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2009 Shelfwide Cruise: July 18 - July 23
![Final_Dissolved_Oxygen_Map-2009 Final Dissolved Oxygen Map 2009](https://gulfhypoxia.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Final_Dissolved_Oxygen_Map-2009.png)
Daily Log
Jul 18, 2009 - Day 1
- 1600 -
- (17 July 2009) Load ship, calibrate SeaBird CTD for oxygen, depart dock at midnight
- 0800 -
- Approach Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River, 23 psu
- 0900 -
- Collect series of salinities from 23 to as low as possible, 3 psu, for nutrient gradient
- 1130 -
- Arrive station A'1, strong oxycline near bottom at 8 m, 0.5 mg/L
- 1230 -
- Depart for next series of A transects
- 1600 -
- Depart from end of A line to head to A7, southern end of A trans
- 1800 -
- Jenn and Sam see a shark . Very low oxygen across most of the trans A, mostly less than 0.5 mg/L
- 2100 -
- Blue crabs, Callinectes similis, both ovigerous females and males swimming at surface of the water avoiding low oxyen near the bottom 0.1 u2013 0.2 mg/L
- 2300 -
- Nearshore station mixed; depart trans A to trans B, inshore end
Jul 19, 2009 - Day 2
- 0100 -
- New day, new transect, low oxygen. Several jellyfish, Quinquecira quenqueloculina (?) in subsurface water. Some blue crabs, C. similis, at the surface
- 0200 -
- A bit farther SE on trans B. Lots of sea nettles in the water. Smaller portunid crab at the surface. Low oxygen below. Small shark at B4; paired unidentifiable fish.
- 0400 -
- Large needlefish at surface, B6.
- 0700 -
- Low oxygen out to B9, almost 40 m
Thunderstorms as cold front approaches - 0730 -
- Out to B10, 50 m, just on edge of low oxygen, 1.92 mg/L. Close it off at 57 m
- 0800 -
- Start on SE end of trans C, working towards shore. Hypoxia not as extensive in deeper waters on trans C.
- 1500 -
- Within 25 m contour, hypoxia on trans C, 0.9 at C7
- 1600 -
- *Station C6C* and successful box coring at C6B, Jenn for foraminiferans and Ling for diatoms
- 1900 -
- Station C4 with close to anoxia. Successful box coring Jenn has samples for foraminiferans at a station not normally this low in dissolved oxygen. Crew change for scientists
- 2100 -
- Nearshore, north end of trans C in 5 m, normal oxygen. Headed to D'1
- 2300 -
- End of day, low oxygen
Jul 20, 2009 - Day 3
- 0000 -
- Happy Birthday Melissa, wish you were here! Headed offshore on trans D'
- 0200 -
- Severely low oxygen on many trans D' stations, 0.2 mg/L from 15 m to 30 m. Benthic eel, portunid crabs, and penaeid shrimp swimming at surface
- 0300 -
- Still headed south, hypoxia now deeper than 30 m
- 0400 -
- Out of hypoxia in 45 m water, headed west to trans D
- 0700 -
- Station D5 on south end of trans D barely above 2 mg/L
- 0900 -
- Arrival of Canadian Broadcast Corporation, Jackie Corkery, producer, documentary series, film and sound crew, for the coastal ocean portion of a 4-part series on the ocean. Landed at D3 via the R/V Acadiana
- 0930 -
- Just in time to film box coring. All other stations on trans D until beach station below 0.5 mg/L, several with hydrogen sulfide in the bottom water
- 1500 -
- Close off trans D in 5 m with 4.6 mg/L. Headed to E1 off Marsh Island
- 1800 -
- Start nearshore on trans E
- 1900 -
- Canadian Broadcast Corporation crew departs on the R/V Acadiana
- 2100 -
- Little hypoxia so far on trans E, box coring on trans E, repeat E2A from 2008
- 2335 -
- No hypoxia on trans E but consistent with SEAMAP contours from couple weeks earlier
Jul 21, 2009 - Day 4
- 0000 -
- Headed west to offshore end of trans F, normal bimonthly transect
- 0100 -
- Looking similar to trans D, well-mixed down to 12 to 15 m. Could this year be similar to 1998 when persistent winds from the SW pushed low oxygen mass to east in deeper water?
- 0250 -
- Continuing trans F with bottom oxygen levels of approx. 4.5 mg/L. Marine forecast was wrong, sustained winds to 20 kn, seas up to 4 to 5 ft
- 0400 -
- Continue with no low oxygen and high winds and seas
- 0600 -
- Very thin lens of low oxygen at F2 and F1 off the Atchafalaya area
- 0800 -
- F0 just near the Atchafalaya Bay/Gulf intersection [N.B. hypoxia in Atchafalaya Bay earlier: 16 July 2009: Dr. Brian Roberts, LUMCON, reported extremely low oxygen concentrations within Atchafalaya Bay below 1 mg/L, including F0. Several supersaturated surface waters.]
- 1030 -
- Begin trans G through day to G6. Calms down for day crew. Only one station below 2 mg/L
- 1800 -
- Head west to offshore end of trans H in 30 m
- 2000 -
- Begin trans H on offshore end in 35 m.
- 2200 -
- Seas rough up for night crew, 17 kn from south, 4 to 5 ft
Jul 22, 2009 - Day 5
- 0130 -
- End trans H on inshore end in 8 m, no hypoxia, as low as 2.4 mg/L. Depart trans H and head to inshore end of trans I, still rough, mixing shallower waters
- 0300 -
- Trans I seems to be well-mixed as well. No wonder, persistent 17-20 kn winds with 6 ft swells. Again, a gift from the sea goddess for the night crew.
- 0700 -
- Well mixed nearer shore, but thin layer of hypoxia begins in 20 m out to 30 m
- 1245 -
- Into deeper water on trans I (31 m) and out of hypoxic zone. Transit to offshore end of trans J
- 1500 -
- Offshore end of trans J in 3 mg/L
- 1830 -
- No low oxygen so far on trans J, seas calm down for night shift, finally!
- 2100 -
- Sta J4, no low oxygen, box coring for forams and diatoms, 3 for 3, plus one to grow on.
- 2400 -
- Finished with trans J, no hypoxia, headed west to trans K, inshore end
Jul 23, 2009 - Day 6
- 0130 -
- Begin inshore end of trans K in 6 m depth off Cameron LA
- 0330 -
- Midway on trans K, no low oxygen.
- 0730 -
- End of trans K, no low oxygen
- 0800 -
- Head to trans off Sabine, TX/LA border to finish out grid and look for any remnants of hypoxia from earlier in month and late June
- 0900 -
- Offshore end of trans M, no low oxygen
- 1700 -
- Inshore end of trans S northeast of Galveston, no low oxygen; finish off grid and look for any remnants of hypoxia from earlier in month and late June
- 2130 -
- End of trans S, no low oxygen
- 2200 -
- Heading to port, Cocodrie, numbers being calculated and explained and compared.
- P.S. -
- This is the end of our SILVER ANNIVERSARY cruise. The first shelfwide cruise was in 1985. Three participants from that cruise are on board for this cruise: Nancy Rabalais, LUMCON; Jim Lee, LSU; Sam LeBouef, LUMCON. Gene Turner from LSU was also present on the summer 1985 cruise.