Notes from the Field

Fourth and Ten (+ One) Fourth: We are currently at the first station to be occupied by the fourth and final NAAMES field campaign. It is a bittersweet experience both scientifically and personally. This station represents the final push of an epic joint exploration of marine and atmospheric sciences made possible by the thoughtful investigators […]

We left out of San Juan Puerto Rico and crossed the Sargasso sea and the abysmal plain to our first station for the last NAAMES cruise. Here the North Atlantic is our mistress and her secrets we will explore. As ships crew we find ourselves in some of the most remote locations on this pale […]

Like this young pelagic seabird (let’s call it a juvenile gannet) soon to spend its life at sea, taking a short respite on a chance encounter, I find myself fortunate to have found the research vessel Atlantis (as part of the NAAMES IV campaign). We are still on our trek north to our first station, […]

Settling in  It is day four aboard the R/V Atlantis where scientists (and wildlife) alike are beginning to settle into our expedition through the vast North Atlantic. Everyone seems to be adjusting to ship life and finding a routine. It didn’t take too long for me to accept this as my new life for 26 […]

Rookies at sea Laura and I come from different geographical backgrounds. I grew up in the hot Mediterranean climate and Laura experienced the rainy climate of northern France. For our next adventure, we were both called to sea for the same purpose: Science. We are not talking about your average kind of research, but what […]

The winter Paralympic games ended last Sunday, March 18, and also with it the observation period of ICE-POP officially ended. It is with mixed feelings that we are leaving Pyeongchang. On one hand, the ICE-POP team was happy that the objectives of the campaign were successfully accomplished and many of them were also excited to come […]

Microcosm It was the best of times and it was the worst of times. 26 days. 26 days with 200 mb of data per day. 26 days with no social media. 26 days without seeing land. 26 days without ever having to make a meal or clean dishes. A cruise is a marathon in which […]

As the sun begins to dip below the horizon, the dulcet tones of Celine Dion join the cacophony of the crashing waves and whipping wind. The multicolor sky provides a picturesque backdrop for the momentous drum solo performed by none other than Bri Hendrickson. For some of us, sunset sing-alongs occur nightly on board the […]

Adios, San Juan! Today, we said goodbye (or rather adios) to the port of San Juan and hello/hola to the Atlantic Ocean. The past few days have been a whirlwind of unpacking, setting up our gear, securing our gear, mounting sensors, stretching cable from one end of the ship to the other, testing instruments, attending […]