Station 4

Yesterday, we completed Station 2 and now we are at Station 4. The seas are still a little rough, with 4-8 feet swells, but it is sunny outside and the sky is crystal clear. We are crossing our fingers that we might see some whales today. We are still on the continental shelf, somewhere off of the coasts of Maine and Nova Scotia. The diagram below shows the different parts of the ocean floor and the terminology used by oceanographers to describe it. The next station, Station 6, will also be on the continental shelf and the following station, Station 9 is in the deep ocean. After that, we will head back toward land to sample water, zooplankton, and sediment from the continental slope. Then we will head back out to the deep ocean before finishing near the coast.

Research conducted by Dr. Hammerschmidt and his colleagues shows that methylmercury (MMHg) concentrations are greater near the coast and on the continental shelf and decrease as you move toward the deep ocean. Our stations on the continental shelf are important, because these samples will have the highest levels of MMHg. Samples from the continental slope and deep ocean also are valuable, because few research efforts collect samples this far from the coast. In general, such comprehensive sampling of the entire water column and sediments is performed rarely, particularly for mercury analyses. We all are excited to see what we will discover!

~Lisa