Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 02/21/2012 - 04:17

Hannah says hi! She says that she would hate to be in those big orange suits. Was that you in the water!? That looked rather scary with a far shot picture of someone floating in the gray water. Good thing some big wales didn't come along and end that peaceful drift. Savannah also says hI!. It seems like other people are studying large things in the water, and you are the odd man out stuck with limpets and other small algae. Perhaps this is quite fulfilling, I would have no idea but I continue to read your journals and be very impressed with the work you are doing. Ocean acidification stands no chance!

Luke

Savannah

Hannah

Best wishes on your explorations.

Nell Herrmann

Hi Luke, Savannah and Hannah,I just came in from the boat and am about to eat lunch. I'll be going out on the water again this afternoon.
Yes, that is me in the water in the pictures. The Boating Coordinator needed a volunteer for the "Man Overboard" drill, and I figured I'll probably never have another chance to volunteer for such an opportunity- so I went for it!
At the moment, there aren't any scientists here studying large organisms (like whales or seals). There is a group studying birds (including penguins and giant petrels) and another group studying phytoplankton. I'm sure it seems more glamorous to study "big things," but remember it's all connected. The "big things" need the "little things" in order to survive! I do find the ocean acidification research very interesting and am happy to help. Of course I don't know nearly as much about it as the scientists do, but I appreciate their dedication and work ethic. They are an impressive crew.
As it turns out, a friend of mine from college is a whale biologist who does research in this area. He is now a professor at Duke and his name is Ari Friedlaender. You can find several youtube videos of him online; he "tags" whales with a large gun and collects tissue samples from them to do DNA analysis. It's pretty interesting.
Keep in touch!
-Ms. Herrmann