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Ship´s Log: A Typical BATS Cruise
The following is a typical BATS cruise schedule. Note that all times are listed on a 24-hour clock (just keep counting upwards from 12 noon, so 1:00 p.m. is 1300 hrs.; 10:00 p.m. is 2200 hrs.). This is to avoid confusion as we typically work in shifts 24 hours a day while at sea.
Day before departure
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1300 |
Load all of our sampling equipment (bottles, nets, filters, pumps, and lots more bottles) onto the Weatherbird II. The chief scientist checks off all items on the master checklist to make sure nothing has been forgotten. |
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Day 1 (leg one)—The beginning of our main sampling trip. The chief scientist and four or five BATS technicians are on board.
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0800 |
Depart from BBSR. Immediately after departure, we meet in the galley for our safety talk and then assemble for a fire drill. The crew dons all of their protective gear and practices as if there was a real fire. The scientists muster at their emergency station and wait for further instructions. |
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1200 |
Stop for BBOP (Bermuda Bio-Optical Package) cast. This instrument measures light in sea water. |
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1800 |
Arrive at sediment trap deployment site: Deploy sediment traps, Depart for BATS site. |
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2030 |
Arrive at BATS site. Deploy automatic trace metal sampler |
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2100 |
Deploy subsurface bacteria pumps at 0 and 200 m. |
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2330 |
Zooplankton tows for BBSR graduate intern, Astrid Schnetzer. (These tows are done during the night to catch zooplankton that migrate up from the deep waters to the surface at night) |
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Day 2
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0500 |
Collect water for primary production. Inoculate water with radioactive tracer, place in transparent bottles and prepare for array deployment. |
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0600 |
Deploy primary production array. |
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0700 |
BBOP cast |
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0800 |
CTD cast #1: 0-500 m. Water collection for bacteria and virus sampling. |
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0900 |
BBOP cast. |
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1000 |
CTD cast #2: 0-500 m, calibration cast—not for water collection. |
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1045 |
CTD cast #3: 0-500 m, Shallow BATS cast. Water collection for oxygen, salinity, nutrients, dissolved and particulate carbon and nitrogen, particulate silicate, phytoplankton pigments and bacterial abundance. |
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1145 |
BBOP cast |
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1430 |
Day time zooplankton tows |
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1630 |
BBOP cast |
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1730 |
CTD cast #4: 0-500 m, Optics cast. Water collection for optical property analyses. |
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1830 |
Recover primary productivity array. |
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2200 |
Night time zooplankton and phytoplankton net tows |
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Day 3
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0200 |
Zooplankton tows for BBSR graduate intern. |
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0700 |
CTD cast #5: 0-4200 m, Deep BATS cast. Water sampling for oxygen, salinity, dissolved and particulate carbon and nitrogen, nutrients, particulate silicate, and bacterial abundance. |
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1100 |
BBOP Cast |
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1230 |
Depart for BBSR. |
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1830 |
Arrive at BBSR. Drop off most of the scientists. |
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Day 4 (start of leg 2)—
The chief scientist and the BBOP operator return to sea to collect data at locations around the BATS site. This gives BATS scientists an idea whether the data collected at BATS is representative of the ocean around the site as well. They will also pick up the sediment traps that have been drifting and collecting material for 2 days. On the way back, a stop will be made at another oceanographic time-series station operated from Bermuda: Hydrostation S.
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0100 |
Depart for Spatial Station # 1 (SS#1). |
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0500 |
Arrive at SS#1, CTD cast # 6: 0-700 m, no water collected. |
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0630 |
Depart for SS#2. |
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1130 |
Arrive at SS#2. BBOP cast. |
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1400 |
CTD cast # 7: 0-700 m, no water collected. |
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1530 |
Locate sediment traps via radio transmitter. |
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1800 |
Begin to retrieve sediment trap array. |
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1930 |
Depart for SS#3. |
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Day 5
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0100 |
Arrive at SS#3. CTD cast # 8: 0-700 m, no water collected |
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0230 |
Depart for SS#4. |
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0730 |
Arrive at SS#4. CTD cast # 9: 0-700 m, no water collected. |
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0900 |
Depart for Hydrostation "S" site. Hydrostation "S" is a time series that has been operated since 1954. Currently, water is collected here two times a month. |
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1130 |
Arrive at Hydrostation "S". BBOP cast. |
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1230 |
CTD cast # 10: 0-2600 m. Water collected for oxygen, salinity, and dissolved carbon. |
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1530 |
Depart for BBSR. |
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1830 |
Arrive at BBSR. |
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