On the way to Walters Shoal!
The ship sails at a speed of 13 knots, around 24 km/h, as we level with the southern point of Madagascar. We are planned to reach the Walters shoal, our survey site, on April 29th. All of the team prepares their equipment, as they plan their future activities.
The benthic dive team members (benthic : all the organisms living at the bottom of the ocean) have sorted their diving tanks, have attached them near the compressor and have initiated the filling. Some tanks are filled with nitrox (02 enriched air). The dive boat, the DIOdon, is tightly attached to the back of the boat. Bathymetric (topography and depth) data collecting will begin on the first day. From the second day onwards, dives will take place from 7 to 10am.
The pelagic team (who study the water column and the organisms who live within it from the surface to the bottom) have discussed the procedures they will perform. A CTD sensor (measuring conductivity, temperature and depth) will be immerged as far as 1000m deep. There will be several measuring stations. This sensor will be attached to a structure holding plastic cylinders that trap water at different depths for future analysis. The team will emit and receive acoustic signals and capture plankton with different types of nets. These operations will take place from 10am to 7pm, following the first dives.
At the end of the day, the benthic team will continue its collecting through dredging and trawling operations.
Naturally, after the collecting comes the sorting. The organisms will be split in different taxonomic groups and preserved for transportation.
This morning, the marine megafauna (marine mammals and birds) team began its watch on the Marion Dufresne’s top deck and at the very front of the boat.
