December 7, 1999

Pack ice around the ship.

With one more box core on the agenda, our watch thinned out. Many folks stayed up to help out with readying an underwater camera as well as two short term sediment traps, which are to be deployed during the course of the day. With the cruise coming to a close, there is also a lot of activity packing samples and specimens for return to various home institutions. I retreated to my cabin to get some needed rest. There was a chill to the morning air and the pack ice extended as far as the eye could see in every direction. With clouds hovering low to the sea, it was hard to distinguish the horizon; the world seems to be more intimate and closed in on days like today.

I checked in with Dave DeMaster and learned that a full schedule of diverse activities was planned. In addition to the sediment traps and camera, we would swing by Hugo Island again to service a remote Antarctic Weather Station (AWS). Phil Sacks assembled an away team to run shuttle in a zodiac to the island for several hours of work.

Meanwhile, back on ship I took the opportunity to check in with different folks about their progress. Nicola Mitchell and Tim Ferrero are here from the Natural History Museum in London. They have joined on with Craig Smith and his team to gather nematode worms, to add to the nearly 70 million specimens at the Museum. These animals are the most numerous creatures on the planet and they are found nearly everywhere. Tim and Nicola are examining aspects of nematode taxonomy, ecology and DNA, within the bigger of how these animals form part of the earth's biodiversity.

Tim Ferrero (left) and Nicola Mitchell (right), purveyors of fine nematodes, prepare slices of sediment from the last megacore.	The away team on Hugo Island inspects the Antarctic Weather Station. (Photo by Amy Baco-Taylor).
Ken Schwartz (left), the Electronics Technician (ET) makes adjustments to the AWS. (Photo by Amy Baco-Taylor).	Amy Baco-Taylor assembles the floats that will bring a short-term sediment trap to the surface on the next cruise.
Pam Price takes a moment to check e-mail and learns of the birth of her nephew, Benjamin Thomas Wolfson--5 pounds, born on December 5, 1999.	Marian Moyher, the Marine Science Technician (MST), goes over her packing and shipping lists.