Wednesday, October 31, 2018

AMT28 Float Deployments

Bandwidth didn't allow for blogging on the AMT28 cruise, but here are photos and information from the float deployments.  Thanks to John Ballard and Isabel Seguro for decorating the floats and Chief Scientist Glen Tarran for sending us all the information!


Floats #1 - 12696, "Doc Baldy" - Mt. San Antonio College

Float #2  - 12883, "North Bay Vikings" - North Bay Elementary


Thursday, October 18thSOCCOM floats, serial numbers 12696 (Doc Baldy) and 12883 (North Bay Vikings), were deployed today at 12:22 GMT (27.20025 S, 28.24999 W) and 12:28 GMT (27.20098 S, 28.24975 W), respectively.

"Doc Baldy" - Our campus is named after nearby Mt. San Antonio. At 10,064 ft. it is the tallest peak of the San Gabriel mountains in LA county. In the region, Mt. San Antonio is lovingly referred to as Mt. Baldy. The “Doc” part of the name is meant to represent “Doc” Ed Rickett and all scientists who go out to collect samples and data. Since this is an MBARI float, “Doc” links our float nicely to Monterey through “Doc” Ed Rickett. In Rickett’s days samples were collected in jars, the float represents modern science and “sampling” of the ocean, a robotic “doc” of the 21st century.

"North Bay Vikings" - named after the school mascot, a Viking.








Float #3 - 12881, "Ursa in Mari" - Forest Park High School

Saturday, October 20 - SOCCOM float 12881, adopted by Forest Park High School, was deployed at 15:09 GMT (32.37702 S, 33.67523 W). The school mascot is the Bruin (Ursus arctos). Since the float will be their hands and eyes in the Southern Ocean, the students named the float "Bear in the Sea". They thought the Latin sounded more scientific, like naming a species.





Float #4 - 12700, "MSDStrong" - Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

Sunday, October 21 - SOCCOM float number 12700, adopted by Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, was deployed today at Sunday, October 21 at 14:51 GMT (34.58331 S, 36.09178 W)MSD was the site of a school shooting in February 2018 and #MSDStrong is their motto now.   






Float #5 - 12747, "The Okie Pearl" - Curtis Inge Middle School

Tuesday, Oct. 24 - Float 12747 was deployed at 14:56 GMT (39.20996 S, 41.47501 W)

Why "The Okie Pearl?"  
"The main reason we selected this name is to honor the Battleship Oklahoma that sunk in Pearl Harbor in 1941. Also, we are the lucky group that opened up an email to find an exciting adventure with SOCCOM and Princeton. Pearls are gems found within the ocean and the data collected will be our pearls to inspection and value. We are excited to pearl hunt with you."




Float #6 - 12778, "Bessie" - Brooksville Elementary School

Wednesday, Oct. 24The final SOCCOM float on AMT28 was successfully deployed today at 14:52 GMT at approx. 41.37 degs S, 44.01 degs W. (approx. because the event log computer was on the blink).

"Our class has chosen the name “Bessie” - a nickname for the acronym BESS (Brooksville Elementary School Students)."









Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Join John Ballard of the University of California, San Diego as he deploys SOCCOM floats on an Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT) cruise on the UK's RRS James Clark Ross.  The ship has already left port and you can track its position here - the first floats will be deployed in mid-October.