26 January 2020 Dr. Isa Rosso and the Floats

Dr. Isa Rosso and the Floats

Dr. Isa Rosso is a scientist working with SOCCOM - Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling, which is using more than 130 individual floats to collect data on the chemistry of the Southern Ocean and trying to understand the relationship between carbon content in the ocean and climate change.

Over 130 floats have been deployed by SOCCOM in the Southern Ocean. Image provided by Dr. Isa Rocco.

Each float travels through the water for 5-7 years, rising to the surface once every ten days to dump its data onto a satellite, and then sinking once again, becoming an inanimate member of the plankton community at a depth of about 1000 meters.

A SOCCOM float spends ten days in the water between trips to the surface - the bulk of them floating freely at about 1000m depth. Image provided by Dr. Isa Rosso.

Four of the five floats that will be deployed on this trip have already been named by classrooms of students from around the world. The last one is currently in need of a name. Just so you know - Nemo has already been taken.

Many of the 130 floats currently collecting data in the Southern Ocean have been named and are being tracked by students in classrooms all over the world. Photo provided by Dr. Isa Rosso.

Any classes out there interested in naming the final float of this expedition? Maybe Josie? Or Maddy? Or Oona? I'm actually hoping some of my students from Montauk would like to - I can paint our school's wolf mascot on the float, along with the name, before sending it into the cold, deep water. Put a note in the comments if you would like to participate in float-naming. If Dr. Rosso and I choose your name, you'd have to be able to tell me how and why it was selected for the float. The progress and data from each float can be viewed in the Data Access section of the SOCCOM website, as can lesson plans and learning modules that educators have created for multiple age groups. You can also see photos and read about past float deployments here.

Dr. Isa Rosso stands at the stern of the RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer as it makes its 6-8 day transit to the Amundsen Sea.