Boat

Back to the boat for a week long research cruise!

happy halloween

Halloween on the station for all intensive purposes was friday. I haven't been updating you all recently on my actual research here, and friday was an interesting day of data collection. Basically, after two frustrating months of microscope problems, my mentor and I have taken leave of the microscopy approach and have switched to using radioisotopic tracers to determine the amount of autotrophic matter vs other matter (bacteria). Without getting into too much science detail, I am filtering the traced solution on a few different sized filters and also with a machine to look at accuracy. Friday was my second run at it- and it went much more smoothly than the first.
I usually work from 830- 5 or later, but on friday I had an important schedule change. I told my mentor I had to leave and four, and at 4:15 pulled myself away from work to run to the dock for the underwater pumpkin carving contest.
Rules:
-you must keep the pumpkin completely submerged at all times.
-you are only allowed 40 minutes to carve the pumpkin
-the pumpkin must be 100% intact prior to the dive (no incisions) though a drawn on pattern IS acceptable.

Problems:
-Pumpkins are EXTREMELY buoyant
-in such shallow water, I am EXTREMELY bouyant
-visibility is poor, and fish are distracting



In the end, dive buddy Kristen had intentionally overweighted herself, but was at the point that she could not float if was holding a hundred balloons- Sam and I could not keep ourselves submerged, and no one knew where our carving tools were. A few minutes later, we became more organized. We rearranged when I found that if we positioned ourselves under the dock, we could place the pumpkin upside down on the underside and it would stay put very well on its own. Still without our kitchen knife (nor a true dive knife) I whipped out my pop's leatherman and found it was the perfect carving tool. It was a bit chaotic- we were unsure of how much time we had wasted trying to force the pumpkin to the bottom, but in the end, we were quite happy with our first underwater pumpkin experience. I think the next one will be even better. We surfaced well before time limitation and friends on the dock asked to take our picture with our new jack o'lantern- only poor Kristen remained submerged until we figured out she couldn't surface with her extra weight.



We didn't win, even after attempts to bribe the judges- but we had so much fun!

(second to the right)
Carving ended early enough for us to grab a quick bite, shower and get into costume for the night. Usually, I go all out for halloween and make a detailed costume but this year I felt a bit resource limited for my island halloween. Instead, many of the REUs, and a few others went as (take your pick!) either beach babes, or 'fat tourists'. We bought those oversized beach shirts with the beach bodies drawn on and went on down to the station social club. The shirts can be quite convincing from far away and I don't think I ever stopped laughing at the sight of some of the girls. Other good costumes were a scary jack o lantern, an air hostess who gave out peanuts, and the moon from the mighty boosh (winner of the costume award).

Now it is true halloween- and i'm celebrating by going on a recreational dive with a local dive company. I wonder what I should expect to see on a halloween dive: barracudas? eels? maybe we'll explore an old scary wreck!


much love-Happy Halloween!

Hillevi

delayed post

If there is one thing I’ve come to know that has only been reaffirmed here, it is that biologists are a fun crowd of people to be around. They are smart, take their work seriously, and love to have a good time.

Friday we had a bonfire for a few of the interns leaving after their summers here. We all walked down to whalebone bay where some did some night snorkeling, while others kept to terrestrial s’mores-making.
Saturday was International Sports Day- a holiday limited to the BIOS station where the USA and the rest of the world team up against the UK and the commonwealth to compete in hardcore games of volleyball, football (soccer), cricket (a very boring sport), baseball, and three legged races. It was the most patriotic I think I’ve ever been- and the USA took the victory despite our horrific loss during the cricket portion!
Then on Sunday, I hit the beach with some fellow researchers. We went to horseshoe bay, one of the most touristy, and most acclaimed beaches on the island. The surf was pretty incredible (and unusual for Bermuda) and we all had a great time.

Now it’s a new round of preparation for the upcoming research cruise. I’m going to be going with two technicians from my lab, as well as a handful of anti-seasickness remedies.

to sea! to see all we can see! (in the CTD)

Back out on the R/V Atlantic Explorer!

bringing some ginger and a sense of adventure!

Island Expenses

Island life is expensive!!! Especially here. Even though Cuba was under the embargo, which really hiked up the price on all imports in the grocery store, at least not everything had to be imported because the land was big enough to put to agricultural use! A six pack of soda from the grocery? 11.95. Dinner at a restaurant, 25 dollars for the most simple pasta entrée. I assume that the salaries on the island must be somewhat inflated too with the high costs associated with island importation.

'...and the sea cucumber turns to the mollusk and says, "With fronds like these, who needs anemones?" '

There is no better crowd to watch Finding Nemo with, than a bunch of researchers and some biology teachers’ kids.


General consensus? the movie would be better with more crustaceans in it!

Day 27

Today we are to give a presentation about our methods. Each student’s project is extremely different and so our methods are quite varied. My project is to design an effective protocol so I’m really making a methods section about creating better methods. On the bright side I got the camera on the microscope to work so I have some pretty cool images (taken over very long exposures) of detritus matter and bacteria.