A little down time for an update. We are in transit to the I line after finishing H this morning. We are continuing to find expanding bottom hypoxia as we move westward. Nancy and Leslie are creating maps of the hypoxia as we go. Lauren and I are sampling both inside and outside the hypoxic zones. We’re tag teaming on opposite shifts and doing between 6-8 stations per day.
No cruise goes off without a hitch. Crises overcome thus far: winch needing to be re-spooled, CTD switched off the original winch and then back, hydraulic line break (they use vegetable-based biodegradable hydraulic fluid on the Pelican- very cool), main floor drain clogging. But onward we go. The crew has done a great job responding to these issues.
Three more full sampling days to go. Seas are staying calm, 10-15 kt winds, it’s cloudy this morning. Looks like we’ll be back before Tropical Storm Dorian (the storm formerly known as tropical depression four) gets to the area, which is nice.
