Sea spray, freezing in the cold air during the ride to the mesocosms. Not only on our survival suits… Picture: D. Hellemann, GEOMAR.

“Kalti kalti”, Jan C. commented as another wave of cold sea spray washed over him at the steering wheel of Wassermann. As driver he couldn´t hide from waves and spray at the front of the boat with the back to driving direction, as Swantje and me did, but literally had to face the cold, the wet and the wind… seeing the sea spray freezing on his survival suite.

…but also on water samplers…. Picture: D.Hellemann, GEOMAR.

Today´s T1 day of the relaunched experiment started with challenging conditions for the people going out for sampling: strong winds created bumpy wave action and constant sea spray washing over boats and crew, when hitting another wave, while the cold air with temperatures below 0°C froze each water drop immediately. After the 10-15 min. ride to the mesocosms everything inside the boats, including crew and equipment, was covered with a shiny layer of ice. Our bearded guys even found some interesting ice formations in their faces…

…. and general boat interior. Picture: D.Hellemann, GEOMAR.

The bright sunshine under a clear blue sky was namely good for the motivation but couldn´t help warming faces and fingers up. First thing, when arriving back at shore: a hot tea!

Swantje´s tactic to fight the elements: hiding in the survival suite. Picture: D. Hellemann, GEOMAR.

By Dana Hellemann