The calm after the storm has certainly found us here today. Occasionally, we are fortunate enough to be a part of one of the most amazing days the Antarctic can offer and today is absolutely no exception. We are on stationed amongst still waters and statuesque ice sculptures in every direction. In the very far distance is Seymour Island home of an Argentine Antarctic Base. It's hard not to go outside and take many photos of the calm and picturesque scenery. But work calls you back to the daily agenda that is the reason we are here.

I work as a Marine Science Technician (MST) for Raytheon Polar Services (RPSC). Responsibilities are varied dependent upon the cruise requirements. I've been involved with the US Antarctic Program for the past 9 years, working mostly at McMurdo Station during the austral summer and vessel work during the winter season. That involves spending most of my working time in snow, not what I envisioned growing up in sunny, central California. The Marine Department allows a flexible work time frame, coordinating cruises with skills and schedules. Most cruises range from 30 days to 60 days with a port call on both ends for clean up and ship reorganization. I was lucky enough to be scheduled to work with this SHALDRIL cruise.

Job duties for the MST's on board include spill prevention according to the environmental and safety documentation, spill response and clean-up, lab management (when needed) and lab safety, inventory, stocking, hazardous chemical and waste management, sample shipment coordination and the ultimate duty for this cruise: core sectioning during core retrieval operations. The helo hangar is the place to be during core operations. When the coring tool is brought on board, the pipe is disconnected and the inner pipe with the core liner is removed. The liner is capped and brought into the helo hangar for sampling, sectioning, and recording. As always, many hands make light of the work required to get the sectioned and measured core to the Aft Dry Lab for equilibration. During the transition, talk is centered on the stability of the core, the description of the "mud' and the differentiation of clay and sand, fine or coarse. Then the real science begins.

While my duty in respect to the core officially ends once it is delivered to the Dry Lab and the core number, measurements, and time are recorded, it does not end for the many geologists on board who are interested in dating the sediment, describing the cores, and packaging them for sampling and archive purposes. After clean up of excess water, mud, core liner and many, many used paper towels in the helo hangar, I return to the world of MST inventory, spill watch and lab checks until the next core section can be retrieved. Science continues 24/7 here on the Nathaniel B. Palmer and we are in our final week of the SHALDRIL cruise. I am fortunate enough to be able to work with and learn from the many talented individuals aboard. There is always someone willing to share knowledge. Today has been a day of successful drilling, core retrieval and identification. Of the many cores brought aboard during this cruise, these contain the desired sediment features. And so we will continue for another hopeful week. . . to enjoy the scenery, the calm weather and the multiple successes in drilling before we begin our transit through the Drake Passage back to Chile.

Cindy Dean
Marine Science Technician

Photo by Katharine North.

Photos by Katharine North.

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