Day 9: AIRBOX and Farewell
Sadly, this is our last full day on board the Marine National Facility’s RV Investigator. We arrive in Darwin in the morning.
Voyage participants farewell the last day on the RV Investigator.
Despite being close to the end, science is still happening on board. Apart from the continued mapping of the seafloor, one other project continues as we now travel towards the port of Darwin – the Atmospheric Integrated Research Facility for Boundaries and Oxidative Experiments (AIRBOX) project. This project is being coordinated by Dr Robyn Schofield (Director of the Environmental Science Hub, University of Melbourne). The AIRBOX is a custom-built laboratory within a shipping container currently located on the front deck of RV Investigator. Instruments within the AIRBOX monitor a range of atmospheric parameters such as size and concentration of particulates, greenhouse gases and radon. AIRBOX will remain on board RV Investigator and scientists will continue to monitor atmospheric variables when it leaves Darwin for the next voyage and then as the ship heads to Fremantle after that.
By far the most amazing aspect of this voyage has been the way in which all the various staff have shared their work with us as Educators on Board. There is an amazing amount of activity that takes place aboard a ship like RV Investigator and we have been fortunate enough to see a great a deal of it first hand, something we will definitely bring back to the classroom. Whether it was the hydrochemistry laboratory or the many monitors of the operations room, from the AIRBOX to the data collection computer lab, we were granted full access and research scientists took time out of their busy schedules to explain everything that was going on. From way up on the bridge all the way down to the engine room and every deck in between, crew were always happy to answer questions and talk to us about all the very important work taking place to keep this scientific vessel operational. And we surely cannot forget the staff in the mess! They manage to keep everyone on board well fed and happy with their delicious cuisine and excellent service. RV Investigator is an amazing platform for scientific research but it’s also a tight-knit community of people working together to achieve some remarkable goals. We’re totally impressed!
Greta Creed and Chris La Rosa muster for a safety drill on board.
Science team testing the ship’s immersion suits.
Wessel Marine Park project team, Dr Rachel Przeslawski and Lou Fava.
Jack McDonald, CSIRO Hydrochemist.
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