Category Archives: Monitoring

Monitoring, Oceanic

Walk the Line, P: The Plan

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by Sara Zeidan

CsFiltration
Peristaltic pumps, columns and filtrate collecting jugs used to process seawater samples for subsequent radiocesium activity determination using gamma spectrometry.

In a few days I will joining the Line P cruise and be among many bright scientists from universities and government agencies. Line P is an oceanographic survey that has been conducted for over 50 years and its route is perpendicular to the coast of British Columbia, stretching 1,500 km into the Pacific Ocean.  Line P is conducted three times a year where various arrays of chemical, physical and biological research take place by scientists from all around. Continue reading Walk the Line, P: The Plan →

Biota, Coastal, Monitoring, Oceanic

August 2016 InFORMal Update

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Coastal monitoring:

We have now processed and released results from over 250 samples collected through the InFORM network! New data, from April and May samples, did not reveal any waters with the Fukushima fingerprint isotope, 134Cs (2 year half-life). Low levels of 137Cs (~30 year half-life) were present in all of the samples. These new data continue to lie along the increasing trend which indicates that the leading edge of the Fukushima plume is in BC’s coastal waters. Continue reading August 2016 InFORMal Update →

Monitoring, Oceanic

Cruising the Pacific 2016: Reflection

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by Saskia Kowallik

It’s been roughly a week since I have been back on land, and I have (almost) completely adjusted back to the swing of things at home. Unfortunately, some technical difficulties prevented me from sending updates while I was at sea. That, and things got quite busy after we stopped in Dutch Harbour! Having taken and processed 33 of 39 samples in the Pacific, there were only six samples for me to take in the Bering Sea for the InFORM project. That being said, Tadpole challenges were kicked into high gear, and with the Distributed Biological Observatory scientists on board, stations and transects (groups of stations done consecutively, often in a line) began in earnest. I have been sworn to secrecy on the happenings of the Arctic Circle crossing, so although interesting stories did in fact come of that, I am unable to share them.

Continue reading Cruising the Pacific 2016: Reflection →

Monitoring, Oceanic

Cruising the Pacific 2016: Mid-cruise

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by Saskia Kowallik

Checking in from what seems to be the middle of nowhere! Going out on deck is a surreal experience – nothing but grey swells and sky in all directions. As we were sampling today, we saw a brief glimpse of blue sky for the first time on this trip, and it was an occasion everyone in the science crew came out on deck for to see for themselves. Continue reading Cruising the Pacific 2016: Mid-cruise →