13 June - Voyage of Data Discovery

A voyage of (data) Discovery…

Sampling at sea doesn’t come cheap. The cost of sophisticated instrumentation onboard research vessels is only the tip of a rather large iceberg. Before any science can take place, we need a maintained ship, fuelled and fully crewed. Factor in the cost of food and flying people to and from ports and you begin to get the picture… So, why do it? The simple answer is that the wealth of data captured over time on research cruises provides scientists with a thorough and unique account of the changing state of our planet. With climate change being such a topical issue, both the collection and effective management of quality oceanographic data has never been more appropriate. It’s the second part where I come in. I work at the British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC) – a facility whose primary role is to securely archive and distribute marine data. My organisation exists to promote the usage of data from cruises such as D340, both now and in the future – the more the data are used, the more we justify the costs incurred in their collection. 

I came to be involved with D340 through regular trips to SAMS. I am the BODC Liaison Officer for SAMS, a role which finds me working closely with scientists in the laboratory to assist with the preservation of their data. On Discovery we have a wide range of data being collected (chemical, physical and biological) by a large number of scientists. It is my job to capture all of this work by maintaining accurate records which describe exactly where, when and how the data are collected – gathering such information greatly increases the value of any dataset.

This is my third research cruise, and the first in four years. Being aboard Discovery reminds me why I got into oceanography and how much I enjoy being at sea. Activity tends to go in waves, if you’ll excuse the pun. So far I’ve been involved in a tiring spell of watch work. With CTD casts being performed around the clock, it’s important that there are scientists present at all hours of the day to record data and collect samples. I’ve been working the 12-4 watch, together with Jane and Estelle. This involves being on duty between Midday to four o’clock in the afternoon, then Midnight until four in the morning. This work pattern does tend to play havoc with the body clock – although we’re only on day four of the cruise, I’ve already been to bed at least six times! The extensive Discovery DVD library is already proving invaluable for a bit of pre-sleep relaxation though – all those films that have managed to pass me by are now gradually getting ticked off. Working the night shift has also allowed me to witness an interesting phenomenon – the return of darkness as we head gradually south, away from the Arctic Circle. Dark nights are something of a novelty for me now, having grown accustomed to around 22 hours of daylight, and two hours of dusk, whilst in Iceland and during the start of the cruise. This all adds to the unique experience that is working at sea.

I’ll sign off now and hand over the blog-baton to my fellow shipmates…

Mark Hebden
British Oceanographic Data Centre