So I thought I would enlighten everyone on what job I am actually employed here at Rothera to do. I am here as a marine assistant for BAS to maintain a long term data set called the RaTs programme which is a data set that has been running since 1997 collecting biological and oceanographical data around Rothera.
Here is some great drone footage showing exactly where I live and work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3r4jrKmuBo
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| You can see from this graph that we have large fluctuation in air temperature and surface winds (Julian day numbers). |
Before I talk about the science I am doing I would just like to note that living and working at the same place means that not only am I here at Rothera for science, but also to assist in keeping the base up and running. This can be from cooking tasks, to cleaning rotas (we called it gash).
In addition to this as a wintering team we are trained up in fire response and oil response.
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| That's me in the front learning how to use the breathing apparatus (BA) kit and how to enter burning building safely. |
As we are such a small team during the winter any one of us could be nearer the problem so it helps if everyone on base can act if there is an issue. In addition to this before I came south I was sent on training to become a medical assistant; 5 of us over winter are on standby to assist the doctor if there are any medical issues that may need help with.
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| Training exercise |
During the winter our other task is to complete night watch, lasting one week we monitor the base for any issues but more importantly are on standby to alert the base if there is a fire.
In-between assisting with base life my main job is to conduct water sampling every week (2 times in summer and once in winter).
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| Our trusty rib called Stella!!! |
I send a CTD (conductivity temperature depth) down to 500 m at site 1, 4 km from base.
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| WE take the winch off the boat in the summer and attach it to a nansen sledge, winching through a hole in the fast ice |
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| Manuhauling the CTD sledge |
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| Winching the CTD down to depth off the rib stella in the summer. |
If ice or weather does not allow then we go to our secondary site which is 2 km south of the wharf at 300 m depth or if the ice is unpredictable we sample 500 m off the wharf in 100 m of water depth.
My second job on the boat/ice is to send a niskin down to 15 m (that's where the chlorophyll maximum is), a niskin is sent down held open and when we want to sample a specific depth (15 m) we send a messenger down (a weight) to set off the trigger on the niskin to close it shut.
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| WE often take helpers on the boat to speed up the sampling! On this day my dive had been cancelled as a lep popped up so I jumped on the boat to help sample. |
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| Photo from past RMasst, a weight holds the niskin straight down in the water column so that it fires Especially needed if there is a current. |
In the winter I also completed the first under the ice turbulence measurement using a MSS profiler - pretty exciting! The data shows how much the ocean is mixing. Adam had to chainsaw this massive hole in the ice...pretty scary when you're standing on it!
When back on land, I then have an afternoon or if the filters are running slow then an evening and maybe even a night in the lab. I filter 15 m water through Sartorius filters to get three repeats of size fractionated plankton; the plankton is fractionated through different size filters. The filters are then left in chloromethanol for 24 hours and then read in a fluorometer the next day. Acid is then added to the samples so that phaeopigment counts can be read by the fluorometer. 15 m water is also filtered for HPLC (phytoplankton pigments)
I also collect 15 m water for isotope, salt, nutrients, DOC (dissolved organic carbon), ammonia, virus and bacteria and 0 m (surface water) for isotope and ammonia analysis.
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| Lab book to keep all of the samples recorded |
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| Fluorometer for measuring the samples |
After the lab work I use programming software to download the CTD data and produce these depth profiles. These profiles show temperature, salinity, fluorescence and also PAR (photosynthetic active radition) so how far the light travels down the water column; all plotted against depth. These are key to present when the phytoplankton bloom is at it's peak and how much mixing or stratification is happening in the water column.
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| Summer cast presenting high PAR, fluorescence with vertical mixing of the phytoplankton down the water column as results are usually higher in January. Higher surface temperature and stratification against salinity. |
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| Note how little PAR and fluorescence there is in this winter cast, Sea surface temperature is low here, the sea ice formed 1 month before this cast explaining how the temperature deeper down in the cast is kept warmer than in previous years when there has been no sea ice. The salinity increases in winter as salt is excluded as the sea ice forms. |
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| Skidoos (you may have watched slednecks...not quite like that), these machines are used to get us around Rothera in winter, to our dive sites and sampling sites in winter and all year round we use skidoos to get us to different climbing and skiing spots. |
It's not just safely driving the boats around ice and strong currents oh and don't forget strong winds; we operate a crane and tractor in the summer to get the boats into the water.
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| Before we came down all of the marine team were put through a crane course as it can be dangerous if used incorrectly!! |
All of the marine team help each other out. So Ben the marine biologists project is currently to look at the depth diversity relationship around Rothera using an ROV (remotely operated vehicle) which he has named Debra.  |
| You can see Ben in the background sitting on the floor controlling the ROV whilst I retrieve it (you can just see the lights flashing). WE also assist other parts of the summer team with the sea gliders by collecting and deploying them Usually the data is then sent back to people at Cambridge to analyse.  |
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| Last SAR day of summer - we got drenched.
SAR (search and recuse) is also an important part of the boat training with the boat man. Boat SAR is used when it is either a strong cross wind, particularly windy or if the pilots request it. We then position the boat in the cove that the planes are taking off over and wait for them to take off safely. WE are carrying medical equipment - but we really hope it wouldn't come to that.
I collect daily data about what wildlife we spot around Rothera. Snow petrels are seen for most of the year, whilst Adelie penguins are usually around from November to April and elephant seals occupy our base for about the same time as Adelies and a bit longer into winter they are seen hauled out around Rothera point. Everyone around base helps with this task as there are tick sheets in two of the main building. This creates a good present/absence data base.
My second major job is dive related; mostly collecting biological information. Diving in the cold is not as much as an issue as I thought it would be. We have thick O'three specialized drysuits (so we pump air into our suit to keep us warm; we also use this for our buoyancy). I collect 4 different species from South Cove and 4 species from Hangar cove for preservation so that their gonads can be studied. A longterm data set which is important for reproductive history.
   We dive in lots of different conditions from windy, to high density brash ice or underneath fast ice. Every day I record the ice state of Hangar cove, South cove and Ryder bay; stating out of 10th if it's filled with brash ice, fast ice or pack ice!
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| Diving near icebergs is incredible - as we are doing a study on the impact of iceberg scouring on the benthic communities. |
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| Transect 3, depth 10 m |
When the sea temperature drops to -1.8 degree's Celsius then the sea water will start to freeze; this only happens on calm days with low air temperatures.
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| Data taken from a permanent logger at Ceshire cove. Notice how low the sea temperature is. |
When the sea ice forms dive holes are cut, this is a big job for the dive team!
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| WE drive out to the site and get the correct location by GPS |
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| Kate or Adam then chainsaw the boxes of ice out, we then haul them out with an ice screw and rope! |
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| Then we dive through them - terrifying at first! Such an incredible experience. |
It's even more cool (sometimes scary encase it's a lep) when a weddel pops it's head out of our diving hole to breathe. |
| In the summer I helped by boss the big DKA Barnes an awesome marine biologist to set up a sea ice camera to monitor the sheldon glacial retreat. This camera unfortunately failed so we are now trying out a different camera over looking Ryder Bay which is monitoring fast ice development and ice berg movement. |
Above is Emily changing the memory card and checking the solar powered battery.
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| I monitor the sewage treatment plant (STP) by counting total coliforms which is a marker for pollution, I also look at the bacteria that is used to seed the STP under the microscope. |
My last task as marine assistant will be to take this container all of the way from the Antarctic Peninsula here at Rothera all of the way to Immingham in the UK....yes that's a very long way so it's going to take from April probably until June!! It is going to be such an incredible journey to travel that far across the world. And no it's not just any container, this container is a transport aquarium which I will be setting up in January and starting the biological loading. I will then be taking species back to the UK for scientists in Cambridge to run experiments on.
When I'm not doing science or assisting base then I am out embracing this incredible continent either snowboarding or mixed climbing; both incredible sports or hanging out with this crazy bunch!
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| Al & I posing with Kelvin Helmholtz wave... |
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| Full winter team |
Where next? No idea....I've got another 8 months to figure it out!
