The CTD emerges from the deep blue water, suspended by a thick wire cord that is reeled in from the wheelhouse. Technicians onboard the vessel use hooks on broomsticks to control the CTD as it exits the water to guide it back aboard. Water cooler jugs were used to collect the liters of water captured by the CTD. Niskin bottles have openings at both ends so water flows through the bottle until the desired depth—- then they are remotely snapped shut!
As soon as the CTD arrives on deck, scientists swarm the bright yellow structure with collection bottles in tote to get samples as quickly as possible. The faster samples are collected, the faster the CTD can get back into the water and the sooner processing of samples can begin.
Jacob Dums and Michael Gonsior collect water samples from the CTD.Maddy Lahm and Barbra Ferrell emptying Niskin bottles of deep sea water. Leigh McCallister, Jacob Dums and Jacob Cram huddle around the CTD to collect water efficiently. Technician on deck, wearing the proper safety gear guides the CTD off the boat once again.The CTD gets its name from the parameters it measures— Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth. These delicate instruments at the structures center send real time data to the wheelhouse, where it is recorded by scientists and technicians alike.The CTD gets deployed at all hours of the night. It even has it’s own garage for when the weather outside isn’t ideal.To collect water samples from the CTD, researchers simple pull the latch down and water flows out easily. A calm day pictured by the CTD, but it’s not always this calm. The green grate under the structure allows for easy drainage of water that washes over the deck while sampling.
