Journals 2004/2005

Eric Goff
Hedgesville High School, Hedgesville, West Virginia

"Monitoring harmful algal blooms using autonomous sampling platforms" R/V Suncoaster August 2-6, 2004

Journal Index: August 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6

August 4- Day Three

Today getting up was not so bad - either I am getting used to the ship, or the ship is getting used to me...

It had been rainy and stormy all yesterday, so when I was on my shift and bringing the CTD back on board, it was an awesome sight to see the sun coming up on the horizon.

The filtering process seems to be going very well. I have a better balance on my feet and am not bouncing around too much - I took note of how the others were bracing themselves against the counter when doing the lab work. Or it could be the fact the gulf is calmer today.

Ryan, the primary researcher, decided to do some tows to get me samples to bring back into my classroom today. The first tow was going well until somehow the sieve net was ripped, so we had to wait for our next station to conduct this test.

The sun is shining brightly and all the researchers, myself included, were enjoying the bright Floridian sun by sitting on chairs on the deck whenever possible. It almost seems as if the tests and samples are going a lot better today. What is causing this I am not sure. Perhaps I am getting accustomed to the process, or maybe the weather has something to do with it.

Towards the end of the day, we realize we have gotten samples from all our designated sites, and after a lengthy discussion, it appears that the agreement is to keep going south and take more samples and then take samples from selected sites on our return trip to St. Petersburg.