Well, Folks, We’ve just shoved off from Macquarie Wharf in Hobart The Captain is spending some time calibrating the ships compass. Then we’ll head down the Derwent Estuary and into the Tasman Sea. Matthew Alford and his Leg I Team brought the ship onto Hobart Tuesday morning. They had their gear well organized for offloading, and after a few hours of work by … Read More
Falkor: A Steep Slope
The continental shelf of Tasmania is pretty steep. If you were on the bottom of the Tasman Sea, it would be like driving in a car across a desert and running into a mountain 4,000 meters high (13,000 feet). The grade up this mountain road would be about 8%, the steepest of any interstate in the U.S. The mountains that … Read More
Falkor: Beginning a Research Career
For new comers to science, it is important that they begin their journey in some particular way. Some may embark on land based science or even pure laboratory work. I have started with something way out of my comfort zone… a research cruise. If you had of told me this time last year that I would be embarking on ship-based … Read More
Revelle: Thanks for Watching!
We’re thrilled to be back at port in Hobart after a productive and successful 25 days at sea. We deployed a whopping 15 moorings in 10 days and managed to recover two moorings to re-deploy number 16 elsewhere. Years of planning have made this month of work in Tasmania possible and we’re thrilled that almost everything went off without a … Read More
Falkor: The climes they are a changin’
Having collected another set of data from our familiar C2 site, we are now steaming to a location a bit south of the A1 mooring. Once there we will begin another CTD/LADCP profile until the weather chases us away again. This time a storm is coming up from the south, and so we will be running north to stay just … Read More
Revelle: Crushed Cups
The Tasman Tidal Dissipation Experiment//Supported by the National Science Foundation
Falkor + Revelle: Collaborations on the waves
The Tasman Sea is not happy. For the past couple of days, waves have been crashing over the bow, and sustained winds have routinely been blowing above 35 kts. Several of us have been sick, or at best, feeling very tired. We haven’t been able to profile with the CTD/LADCP system. It has been rough. The Tasman Sea on a … Read More
Revelle: Stepping Below
The main priority of the crew on a research ship is to get everyone home intact. At sea, even simple tasks can hold hidden risks and dangers—an unexpected wave or sudden heading change when the ship turns abruptly can send a crew member skidding across the deck or overboard. Therefore the view from the bridge, or the control center of … Read More
Falkor: We’ve Got Data!
The moment that all field scientists crave has arrived – preliminary data! Team T-Beam ran two successful profiles and are hot on the trail of identifying the area of highest energy of the internal tide. Here’s an update of their progress so far. During a preliminary 30 hour period, the ship steamed back and forth across a 200km transect thought … Read More
Revelle: How did we get here?
Studying the ocean is similar, in a way, to studying the farthest reaches of outer space. Just as we don’t have a full grasp on the physical boundaries that separate deep space from whatever else may be beyond, we don’t, as of yet, have a complete topographical map of the bottom of the ocean. Since light can only penetrate the … Read More