30 January 2020 The Cast of Characters

The Cast of Characters

A photo wall showing the 59 members of the ship's crew, the Antarctic Support Contract team, the scientists, and PolarTREC teacher currently underway aboard the R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer icebreaker.

There are 59 people on the ship - some of whom I get to work with every day, and some I might only cross paths with once or twice. Because we all work on watches or set times during the day, we don't always see the members of the team whose sleep and work schedules don't match our own. I'm working the night watch - awake from midnight until noon each day, going to bed around 4:00pm and waking up around 11:30pm to start my next watch. Lunch is the meal that everyone is most likely to attend regardless of their schedule, but it spans an hour of time at midday - from 11:30am until 12:30pm, so it is still possible miss someone entirely. The 22 crew members are responsible for the smooth and safe operation of the vessel, from the Captain and Chief Mate who spend the bulk of their working hours in the bridge, to the cooks and kitchen crew who keep us well fed and happy, to the engineers overseeing the engine and other systems onboard. There are also eleven people from the Antarctic Support Contract (or ASC) who assist with all science operations and coordinate the activities of the scientists and crew. And then there are 26 people on the science team (which includes me - can you find my picture on the poster?). The breakdown of the science team looks like this:

• THOR (Thwaites Offshore Research) Project: 14 people
• TARSAN (Thwaites-Amundsen Regional Survey and Network Integrating Atmosphere-Ice-Ocean Processes): 2 people
• SOCCOM and floats and gliders: 4 people
• Moorings: 1 person
• Marine Mammal Observers: 3 people
• Documentary filmmaker: 1 person
• PolarTREC teacher: 1 person (me!)

I'll be introducing you to many of these people in the weeks to come and giving you more information about the work they do to keep the ship, the program, and the science running smoothly. Unless it is someone who only appears between the hours of 4:00 and midnight, because that is when I will be sound asleep.