Today was a fairly busy day with multiple long casts and more samples being taken now that we are hitting stations where there is a possibility of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) collection.
NADW is a deep circulation water mass that forms mainly in the Labrador Sea (located between Canada and Greenland). It is formed of high salinity, dense water that can be tracked as it makes it way from Greenland down the eastern coast of the Americas at depths varying between 2km - 4km (~1 - 2.5 miles) and then east across the South Atlantic towards the tip of South Africa where it mixes with the extremely fresh, cold waters of Antarctica. The NADW is part of the Atlantic 'conveyor belt' that gets news coverage once in awhile.
That's all for now, thanks for reading.
-Elizabeth
Our current position is:
29 59.99' S and 23 6.05' W
Below are a few photos of: a) The sunrise this morning and b) A global look at ocean circulation including the NADW - image from: http://forces.si.edu/arctic/02_02_04.html
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