MIT/WHOI Joint Program Armstrong Cruise

MIT/WHOI Joint Program students Helena Cheslack, Brynn Hamilton, Zoe Aarons, Theo Carr, Oaklin Keefe, Sean Chen, and WHOI research specialist Frank Bahr empty Niskin bottles after a CTD cast, in preparation to analyze the water samples back in the R/V Neil Armstrong’s shipboard wet lab. Photo by Elena Perez.

MIT/WHOI Joint Program students watching the CTD and rosette being lowered for another cast to collect water samples while measuring conductivity (salinity), temperature, and pressure (water depth). Photo by Elena Perez.

After a year’s pause, the annual Joint Program student cruise resumed this past fall! Sixteen (primarily first and second year) graduate students headed out to sea on the Armstrong for a short, but thrilling, 50 hour trip Nov 26-28, 2021. The plan was to sample eight stations along the NES LTER (Northeast Shelf Long Term Ecological Research program) transect, from Woods Hole south to the shelf break, with the goals of teaching the students oceanographic sampling techniques and of collecting samples for the LTER and Ocean Twilight Zone projects. Several students also instigated or volunteered to lead additional scientific projects, including acoustic sampling, deep CTD data gathering, and babysitting the Sosik lab’s Imaging FlowCytobot. Rough weather hit the evening of the 26th, necessitating pausing science ops for the night. By the morning of the 27th conditions were mild enough to resume operations, and all planned science activities were completed except the big net tows at the shelf break. The students did an admirable job getting back on their feet and continuing with sampling work, and those who were feeling sufficiently well did an even more admirable job providing care, cleaning services, and company to their sick peers. All the students were able to contribute to and learn about the science ops, making the trip a success!