November 27, 1999

Craig Smith

After pulling the sediment trap last night, a course was set for the first of three sampling areas for the Smith/DeMaster project. With decent weather projected, we would begin at #3 Station. Of the three, it is the furthest out on the West Antarctic continental shelf, about 50 miles northwest of Palmer Station. Having left the relative shelter of the Bismarck Straight, the swell began to increase. I have adjusted fairly well to the motion of the ship and to the soundscape in my cabin: the dull din of the diesel engine throbbing beneath my bunk, and the periodic chirping of the sonar, pinging through the hull.

Dave DeMaster

We arrived in the general area and spent 5 hours running seismic transects, using the ship's sonar to get a picture of the bottom. Dave DeMaster (left) and Craig Smith (right) gazed at the monitor, hoping for a level stretch of sea floor that would yield a nutrient rich bed of sediment, what Dave refers to fondly as, "juicy." Sure enough, we appear to be on target with an even floor sounding at about 570 metres.

With a day lost, Craig and Dave are concerned about getting right to work. They have posted a list of two 12-hour shifts, or watches, which will run noon to midnight and midnight to noon. That way, each group gets to divide the twilight hours of night. I will join Dave and the midnight group. The work entails gathering samples of muddy sediment from the seabed using several different coring devices: a box core, a multi or mega core, and a Kasten core. In addition, several different trawls are planned including an otter trawl to gather larger fauna as well as a plankton net. Finally, a SCUD, or underwater camera is to be deployed to get a visual sense of life in the benthic realm.

Work began almost as soon as we arrived. Craig and Paolo Sumida (see below left) made adjustments to the box core. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew familiarized themselves with their stations and got gear ready to receive the bounty from below.