Day 4 (Aug 2 2012)

Today was another long day, although not really for me (today my stumble from breakfast to lunch to dinner was interrupted by little more than the task of organizing and uploading pictures from the last few days, although I did feed the midges this evening while helping Richard prepare the sediment traps).  A small core of us spent the day carting mesocosm bags out to the raft, filling and flushing the bags one at a time and attaching them to the framework.  Herwig, Thomas, and Mia, our crack mesocosm building team from Munich, finished the first four bags before lunch, with some moral support from Juli who swam out to learn the ropes, and from Richard and Morgane who rowed out in the RRS Queen Mary III.  After lunch, Briva and Morgane joined the crack mesocosm building team out on the raft and worked until after dinner.  So now the first 13 mesocosms have been deployed and had nutrients added to them and my ego is smarting mildly, having been accused of being "one of those people who takes warm showers" for thinking that we need to have a control.


And now, the day in pictures (but, alas, there are not really pictures of the mesocosm bag filling, as I was stuck on shore).

Aug 2 2012a   It's  always nice when you get up in the morning and can see that the equipment that was deployed the day before is still there.  Ladies and gentlemen, our mesocosm framework./raft in the middle(ish) of the bay.

Aug 2 2012b   The framework of floating rings is tethered to the five fluorescent buoys which are themselves tethered to the seafloor at a depth of 30 meters (roughly 100 feet).

Aug 2 2012c   Mesocosm bags patiently awaiting deployment.

Aug 2 2012d  Out they go the Herwig's van

Aug 2 2012e  In they go to Herwig's van.

Aug 2 2012f  And then in they go to the boat.

Aug 2 2012g  Start 'er up.

Aug 2 2012h  And they're off!

Aug 2 2012i  Heading for the mesocosm raft

Aug 2 2012j  Nearly there.....

Aug 2 2012k  Starting on the first bag.

Aug 2 2012l  Meanwhile, Richard decided it was time to blow up the rowboat.  He does not know that its secret identity is the Royal Research Vessel Queen Mary III.  Come to think of it, I'm not sure that more than 2 of us know the rowboat's secret.

Aug 2 2012m  Pumping it up.

Aug 2 2012n  Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.  It was hard work.

Aug 2 2012o  Dragging it down to the beach

Aug 2 2012p  Putting it in the water.  Seems like we have been doing this sort of thing a lot lately.

Aug 2 2012q  Morgane braved the first ride to see if the thing could actually float.

Aug 2 2012r   A few strokes out and Richard realizes that there is something wrong here....  The boat is going backwards.

Aug 2 2012s   Richard shifts to the seat in the middle of the boat.  The small size of the boat leaves Morgane stranded at the bow.  But at least the boat is going forwards now.

Aug 2 2012t  Amazingly, the front heavy boat did not capsize.   It was good that Morgane is a featherweight.