Welcome Aboard |
2007 is International Polar Year, so lots of funding for polar research |
View of the LSSL, the largest ship in the Canadian Coast Guard fleet |
Here we go leaving the dock and overlooking Halifax |
Melissa and Sarah watch our departure |
My cabin for the next three weeks |
The ship's bar, complete with piano and stuffed fox |
Decent-sized gym |
My workspace with ocean view |
We all had to put on immersion suits and be inspected |
There was usually a morning rosette cast where everyone came to see me to pick their depths for water samples |
Here's the profile as the CTD/Rosette instrument is deployed |
Connie and Karen discuss possible samples by looking at the CTD profile |
The rosette (aka "Rosey") is back on board for sampling. We move her from outside into her "Milking Shed" |
There's 24 bottles on the rosette, each holding 10L of water sampled from various depths. Water is extracted (or "milked") for various chemical analysis |
Close-up of the pylon at the top of the rosette. This is how we trip bottles closed at depth |
Ian extracts some water |
Here's the water sampling team around the rosette |
Melissa hides in the "Oxy Bar; two sample minimum" shack, running oxygen samples |
Used sample labels are growing on the ledge |
Iceberg! |
Pack ice on the east side of Baffin Island |
Baffin Island |
Devon Island |
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Ian and Dianna check their phytoplankton incubation tanks |
Getting ready for the engine room tour |
Hope you brought your earplugs |
Despite the noise, the phone booth is really quiet |
Enforced cable |
Inside the engine control room |
Ohhh... lots of buttons that we're not allowed to push |
One of the propeller shafts in motion |
Duck! |
Corrine celebrates a birthday on board |
Diane watches DVDs between stations |
Paul downloads another day's worth of photos |
When it wasn't icy, I would run around the helicopter deck. About 165-170 loops was 10K. |
Now we see what an icebreaker really does. Motion on a ship breaking ice is very similar to turbulence during a flight, except that it can go on for hours or days. |
Up on the bow in the ice looking for polar bears, seals, or just about anything else |
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Corrine checks her photos |
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Melissa |
Chief Scientist, John |
Diane |
Me |
Dianna attempts a serious photo... nope! |
Polar Bear!! |
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Another Polar Bear |
Mom and Baby Bear (the red on their faces is from a recent seal kill) |
Sarah is happy |
Grab sample from the bottom of the ocean |
Ed points to the spot where the sample was taken |
Diane and Ed wash the sample to extract the animals |
Some of the things that live at the bottom of the ocean |
Corrine warms in the sun while awaiting her plankton station |
Here come the bongo nets |
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Corrine investigates the bongo samples |
Some of the planktonic animals captured in the bongo net |
Karen's sexy sampling pose |
A tradition at sea occurs when one passes over one of three important lines of latitude (Arctic, Antarctic circles, and the equator). Those that have not passed over the line before must answer to King Neptune and go through an initiation ceremony. I also had to go through this during my Antarctica trip in 2003 |
The official Neptune barber that shaved your hair (well gave the impression that he shaved your hair) |
You are blindfolded for the entire ceremony, but you can hear what is going on |
Don't ask what is in the bucket, but let's just say that most of it will be on your face or down your back while you are clamped in the stockcade |
The blindfold is removed after you are hosed down with extremely cold sea water |
Chloe (CBS producer) and Melissa following the ceremony |
Myself, Mark (CBS cameraman), Chloe, and Melissa |
Melissa receives her crossing certificate while offering the captain candy |
Here's my certificate. I must always carry this when crossing the Arctic circle by ship in the future to avoid going through the ceremony again |
Diane and Corrine sit patently during one of our daily science meetings |
I think Karen finds this room cold |
Daniel (CBS reporter) and myself have a little friendly challenge one night |
Louisa, Myself, Diane, and Ian |
Sometimes it is nice to sit back and watch the evening entertainment |
Diane and Lousia |
Guitar and singing? |
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Paul lets me borrow his flash equipment for some fun photos |
Diane and me at the BBQ in the helicopter hanger |
Louisa makes interesting faces |
This is my "I've been in a helicopter" shot. But it doesn't count until the helicopter leaves the ground! |
Louisa gets ready for her helicopter ride |
Refueling the helicopter |
Okay, here we go! |
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Christian is happy that he finally got his ride |
Ice flows overlooking Devon Island |
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There's the ship in the distance |
Liferafts |
The CBS crew: Daniel, Chloe, and Mark |
Melissa |
Me |
An airplane arrives in Resolute, NU |
Ian in Bellot Strait |
Myself in Bellot Strait |
Dianna once again cannot do a serious photo |
One of the two moorings is prepared for deployment |
Sarah waits patiently |
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Here goes the mooring. They will retrieve it in about a year, although the train wheel will be left behind |
At every station we threw out six bottles with messages inside of them. About 4% of the bottles will be found by people. It is for a drifting and current experiment |
Bottles on the ocean |
Corrine and Diane wait patiently on the heli deck for photos |
John waits while Melissa is once again making silly faces |
Here's the science crew with Resolute in the background |
Here's the ship's crew in Kugluktuk |
Diane does cartwheels on the heli deck since she is going home |
Kugluktuk, our jumping off point |
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And a couple of nice sunsets! |
