Recent Posts

Muddy ice in Minas Basin

Jul 09, 13 Muddy ice in Minas Basin

Posted by in Atlantic, Bay of Fundy, CCGS Hudson

In June 2013, researchers from DFO (BIO), Dalhousie, and Acadia sailed on the CCGS Hudson to do some science. During the cruise, we deployed twelve sediment-laden ice blocks in Minas Basin to assess melt rates and observe drift. This work is part of a larger project aiming to survey the occurrence of sediment-laden and occasionally...

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Creativity in the field

Being in the field or at sea is one of the perks of being an oceanographer, at least for some of us. To ensure that everything goes smoothly, a lot of planning and preparation comes into play because, just like camping, what you have with you is all you have and nobody wants to carry around more material than needed. Anyone who has...

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Acoustics on a SWATH vessel

The best part about studying oceanography is the need to experience the ocean fi rst hand. In order to fulfill the requirements of my Oceanography Master’s degree, I had the opportunity to spend two weeks at sea. In the middle of May, I flew from Halifax to Fort Lauderdale, Florida and boarded the R/V Planet, which would take...

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Filling the MUC with muck!

May 18, 13 Filling the MUC with muck!

Posted by in Instruments, Pacific, RV Sonne

Often times ocean scientists are interested in what’s happening below the water, on the ocean floor. One instrument used to sample deep-water ocean sediments is a Multi-Corer or MUC. What’s cool about a MUC is that it keeps the sediment-water interface intact. The ability of the MUC to preserve the most recent (top) sediment...

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Tropical Pacific geoscience

May 14, 13 Tropical Pacific geoscience

Posted by in Pacific, RV Sonne

It’s always nice to “have” to go to sea in the tropics, especially when it’s 10 C and rainy back in Halifax. Dal MSc student Liz Kerrigan and her supervisor, Prof. Markus Kienast, are currently sailing aboard the 98 m German research vessel RV Sonne between Kaohsiung in Taiwan and Jayapura in the easternmost...

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The oceanographic rosette

Apr 07, 13 The oceanographic rosette

Posted by in Atlantic, CCGS Hudson, Instruments

A rosette is not an oceanographic instrument itself. It is a round frame tied to a winch on which different instruments can be mounted. During the AZMP (Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program) cruise in April 2013, the rosette for a typical profile includes two CTDs, two optodes, two fluorometers, two ADCPs (one looking up, the other...

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