Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 07/23/2008 - 08:53

Hi!

Are there any biological experiments happening on the ship?  (E.g. do they sample the water from the Niskin bottles for microrobe?)

Thanks!

Asked on behalf of Roger Freedman by your husband.

Gerty Ward

Hello Roger and Eric!Samples taken from the Niskin bottles are tested for:
CFCs, dissloved oxygen, colored dissoved organic matter (CDOM), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), carbohydrates, chlorophyll-a,  bacteria, alkilinity, nutrients, salinity, oxygen 18, barium, NH4 amonium, among other things.  The primary factors in ocean communities are ice, light and temperature, so understanding these biological systems necessitates measurement of a wide variety of data.  
 
Also , check out the Bongo Bingo post for info on plankton studies: http://www.polartrec.com/node/5031
Thanks for asking!
Gerty