And how do you learn those things? What does a day on the ship look like for you?
I’m part of the core description team on the ship. That means I look at every sample we collect from the ocean floor once it gets cut in half. I’m looking for all the different layers in the sample. First, I use a special color chart to describe the color of each layer. You might think that everything is muddy brown under the ocean floor, but we actually see a green color in our samples most often. And to make sure all the scientists on the ship describe the colors in the same way, we use the Munsell color chart. It was designed specifically for identifying all the colors in soil. After I describe the color of the samples, I also write down what rocks and muds are in each layer. And if a layer has a sandy texture, I will look carefully to see how big the grains of sand are.
Doing all the descriptions of the cores takes up a lot of my time on the ship. I work from midnight to noon, but I like to take a break at sunrise to see some beautiful ocean views. And after I get done with my work at noon, I go out to the top deck of the ship to sunbathe and read my book.
What’s your favorite part of being on the ship?
My favorite part of working on the ship is getting to meet so many incredible people. A scientific trip like this brings together people who all love to explore and love to study volcanoes like I do. It’s amazing to be with so many people who share those things with me!
What’s your least favorite part of being on the ship?
Ah, my least favorite part is that I’ve been away from my friends and family for so long!
