Day 2 R/V Point Sur

Yesterday was another early rising morning. We arrived bright and early at the marina. As we approached the ship, we saw another sea otter swimming. This time the sea otter was eating a crab. I think sea otters are so adorable!!


Yesterday's tasks included organizing everything in the lab, preparing the respirometer for deployment, testing the respirometer, and tying everything down on the deck of the ship.


While testing the respirometer, it was discovered that two oxygen sensors were not sending data to the electronics brain. After a series of diagnostic tests, John realized that the oxygen sensors were not functioning properly. It took many months for John to put together all those sensors, but now there were only hours until we left for sea.


Dr. Drazen luckily had connections at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). We were able to borrow two oxygen sensors from MBARI and switch them for our faulty sensors. It took many hours in the freezing cold air to finally get the respirometer ready for deployment tomorrow. It was a team effort that left everyone’s fingers nice and numb.

It was a long day, but we got everything accomplished and ready for Friday's departure.

=)





“This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0727135. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation (NSF).”