R/V Justo Sierra Log-Nicola Zenzola

It’s been 2 days at sea and I still have the will to keep searching for answers.  This is not my first research cruise, but there is something about the open sea that makes it look like a brand new undiscovered place.  The sea always hooks me in.

So far, we have been to 3 sites SL26A-250, SL26A-750 and IXNW-1600, and collected about 36 sediment core samples.

My shifts are from 12:00-4:00 AM and PM, and my primary deck operation is using the oxygen probe and conducting micro extrusions. I collect oxygen concentrations down core to make an oxygen concentration profile and investigate microbe activity in each sediment layer. Working the night shift has proven to be amazing, not only because it is cooler, but because marine organisms come out. Last night I spotted a couple of squid and 2-3 flying fish. Each day is different at sea, you just don’t know what we are going to discover in the sediment or what we might encounter.