Land Ahoy!

By: Callum and Christie

Our final day onboard the RV Investigator was our busiest yet. We were up before sunrise on location for our first multicore off Maria Island. With great excitement and trepidation the multicorer disappeared off the stern of the Investigator. Minutes later it returned to the surface containing its precious cargo of mud. Embedded within this core sample is fossilized plankton, which the scientists hope will reveal clues about how to best predict the likelihood of toxic algal blooms in the future. This being the main objective of this voyage, there was pressure to collect some reliable samples. After a couple of less than ideal attempts, the researchers were overjoyed with multiple successes; this excitement resonated throughout the ship.

This excitement extended up to the observation deck where Eric and his team recorded 12000 -15000 Prions in a single flock.

Meanwhile down in the communications room the climate scientists were finalising their measurements of salinity, dissolved oxygen and temperature, producing real time atmospheric and oceanographic modelling.

After our final dinner together in the mess we were treated to some aerial footage of the RV Investigator taken from Wild Pacific Media’s drone. The day ended with a stunning backdrop of sunlit Maria Island with diving terns and seals off the stern.

We leave the RV Investigator enthusiastic about bringing our new found knowledge to the classroom and are extremely thankful to the CSIRO and the Marine National Facility for providing us with such an inspiring opportunity.