In the fog...

For the last few days, we have had calm seas and been ensconced in a thick fog much of the time. Right now, this doesn't pose any problems for our science operations - we are cruising along and acquiring seismic reflection data, which can illuminate the subsurface just fine, fog or no fog.  But the fog is starting to make everyone on the ship a little crazy!   Normally one is treated to expansive ocean views at sea, but instead we get to see this:
The horizon is out there somewhere...
Perhaps even more disconcerting, the ship sounds a special fog horn at regular intervals to alert other ships that we have limited maneuverability since we are towing equipment. It consists of one long horn followed by two shorter ones. It is very loud.  Everyone on the ship will tell you that this horn must be located right outside their cabin.

We can live with it for now, but soon we will transition back to OBS work. When its time to pick them up, it would be super helpful if we could actually see more than 100 m from the ship!

Donna Shillington
LDEO
Scenic views from the galley....

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