Researching on the water

Watching the sunrise this morning was so beautiful, coming back into port was a sad moment. The past four days being out at sea on a research cruise was wonderful and surprisingly, it wasn't because I learned a great deal; it was simply because we were out on the water.

It was an educational experience and there were a few new faces, which is always nice. We worked hour shifts and there were three shifts per day. I worked the 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. During the cruise we were collecting data using a side-scan sonar multibeam system and chirp, mapping the seafloor bottom and sediments underlying it. Additionally, we collected some water samples at varying depths using a CTD, which holds cartridges that are fired off at varying depths and collect conductivity, temperature, and depth readings.

Being surrounded by water, watching the sun rise and set, felt so right. Making coming back feel so sad. It was a wonderful experience and I'm very happy to have been able to participate. I hope another experience comes along soon.