Day four started with good news: We are going faster than expected due to the waves coming from astern and pushing us north! This means that we will reach our first station earlier than expected at midnight. So the serious work on deck will start soon.
The very first task will be launching a CTD to measure salinity and temperature at different depths, as well as to derive a sound velocity profile (SVP) for the whole water column – knowing the exact sound speed is important for the subsequent multibeam survey to correct the acoustic signals for their attenuation on their way down to the sea floor. If everything is in time, the multibeam survey will start around 1 am and should be finished by around 8 am, as this is the time when the plankton net will be deployed to catch those incredibly small but absolutely fundamental creatures.
After a hopefully successful retrieval of the net, we will unleash the technical marvel – ROV Kiel 6000 for the first time! That is, if the weather is kind…right now, it looks like if that could be a limiting factor…