Saturday, May 3, 2008

Storm Ahead/ Suspended Sediment

After receiving our replacement pump this morning, we began pumping samples from all depths again.  It was rough seas, and it got worse when a storm rolled in.
The storm front off the starboard side of the stern.
For a large part of the day, I was entering data into the computer from our log sheets.  We use log sheets to record latitude, longitude, water depth, salinity, time, and suspended sediments.  This information will be vital when we are analyzing our data later on.
While I was inside working on log sheets, some of the scientists were working outside.  My outdoor shift was finished before the weather got too bad.
Also, we have been analyzing suspended sediments in our samples.  To do this, we put a filter of known weight on top of an erlen meyer flask.  We then pour water from our sample over the filter, and into a vacuum.  The vacuum on the bottom side of the filter lessens the filtration time.  We can then weigh the filter.  The difference between the starting point and the ending point is how much suspended sediment was in the sample.
Today we have also been extruding pore water from the sediment we collected last night.  More about this process can be read on the magmix website.  It is currently 11:21 at night, and we are steaming to new station.  This will be the last station of the night for us, and we intend to pull a sediment sample. It will be about 2:30 am before we can get to bed. 

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I was entering data into the computer from our log sheets. We use log sheets to record latitude, longitude, water depth, salinity, time, and suspended sediments. This information will be vital when we are analyzing our data later on.
---------------------------

JNNYWLLMS

Mississippi Drug Addiction