A short introduction to the daily routine of the CTD team

by Qingwen Zhong (edited by Riel Ingeniero)

I am a PhD student in physical oceanography. SO305 is my second research cruise in the eastern Indian Ocean, but I feel like everything seems new to me, and I am learning a lot from everyone on this cruise. Honestly, this whole experience has been nothing short of a highlight in my life.

Deployment of CTD-Rosette on 8 May 2024 (Photo: Riel Ingeniero)

If you happen to have some free time, consider dropping by the CTD lab and chat with the CTD team during their shift. The CTD team is always delighted to have visitors and engage in discussions about the CTD profiles or any other interesting topics –this is one of the most exciting parts of our shift. Whenever we discover something new while discussing with colleagues, the lab is filled with joy and excitement. I will never forget the happy faces when we found a secondary chlorophyll maximum peak in the CTD profile. For those of you who were not able to visit the CTD lab, I’ll introduce the CTD team’s routine on each shift. You will find out that we do many interesting things in our lab.

During our shift, there are three main essential and interesting tasks. The first task is the preparation of the CTD and to switch on all the instruments that are attached to the CTD. While we are doing this, we carefully tick off the protocol checklist. The protocol checklist is more important than you imagine; diligence and attention to detail are highly required. Although there are several details on the checklist that may make us feel repetitive, it’s crucial to follow the protocol to ensure that each step of the procedure is correct. It also helps prevent us from being overconfident in ourselves.

The second task involves communicating with both the crew, who are operating the winch, and those on the bridge. It is important to express every comment clearly; it would be better if you could do so in German. With the help and encouragement of my tutor and friends, I was able to practice my German language skills at the A1 level by having the opportunity to sit on the “captain chair” in our lab and communicate over the radio in German. This is an exciting opportunity that I have been looking forward to.

The third task is collecting water samples from the Niskin bottles of the CTD-Rosette. The order in which sampling of water from the Niskin bottles is rather essential. Because of the influence of air exchange and the priority in nutrient measurement, our colleagues collect seawater samples for dissolved gases first, then the nutrient samples, before we can collect our salinity samples for sensor calibration.

One of the routines after deploying the CTD-Rosette.

Whenever we get a chance at the end of our shift, we usually head to the vessel’s upper deck and soak in the warm, gentle breeze. Gazing up, we’re treated to an absolutely magical sight – the sky is a canvas of sparkling stars. For this reason, I could refer to the CTD Team’s shift as the sunrise, sunset, and starry night shift— it’s a fitting tribute to the incredible beauty we experience.

In addition to our daily routine and responsibilities, we took on some exciting tasks during this cruise. We had the chance to manage the mooring deployment and handle the daily observation data. These are stories that deserve further content to tell. Ultimately, I feel incredibly fortunate to have been part of such an amazing team. We worked together seamlessly, with a shared sense of camaraderie, and tackled any obstacles that came our way efficiently.

CTD going up from the sea during sunset.

In addition to our daily routine and responsibilities, we took on some exciting tasks during this cruise. We had the chance to manage the mooring deployment and handle the daily observation data. These are stories that deserve further content to tell. Ultimately, I feel incredibly fortunate to have been part of such an amazing team. We worked together seamlessly, with a shared sense of camaraderie, and tackled any obstacles that came our way efficiently.