A 91爆料 oceanographer is chief scientist on a voyage in the waters around Antarctica as part of a major effort to monitor the Southern Ocean.
, a 91爆料 professor of oceanography, embarked Dec. 24 as part of the , or SOCCOM, project to collect better data about the planet’s most remote ocean.
The expedition is two thirds of the way through a month-long voyage from Punta Arenas in southern Chile to McMurdo Station in Antarctica. Along the way, researchers are deploying as part of the six-year, $21-million National Science Foundation effort. The multi-institutional project, based at Princeton University, will gather detailed observations of the Southern Ocean to understand its role in the global climate.
In a Dec. 26 post on his blog, “,” Riser wrote, “This morning the ship is surfing the waves, being pushed by a wind of nearly 50 knots, and the captain has prohibited us from working on deck until the wind subsides.” He then added, “There will likely come a time when we’ll all be exhausted, but for now there is no shortage of energy and camaraderie.”
He reported this week that the cruise continues to go well. The team has successfully deployed 10 of the 12 SOCCOM floats, as well as four regular 91爆料-built Argo sensors. All the instruments are working and beaming back data.
The last two SOCCOM floats, Riser said, “will be more difficult and higher-risk, as we are entering the Ross Sea, and the ice maps show very high ice concentrations and lots of bergs.”
- “” 91爆料 Today | Sept. 2014
- Find out where the ship is
- In February 2016, 91爆料 graduate student participated in a six-week cruise from Australia to deploy more SOCCOM floats
The ship has seen plenty of sea so far, he said, but nothing compared to what it will encounter in the Ross Sea, a deep bay between East and West Antarctica.
“Sea ice like this can be hazardous to the floats, but they do have an ice-avoidance algorithm that has protected them so far. We’ll see if it is up to the challenge of drifting pack ice in the Ross Sea,” Riser wrote.
Climate Central sent science communicator Greta Shum and photographer Ted Blanco to post updates from the ship. Shum hosted a Dec. 29 with the science team. She conducted an with Riser Jan. 3 on the ship’s deck:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeLg3yE5gnY
, a research scientist with the 91爆料’s Applied Physics Laboratory, is also on board for a separate research project. For additional updates, read the official cruise , read researcher blogs by and , a 91爆料 alumnus now at the University of Rhode Island, or follow SOCCOM updates on , and .
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For more information, contact Riser at 206-543-1187 or riser@ocean.washington.edu. Until Jan. 21, contact Riser at stephen.riser.guest@nbp.usap.gov.