Life onboard the Nansen
- Strong wind and high waves
We just finished surveying our third survey stratum and our third CDT (an oceanography instrument measuring conductivity, temperature and pressure) cast line.
The survey is progressing very well and – happily for us - right on schedule.
The past two to three days trawls have been far fewer compared to the first five days.
This has been attributed to few or no shoals observed acoustically.
- Checking the echo-sounder
The echo-sounder provides scientists directives as to whether there are fish in the area or not.
One major change that we have observed in our catches is the complete absence of Jelly-fish. Although they were frequently observed in our earlier trawls, this has recently changed. This might be caused by the change in habitant characteristics, be it biotic or abiotic factors.
The weather has also picked up for the past three days, this come with strong wind and high waves as high at 4 meters, making the survey so bumpy and uncomfortable.
This has not slowed down the survey, our dedicated team is always ready to do all the possible scientific work on board, even despite the bad weather.
We just celebrated the 44th birthday of one of the Mauritanian scientist on board. Everyone met up in the kitchen where we had a birthday cake and a moment to convey our best wishes to our colleague.
This also gave us the platform for most, if not all, people on board to be in one place at the same time.
This is very unusual with our work shift system, whereby when some people are on duty, the others are resting in their cabins. Therefore, this impromptu celebration was an opportunity for crew-wide team building and interaction.
- Happy birthday! Elena and Alioune
- Everyone met up in the kitchen for a birthday cake
The vessel is also equipped with a dayroom. All the scientists and crew can make use of this area to watch movies and borrow a range of books for personal reading. It can also be a place to sit comfortably and chat with colleagues.
There is also a well furnished gym to exercise and keep fit while at sea… this can be particularly challenging when the weather is rough!
- The dayroom where to watch movies and borrow books
- Mustapha, Abdallah and Alioune gather for a photo
Thanks for continuing to join our journey. If you have any questions for us – shout them out in the comment bar below. Until next time…
- Looking on the outside
- A well furnished gym to keep fit
