The setup of each experiment is a huge common effort summarized in the pictures below. To successfully complete the operation, 4 CTDs / rosette-samplers go in the water in 4 hours, collecting more then 650 L of water that will be distributed into 130 4.5 L incubation bottles. The experiment will be run for 4 to 6 days.
First CTD in the water, 2) Mark Moore checking on the CTD profile to decide the sampling depth, 3) Chris Daniels carrying Niskin bottles from the CTD into the clean van, 4) Glaucia Fragoso opening the door and passing on the bottle in the annex of the clean van, 5) myself passing bottle to 6) Toby Tyrell hanging them on the rack, @ Sophie Richier
Everyone taking part of the setup has a well-defined task so the sleepiness does not take over and all steps are efficient and quick. At this stage it is more physical then intellectual, thus each task is distributed according to your physical strength. As the strongest will carry the heavy Niskin bottles full of water(-1.5 degrees) from the CTD frame to the sampling van, the‘ weakest’ will open the door of the clean van. Finally inside the van the shortest will pass on the bottle to the tallest who will hang it up to its rack.
A team of 5 people all dressed up with funny outfits( to avoid trace metal contamination) will eagerly proceed to the filling of the incubation bottles. As bees in their hive, after the heavy duty“ the queen bee” will have the privilege to manipulate the carbonate chemistry of the incubation bottle to mimic the predicted scenarios for the future ocean. This tedious process finally ends with the disposition of the bottles in the incubation container on
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