Written by Sean Beckwith, PhD student
WEST END, GRAND BAHAMA – The Southern Gulf Stream has never before been sampled for some of the elements most essential to life–like iron, manganese and zinc–elements present in the ocean in minute amounts and referred to as trace metals.
Chartering the R/V Angari, a yacht refitted for science and science outreach, Dr. Tim Conway, Professor of Chemical Oceanography at the USF College of Marine Science (USF CMS), seeks to characterize the concentrations and isotopic ratios of trace metals in the Gulf Stream, a location of some of the fastest ocean currents on the planet.
Yesterday, on the first day of a two-day cruise between West Palm Beach, Florida and West End, Grand Bahama, the scientific crew spent the trip testing out a new sampling device, prepping water sampling equipment, and taking some time to relax and enjoy the incredibly deep blue scenery.
In the next blog, look for some photos and video of ultra-clean laboratory and water sampling practices that trace metal scientists use to prevent contamination of their highly sensitive samples.
Ryan Schlaiss (Eckerd College) and Travis Mellet (USFCMS) load a trace metal clean chemistry hood onto the R/V Angari.