The wet lab on deck 4 is also where we will be collecting our seawater samples from the CTD (conductivity, temperature, and depth) rosette.
The main difference between Nuyina and the old ship (Investigator) from Cleanest Air on Earth Part 1 is that it is an icebreaker, but it is designed to be able to “ram” into the Antarctic sea ice in order to reach the continent. Aside from scientific expeditions, Nuyina is used to do resupply missions to fixed Antarctic bases as well. In fact, before we set sail, it had just come back from a resupply of Mawson, Casey, and Davis stations! The ship can move pretty fast as well with a max speed of 16 knots, but the more common speed is around 12 to 14 knots.
This expedition is special because we have so many interdisciplinary teams – atmospheric science, marine biology, hydrochemistry, geology/sediments, benthic trawling (ocean floor), ocean acoustics, and more! It is so much fun to learn about everyone’s backgrounds and to see all the different science teams performing their experiments on the ship. I kind of like to think of it as a grown-up science camp!
After a hard day's work, we all like to come together in the lounge, as well as the theater for movies and games. There are giant chess boards, ping pong and foosball tables, and games everywhere! Staying active while at sea is also key to making it through the voyage, so we have also formed all kinds of fun groups for yoga, stargazing, aurora chasing*, whale and bird watching, and even running on the heli-deck!
