August 21- Kara Sea

The morning started off being overcast with light rain, and we sailed in and out of fog all day, but the sun peeped through briefly this afternoon. We have now passed Novaya Zemlya Island and are approaching Severnaya Zemlya Island (North Land Island) on our starboard side, east.

The decks are humming with the scientists and mooring crew scurrying about in preparation for our first mooring recovery and CTD test cast. The estimated time for our first CTD test cast is 2:00 am. Since the time is limited, the crews work all day and night.

I would call today ‘meeting day’. There were meetings for the scientists, mooring crew, and a general informational meeting for all expedition participants. The three participating science teams were introduced during the informational meeting- NABOS(Nansen Amundsen Basins Observational Systems), CATS (Changing Arctic Transpolar System) lead by co-chief scientist Heidi Kassens and T-ICE a short-term ice camp lead by co-chief scientist Benjamin Rabe (Alfred-Wegener Institute, Germany)- they will measure ice, ocean, and atmospheric parameters on a floating ice floe (sheet).

The ship is a little city that floats on the ocean. There are diesel turbines that generate electricity. (Similar to GVEA in Fairbanks, Alaska using coal to generate electricity.) Electricity is needed for washing machines, toilets, lights, computers, navigational systems, septic systems, stoves, ovens, microwaves, coffee pots, refrigerators, opening the hangar door to accommodate helicopters, winches, and all other sorts of things.

Breakfast: rice porridge, ham and cheese

Lunch: vegetable beef soup with noodles, Poltavskaya- minced meat cutlet, buckwheat, and       salad

Tea Time: pizza, fruit

Dinner: pork, fried potatoes, and salad

Check out the Akademik Tryoshnikov’s real-time position here.