After leaving the dock Monday night we steamed to the first station, where we will stay for 2-3 days. This cruise is running 24 hour operations. The mornings begin with deploying the University of Connecticut's ROV. The ROV stays out all day and sends back a live video feed from the sea floor that is pumped into the ship's galley television. The ROV uses its manipulator arm to collect samples that are later photographed and analyzed in the lab.
The scientists on this cruise are interested in looking for coral and what lives in this habitat. They have collected black coral and small crabs among other things.
Night operations consist of deploying fish traps and otter trawls with an occasional CTD cast. Tonight we're scheduled to do a multi-core.
The image on the left shows the collection of samples from the ROV after its back on deck. The image on the right is a squat lobster (which is really a crab) collected by the ROV.
Weather: mostly cloudy, 83 degrees, winds 12 knots, seas 4 feet