Greetings from Reykjavik!

This is Thanda, I am also a rising junior at Wellesley College and an Environmental Studies major. I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of the Biological Carbon Pump Team this year. I’m looking forward to expanding on my studies of oceanography though this research experience and learn about working on a research vessel.

Me with a very Icelandic cow statue

We will soon be setting off on our research cruise and after months of anticipation and preparation I am finally embarking on my first research experience! The boxes that Claire, Hilary and I had packed at Wellesley back in June are now unpacked and now we have a fully functioning lab space. This involved tying down every single item to a bolted surface in a tangle of bungee cords, zip ties, twine, and ratchet straps to ensure that instruments do not go flying across the room while at sea. I have come to find out that tying down things is truly an art form. In our lab space we’ve set up have the water filtration systems for chlorophyll and particulate organic carbon, a SUNA Nitrate Sensor, a Aanderaa Oxygen Optode for dissolved oxygen, a prototype dissolved gas sensor from Dr. Anna Michel’s lab at WHOI that measures pCO2, total dissolved gas pressure, and pO2, and a Winkler titration system.  Over the course of this cruise we will be collecting samples that will be sent back ashore to be measured in order to calibrate the sensors on all the equipment that OOI puts out throughout the year. The only water sample we will be measuring on the ship rather than preserving it to measure in the lab ashore will be our dissolved oxygen measurements because you cannot preserve oxygen to be measured at a later date.

A view of our lab with Claire (front), Shawnee (center), and Hilary (back) hard at work

 In between unpacking and getting the lab set up Claire, Shawnee and I have taken some time to explore the R/V Neil Armstrong as it is our first time on the ship. It feels big now, but I know the longer that we are on board, the smaller it will become. There a lot of nice look out points on the ship where we could see the city from our spot in the harbor, and we also found spots where it will be nice to watch the work that OOI is doing over the course of the cruise.

A view from the bow of the ship where you can see the Harpa music hall and the Hallgrimskirkja Church in the backgound, iconic destinations in Reykjavik

Our time in Iceland maybe coming to a close, but our research is only just beginning! Check back for more updates from the Irminger Sea!