A cultural and scientific experience
by Luz Zarate Jimenez and Cristobal Aguilera
Thank you for following us on our journey in the South Pacific!
We are Luz and Cristobal, both of us got a B.S. in Geophysics and currently are pursuing a masters degree in physical oceanography. Although we share common backgrounds, we come from different places. Cristobal was born and raised in Concepcion, Chile and I (Luz) am from Mexico City, Mexico.
As we travel to the east we have observed changes on the temperature, salinity, chlorophyll and oxygen profiles. Encouraged by Dr. Speer we are plotting and discussing some of the properties analyzed by the chemist research group, satisfying our scientific curiosity and making this a very enriching project with more to come.
All things together, we can summarize this cruise as an excellent and fun experience that we are happy and thankful to be part of.
Dear readers,
Being on this cruise has been a great opportunity to learn more about the history, traditions and food of our countries. Mexico and Chile are two Latin American countries that share some cultural aspects, but we have realized that they differ on many aspects, mainly on the linguistic. It has been a lot of fun learning how some common words are completely different from one country to the other. Coincidently, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence day on the same month, September 16 and September 18 respectively. Also, among the similarities we can highlight the passion and love that we have for our countries.
Not only has this cruise enlightened us culturally, but has also offered fieldwork experience by using some of the best oceanographic instrumentation available to the date. Being in the field and learning from senior scientists is an opportunity that enhances our academic formation and broadens our perspectives.
During this cruise, we are CTD watch-standers, position that allows us to experience first hand the data acquisition of the CTD. This type of fieldwork represents a crucial aspect of every oceanographer’s education. However, sometimes the hands-on experience is overlooked when learning in the classroom. When analyzing data on our computer, it is easy to forget about the process that collecting oceanographic data requires. But in the end, it is out on the ocean where we get a realistic idea of how the ocean behaves.
Not only has this cruise enlightened us culturally, but has also offered fieldwork experience by using some of the best oceanographic instrumentation available to the date. Being in the field and learning from senior scientists is an opportunity that enhances our academic formation and broadens our perspectives.
During this cruise, we are CTD watch-standers, position that allows us to experience first hand the data acquisition of the CTD. This type of fieldwork represents a crucial aspect of every oceanographer’s education. However, sometimes the hands-on experience is overlooked when learning in the classroom. When analyzing data on our computer, it is easy to forget about the process that collecting oceanographic data requires. But in the end, it is out on the ocean where we get a realistic idea of how the ocean behaves.
As we travel to the east we have observed changes on the temperature, salinity, chlorophyll and oxygen profiles. Encouraged by Dr. Speer we are plotting and discussing some of the properties analyzed by the chemist research group, satisfying our scientific curiosity and making this a very enriching project with more to come.All things together, we can summarize this cruise as an excellent and fun experience that we are happy and thankful to be part of.
Comments
Post a Comment