Leg 1a of this year’s scientific cruise aboard CCGS Amundsen officially came to a close on July 24^th with a science personnel swap in Resolute. It’s amazing to me how much has happened since the ship departed from its port in Quebec City on July 8^th.  Right from the start my supervisor, Tim Papakyriakou, and I were busy getting all of our equipment up and running. On each cruise our research team installs a meteorological tower on the foredeck of the ship, which collects measurements of basic meteorological variables, such as wind speed, wind direction, temperature, and relative humidity. We also mount sensors on the tower that take high frequency measurements of CO₂ concentration and wind speed. We will later use this data to calculate the rate of CO₂ transfer between the ocean and atmosphere. Luckily the sea conditions were nice and calm as the ship passed Newfoundland and Labrador, otherwise setting up the tower would have been a lot more challenging!

While the tower collects atmospheric measurements of CO₂ concentration, an underway system in the ship’s engine room records measurements of dissolved CO₂ concentration in the surface seawater. This system continuously samples as the ship transits, taking in seawater through an intake line located approximately 5m below the sea surface. This information, combined with our atmospheric measurements, provides us with a picture of the CO₂ gradient across the air-sea interface.

Once the ship made its way across the Arctic Circle, it was time for the science to really begin! ROV dives were conducted to look for deep-sea corals within Baffin Bay. Who knew there were corals in Arctic waters?! The video feed from the ROV was broadcast on all of the televisions on board, and I sometimes found myself glued to the TV screen.

This year the NETCARE project was also a large part of Leg 1a. NETCARE is a campaign focused on making measurements of atmospheric gases and particles in remote Canadian environments. The most exciting part for me was watching the Polar 6 aircraft fly past the ship. The Polar 6 would make flights in the vicinity of the Amundsen to measure emissions from the ship, and how these emissions are affecting the local atmosphere.

Collecting data for my own research project took me on exciting zodiac rides off the main ship, where I would sample the dissolved CO₂ concentration right at the sea surface.  I also assisted in collecting water samples from the ship’s rosette to measure dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC).

Now I’m looking forward to the continuation of the cruise into Leg 1b, and all the new adventures it will bring.

Submitted by: Tonya Burgers, Masters student (CEOS – UofM)

Click here to learn more about my project and the 2014 Amundsen campaign.