Open Water
I know that I promised a journal about diatoms for today, but I am so in awe of our building weather conditions that I decided to tell you a little bit about our experience rounding Cape Horn and entering the Drake Passage. I will introduce the star of this research cruise in another journal.
Last night at approximately 0230, we officially entered the Drake Passage. The Drake passage is the area where the southeastern Pacific, southwestern Atlantic and the Southern Ocean meet. The section of the ocean is named for Sir Francis Drake who accidentally passed through the area in 1578, thereby verifying a connection between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. This 500 mile wide is located between Cape Horn at the tip of South America and the South Shetland Islands in Antarctica.
Map of the area generated by Google Earth. The darker areas represent deeper waters. You can see how the Drake Passage creates a narrow 'funnel' that forces water passed southern South America and the Western Antarctic Peninsula. Data courtesy SIO, NOAA, U.S. Navy, NGA, GEBCO Image Lansat. Image courtesy U.S. Geological Survey
The Drake Passage is notorious for rough sea conditions. The strong Prevailing Westerlies (or Anti-Trades) winds generally come from the northwest and blow across the open water of the Drake Passage. These winds are not impeded by any land mass. This allows seas to build to large heights. This morning, we started out with seas averaging 6-8 feet with an occasional 10 foot wave. The marine forecast shows conditions worsening over the day as well as tomorrow. There is to possibility of seas reaching 25 feet! I spend a little time after breakfast in the bridge watching the waves. I returned again before dinner to get a sense of the waves. As you look out, there is no land in sight, only waves. My photographs will never do it justice, but here is a comparison from morning to afternoon.
This morning, the waves averaged around 6-8 feet with some 10 foot waves. The wind was around 15-20 knots from the west/northwest.
This afternoon, the waves averaged 10-12 feet with a few 15 foot waves. The seas will continue to build overnight. The wind at 1915 was around 30-35 knots.
Challenges
Let's just say that the Drake Passage presents many challenges. Walking, drinking, showering, writing, pouring liquids, reading, etc. are all a challenge when the vessel is pitching and rolling in high seas. Oh - and did I mention climbing into and out of the top bunk??? But what about the science? Can the rough seas and infamous nature of the Drake Passage present any challenges for scientist?
Any time a scientist heads out into the field, challenges present themselves. Equipment breaks or is missing from the supplies, your field time is limited, the organism you are studying is absent from your study area, or you have bad weather. Bad weather can come in many forms including unexpected hurricanes, torrential downpours, blizzards, heat waves, etc. Bad weather can also come in the form of rough seas. These sea conditions can make it uncomfortable to work in the lab setting, it can make it challenging to hold the ship's position for long periods of time for sampling and, most importantly, it can create hazardous situations for the deck crew that operate the crains and other equipment to assist the science team. Meetings are held on a regular basis with the top personel on the ship to access factors and develop a game plan. These changes could include night operations, slowing speed, increasing speed, moving on to another sampling location and returning when the weather is better. As I mentioned yesterday, safety is always the top priority and this professional crew is making sure that we have a successful research trip.
Please note that we are in NO WAY involved in unsafe conditions. The current and forecasted weather conditions are fairly normal for this area. Once through the Drake Passage, we anticipate smaller seas. I am holding up well in the sea conditions. The rolling (when a vessel moves side-to-side) makes me very sleepy, so I have taken quite a few naps today.
Answer
In yesterday's hypothetical lab experiment, Group D was the control group. You can easily identify a control group because they either do not receive the IV or they are ambient (normal) conditions. This control group is important because it serves as a point of comparison for the other experimental groups. For example, if all of the organisms in Groups A-C from the hypothetical situation died and the organisms in Group D survived, scientists can look at the IV as a possible cause of these changes. Baseline data from this control can allow scientists to verify a clean run (no contamination). This is a general overview of the term control, but I believe it helps you undertand the idea.
Red Raider Shout-Out
Students at North Quincy High School ended their first week of school today. I just want to wish them a successful, fun school year. I also want to wish the Girl's Volleyball team lots of luck as they start their season next week.
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