Stacy Deppeler Day 3: Mar 1st 2013 Catching up to speed. After a good nights sleep I tried to rise for breakfast and found that the sea sickness I had been feeling on the first day had returned, which was surprising as the seas had calmed down a lot since the day before. The morning was spent in and out of sleep until I was diagnosed with dehydration, an unpleasant side effect of the anti-sea sickness medication I was taking. Some hydration salts and a few hours sleep later, I was back on my feet and ready to help out for our next sampling station at 2pm. Our scheduled morning station was again cancelled due to time constraints and in order to make the most of our limited time, all members of the scientific party pitched in on this one. Myself, Tamara and Cassie went out to the back deck with a box of XBTs and waited for the ship to be positioned correctly and the CTD to be placed in the water. When we were given the go ahead we threw an XBT overboard, while the computer system in the Ops Room recorded its temperature and depth profile until it broke free of the copper communication line (around 950m depth). We performed this task two more times and then they began dropping the CTD to 1000m. We threw in another XBT when the CTD reached 200, 400 and 800m, respectively and recorded its temperature and depth profiles. This technique was used so that the fall rate of the XBT can be calibrated against the CTD. This results in much more accurate temperature and depth profiles for the XBT, which can then be used in climate studies to record temperature changes in the oceans. We were not alone while performing our duties on the back deck, others were out there working on the CPR (Continuous Plankton Recorder) as we had travelled close to 400 nautical miles meaning that the cassette, which captures the plankton, would run out before our next scheduled stop. The CPR is positioned at the back of the ship and is towed in the water just below the surface while we are moving between stations. A special intake at the front of the machine allows sea water and plankton to flow into the machine between two silk ribbons. These ribbons are then squashed together, capturing any zooplankton and phytoplankton that have passed through, which are then fixed by a small amount of formalin inside the machine so they do not break down. These ribbons are returned to the Australian Antarctic Division, where the species are identified and added to an ongoing database of plankton location and abundance that can be used in future studies. No more stations were scheduled for the day so in the evening some of the chlorophyll samples were analysed by couple of scientists and the rest of the team enjoyed an early night in anticipation for a busy day tomorrow.