lots of little critters from the sea floor, with the team working quickly to clean and preserve them.
It wasn’t always smooth sailing. Fog and large icebergs put a stop to work at times, or meant we had to make a quick position change.
There have been more animal encounters, with penguins and seals spotted on ice floes close to the ship. Early risers and night owls have experienced some stunning Antarctic sunsets and we've celebrated St Patricks Day and a few birthdays this week, along with a BBQ to bring all the teams together for some social time. There was even an alien spotted in the galley on National Alien Abduction Day!
Air temp: −3.7°C, Sea temp: −1.15°C, Wind speed: 39.5kts, Significant wave height: N/A, Distance to Hobart: 2049nm
The Denman Marine Voyage encountered some pretty bad weather again this week but managed to successfully complete two rock dredges and a kasten core and multi core, as well as deploying trace metal rosettes, floats and more conductivity, temperature and depth (CTD) rosettes. The wet well team secured the first adult krill for the trip and weather balloon deployments continued (when it was safe to do so).
On Sunday while we were stopped at the Bruce Rise completing the rock dredge, there was an incredible amount of whale activity. Over the course of the morning, around 30 whales were spotted around the ship, some only metres away. A group of six, which included a mother and calf, kept the expeditioners busy while they followed them around the ship.
The biggest tilt in the crazy weather was 10.8 degrees in one movement which sent board games and coffee grounds flying in the observation lounge!
We marked International Women's Day while underway, and what a way to celebrate! All four science leads on the DMV are female, along with about two thirds of the science cohort.
Air temp: −2°C, Sea temp: 0.68°C, Wind speed: 14.4kts, Significant wave height: N/A, Distance to Hobart: 2060nm
RSV Nuyina has been at sea for almost a week and is expected to reach the target area in the next few days. It's been rough at times but the crew and science groups have managed to get a fair bit done, deploying argo and BGC floats, the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) and Moving Vessel Profiler (MVP).
The eDNA team has been sampling the moon pool for invasive species and phytoplankton, wet well operations have begun and radiosonde air chemistry and modelling are being done by the atmospheric team, with twice daily balloon releases.
Daily science talks are being held on subjects like biogeochemistry (BGC), seal tagging, physical oceanography and sediments. Over the next few days there will be more talks on krill and their diets, benthic trawling and atmospherics.
Some of the teams have switched to their shifts as they prepare for 24-hour operations. There’s now a meal at midnight and plenty of food options, including curry at breakfast and eggs and bacon ready for lunch.
In a surprise turn, unofficial Antarctic mascot, Stay - the Guide Dogs Tasmania collection dog - has made an appearance (she was last spotted at Mawson research station). As usual, she came from nowhere and took a star turn on the bridge before disappearing again. You can find out more about Stay, the Antarctic enigma, here.
Air temp: 2°C, Sea temp: 3°C, Wind speed: 5.8kts, Significant wave height: 2.43m, Distance to Hobart: 1518nm
