Rob, the Marine Technician with Bethany Jenkins and Bill Caddigan in the computer lab where the data from the CTD is collected. 
Deployment of the CTD (Photo by Bill Caddigan) 
The CTD sits on the deck. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)
From a distance, the Queen Charlotte Islands look very volcanic, much like the Hawaiian Islands. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)
QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS, BC (May 19, 2007): Peggy and I, with a little help from our friends, sampled 2 of our incubations and measured chlorophyll levels from the samples that we collected yesterday. To keep the extracted chlorophyll samples from degrading while we are processing them, we have to keep them in the dark. So, we build a “black bubble” out of garbage bags, where we do our measurements. It lets in just enough light so you can barely see what you are doing, but not enough to ruin the sample. So, picture yourself stuck in a big black trash bag that smells like acetone (nail polish remover) and you will get an idea of what chlorophyll analysis is like. Peggy and I had 8 hours worth of samples to read in the bubble. Needless to say, without help we would have either succumbed to madness or a close second, boredom
After taking some time this morning to troubleshoot the CTD unit (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth), we are back on schedule just outside the Queen Charlotte Islands. The CTD is a large submersible instrument that collects samples and takes sensor readings at various ocean depths (see picture). The tube-like bottles around the perimeter collect the water samples. They are open as the CTD is lowered over the side of the ship and descends through the water column. When the desired depth is reached they are triggered to close by the technician in the control room in order to capture the water sample. In this way, water can be collected from any depth for analysis in the on-board lab. Besides temperature and salinity, other sensors are also attached to the CTD; this morning we were having trouble with an oxygen sensor. The Thompson has 2 Marine Technicians who work with the scientists and maintain the shipboard science equipment and computers.
The fog mingled with clouds over the Islands. From my vantage point they looked a lot like the Hawaiian Islands, only covered with evergreens instead of tropical trees.
I really can’t get over the fact that it is 10 pm as I write this and the sun is just dipping below the horizon. It was already light when I woke up at 6 am. It makes me think, though, of how dark it must be in the winter time. Again today, we have been fortunate to have calm seas which makes the lab work much easier.
