Shout-Out to Our Classrooms!

One of the best parts about being out here is hearing from our shore-side partners!

And I do mean partners! Before setting out on this adventure, Climate Central teamed up with eight science teachers from six different schools...and most importantly, their students. Each of the science classrooms is using the SOCCOM floats to study earth science and how the climate is changing, and we couldn't be prouder of them!

But this relationship is symbiotic! They use our data, but they help us too! How? By adopting the floats! Through the "Adopt-A-Float" program, SOCCOM is allowing elementary, middle and high school students take ownership and participate in the science.

Now that we've deployed the last float, each of our floats has been named by the students, and each of them is successfully collecting data.

Here are the names the students chose and where their floats were deployed:

Float Number            Release   Deployment Location              School                           Float Name
SOCCOM01 12575  12/27/16  1255Z 057.338 S 068.293 W  Princeton Day School     RE Byrd
SOCCOM02 12573  12/28/16  0615Z 059.008 S 068.498 W  Princeton Day School     RF Scott
SOCCOM03 F0569  12/29/16  0348Z 061.991 S 068.818 W  Bear Tavern Elementary Titus
SOCCOM04 12545  12/29/16, 2150Z 064.189 S 069.101 W  Melvin H. Kreps M.S.      Southstar
SOCCOM05 12543  01/01/17  2145Z 066.383 S 074.468 W  Princeton University        Jorge
SOCCOM06 F0567  01/03/17  0056Z 067.258 S 084.231 W  Melvin H. Kreps M.S.      Kirby
SOCCOM07 12559  01/04/17  0738Z 068.289 S 095.441 W  Passaic Valley H.S          Darwin
SOCCOM08 12549  01/05/17  1941Z 069.666 S 109.093 W  Passaic Valley H.S.         Mann
SOCCOM09 12390  01/08/17  2043Z 068.249 S 128.484 W  John Witherspoon M.S.   Bell
SOCCOM10 12551  01/10/17  0522Z 070.651 S 136.483 W  Sandia Prep School         Sundevil Sam
SOCCOM11 12541  01/11/17  1016Z 072.346 S 146.343 W  Sandia Prep School         Sundevil Lion
SOCCOM12 12381  01/12/17  2243Z 075.644 S 156.968 W  Princeton Day School      EH Shackleton

John Witherspoon Middle School's "Bell" begins its journey

You can find all the data from the floats at http://www3.mbari.org/SOCCOM/AdoptAFloatviz.htm

It's exciting for the scientists on board the Palmer to find out the names the students choose and hear the questions they ask. Not only do the students get to participate in the deployment of the instruments, but now that the floats are returning data, these classrooms will be using the data directly from the floats (the same data that scientists use!) to understand the dynamics of pressure, pH, nutrients, and phytoplankton across the world's oceans.

Just being an observer on the Palmer has opened my eyes to a variety of new worlds - the macro-world of the Southern Ocean with penguins, seals, whales and icebergs as well as the micro-world of phytoplankton and nutrients that can travel across the world. This isn't my last post, but I hope through this journey so far, I've helped to open your eyes to these new worlds too, whether you're a student in the Adopt-A-Float program or you're a student of our world in any other sense!

Greta