![](https://www.o-snap.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/RRS_discovery_DY182.jpg)
The RRS Discovery on a rare sunny day in the Irminger Sea, taken by the U. Miami drone.
Femke den Ouden – Student Utrecht University
When I got an email from my Marine Sciences Master (Utrecht University) coordinator that you could sign up to join the DY182 cruise on the RRS Discovery, I didn’t hesitate. My main scientific interest is physical oceanography and the cryosphere and I just finished a course in which we elaborately discussed the AMOC and the OSNAP project. How amazing is it to actually experience a project and region like this, instead of only seeing it on a lecture screen?! When I heard that I would also be able to write my master thesis with NIOZ on the OSNAP data, I was even more excited to be able to experience the data collection hands on. I bought all the clothing needed for the expected cold and wind in the North Atlantic, did my safety training and medical exam and flew, together with my fellow students, to Reykjavik to start this adventure!
![](https://www.o-snap.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/DY182_group-1024x683.jpg)
Group photo!
The DY182 cruise is shared between the University of Miami (moorings in the Icelandic basin, east of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge) and NIOZ (moorings in the Irminger sea, west of the Mid-Atlantic ridge). The University of Miami team is full of experienced seafarers: Tiago, chief scientist for the first time (lobbyist for a Brazilian barbeque on deck); Bill, the most experienced oceanographer and one of the founders of OSNAP (and the best cribbage teacher); and oceanographers and technicians Eduardo (who looks like a superhero in his safety harness), Cedric (likes to drink an IPA each night), Joe (No need for a spare anchor this time) and Houraa (showing exponential growth in her darts skills). From the Netherlands (NIOZ and Utrecht University) we came with a relatively inexperienced team. However, I feel like we bring a lot of enthusiasm and energy to the ship. Sasha, PhD student and the only one with real seagoing experience (can finally use his bike helmet); Emma, working on her virtual ship classroom (voluntarily wakes up at 4 in the morning); Claudia, having a do-over for the 2022 cruise (has a hate relationship with Microcats and a love relationship with Iceland); Laura, journalist of NRC writing an article on the AMOC (whose favourite moment of the day is sitting at the back deck with a book and cup of tea); Dave, NIOZ technician who impressed the whole ship with his efficient recoveries and deployments (can be found in the gym each day); and then lastly the students Aart (programming specialist and foosball star player) Ann (LOVES cleaning buoys with slimy marine life), Josefien (always does a happy dance when walking along the amazing food buffet), and me, Femke (the sports instructor of our team). And of course, the amazing technicians Ellis, Dean, Dave, John and Tom, and the rest of the crew!
Besides the fact that the whales have been exceptionally absent this cruise, it has been amazing so far! We have had some very sunny days during which we could chill at the front or back deck, some great sunsets and sunrises, and not many fogs for which the Irminger sea is famous. I am very aware that I got very spoiled to have the Discovery as the ship for my first cruise. The ship is super stable so it took me only 2 days to grow my sea legs. Furthermore, we have the extreme luxury of CTD operators from the ship, which means that they do most of the CTD work. This gives us more time to learn about the moorings and their data. The food here is amazing, Peter, Neil, Tina and Tony make sure that all our hearts and stomachs desires are met. Luckily there is a relatively large sports gym, otherwise I would gain a kilo per week due to their amazing cooking and hospitality. The whole crew is amazing, they have made me feel welcome since day 1 and the Discovery has really started to feel like home in these past weeks.
![](https://www.o-snap.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/DY182_mooring.jpg)
Early morning deployment of a NIOZ mooring.
![](https://www.o-snap.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/DY182_lab.jpg)
Femke and Ann programming and reading out instruments of the moorings.
Josefien’s typical day at the RRS Discovery
7:15 Waking up
My alarm goes off. The science cabins for the students are located on the Main Deck, which is on the same level as the sea, so I wake up with the sounds of waves splashing against my two small round windows.
7:30 Breakfast
The galley (the ship’s kitchen) is two floors up. Here, you find your typical English breakfast made by Peter and Neil. At 8:00 the first monitor check needs to be done, which only takes a couple minutes and needs to be done every two hours.
8:30 Science meeting
After breakfast we go one floor down to head towards the Main Lab. We meet up with the scientists, students, technicians and captain to discuss today’s research plan based on the weather forecast.
9:00 Mooring recovery
After spotting the big yellow buoys in the sea, the mooring is attached to the ship and cautiously lifted out of the water. Dave, our technician, carefully detaches each instrument; this takes a pretty long time since the mooring can be up to 2500 m. We help with cleaning the instruments (after two years in the ocean the devices are covered in algae and some slimy worms) and bring them inside to stop the logging and start reading out the data. In the rush of the mooring recovery, I forgot the monitor checks at 10:00, oops…
11:30 Lunch.
A nice and warm lunch is prepared for everybody. Way better than the slices of bread I would eat in the Netherlands! With so many options, your plate could look completely different from your neighbour’s.
13:30 CTD
CTD time! The CTD Rosette collects water samples at different depths and measures the salinity, temperature and pressure on its way. We log the timing and coordinate position. Meanwhile, we begin programming the Microcats – devices that measure salinity, temperature, and conductivity – for a ‘Caldip.’ This calibration process compares the CTD measurements with those from the Microcats to determine their placement on the mooring line for deployment. Once the CTD is back on deck, we collect water samples and the technicians analyse them in the Salinity Lab.
15:30 Plankton
We deploy a plankton net to a depth of 50 meters. After the cruise, DNA analysis will be conducted on the collected plankton. To prevent contamination with human DNA, we handle the plankton net only with plastic gloves. In addition to lot of plankton, the catch also included fish larvae and miniature sea snails.
16:00 Sports
Together with Femke, Emma, Laura and technician Ellis, I am doing an intense workout in The Hold below the deck. Exercising is a lot harder on a moving ship, but way more fun!
17:30 Dinner and spare time
With the whole crew we have a nice dinner, especially the desserts are amazing. After dinner, we hang out in the bar, have a beer (max two per day is allowed), and play some games. Especially foosball and darts are popular. Unfortunately, Aart is on the winning hand with foosball… After watching an episode of Game of Thrones with some people, I go to my cabin to sleep.
![](https://www.o-snap.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/DY182_plank.jpg)
![](https://www.o-snap.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/DY182_plankton.jpg)
Daily plankton sampling.
Laura Bergshoef – Journalist NRC
A day on the ship is never boring. Around us it might seem as an endless emptiness: just ocean, clouds and I only saw one other ship during the cruise. But inside the ship it’s never silent. Constantly you will hear ventilators, men with helmets talking though radio’s, rolling bottles and stories about pirates. I have been wandering around the ship a lot during day and night (and even saw the northern lights). Before coming on board I expected that life on sea will be lonely as we are so remotely. But the opposite is true. On the RRS Discovery – crossing the North Atlantic – we all eat, sport, watch Olympics, play games together as one big family on a Christmas holiday.
Surprisingly for me was that at night, the ship is controlled in complete darkness. Looking outside from the bridge, it felt like driving a car at night without any light.
As a journalist I always try to get as close to my topic as possible. When Femke de Jong and I arranged a time and date for our newspaper interview and she joked that if I wanted to come as close to her work as possible I should join this cruise on the North Atlantic, I thought ‘why not’. As a climate scientist/oceanographer by training and author joining a cruise like this for a story is a dream come true. I think it’s one of the most special stories I will ever write.
![](https://www.o-snap.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/DY182_american.jpg)
Recovery of the American moorings.
![](https://www.o-snap.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/DY182_night.jpg)
Nightly CTD stations