The nigtly deployment of our 'under ice net' SUIT in the Antarctic sea ice has almost developed into a routine job. All hauls with the net of the Dutch IMARES team are going very well. SUIT haul nr 007 was taped with several cameras. Jan assists the nautical officer on the bridge to find a good track through the sea ice. Together with crew and Uli Bathmann, the other team members ensure a smooth lowering of SUIT into the water. Attached to a 120 m long cable, the net shears out to starboard to fish under 'undisturbed' ice. The underwater camera mounted in the frame shows images of the dive under the ice and the catch of krill. The hauling of the net is followed by a long night of sorting, counting and measuring in the labs. Deep into the night we then reach 'Mission Accomplished'. The only thing lacking for the usual "007 final scene" is that the 'Bond girls' are 15.000 km away and likely deep asleep.
The Dutch team is having an excellent trip. Catches of the SUIT net demonstrate again and again the importance of the ice environment for the Antarctic foodweb. In a next episode we will show more of the remarkable creatures living under the ice.
Message from the IMARES team on board Polarstern voyage ANT-24-2
Interesting video well done, shame about the shit choice of music to accompany it though.
creamtt 1 year ago