Sunshine

Our last days at sea and the deployment of Sunshine, which wasadopted by students from Davis Road Middle School in Cary, NC
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October 23, 2024

The last days at sea are always a bittersweet blend of emotions. As I look forward to my travels continuing in Chile, excitement fills me, but there’s also a touch of sadness at leaving behind this incredible experience. For me, the success of my time at sea isn’t just measured by the science I contribute to, but by the amazing people I meet along the way. The crew, tirelessly busy with maintaining this beautiful ship and preparing for the next season of guest voyages (I’m a bit envious of the breathtaking places they’ll soon visit!), never failed to make me feel welcome and at home.

Boardgame night with Neda Spasojevic, Captain Heidi Norling and Harry Schneider and Isa Rosso.
Boardgame night with Neda Spasojevic, Captain Heidi Norling and Harry Schneider and Isa Rosso.

Almost all of the float deployments took place at night, which added an unexpected yet dramatic touch to the work. Fittingly, even Sunshine (Float-ID #1568)—the float adopted by students from Davis Road Middle School in Cary, NC—was deployed under the cover of night on October 21, battling nearly 30-knot winds. It was thrilling to witness Sunshine’s deployment in such conditions, especially as it marked the first float from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) on this voyage. This deployment, along with the next three planned off the National Geographic Resolution, is part of a massive production and deployment effort ramping up for WHOI’s BGC Argo lab. 2024 promises to be a landmark year for the lab, with plans to deploy more floats than they did in 2022 and 2023 combined!

Signing of Lindblad Two by the passengers aboard the NG Resolution’s Japan voyage and final design (photos by Andrew Meyer).
Signing of Lindblad Two by the passengers aboard the National Geographic Resolution’s Japan voyage and final design (photos by Andrew Meyer).
WHOI decoration of float Sunshine.
WHOI decoration of float Sunshine.
Close-up of WHOI decoration of float Sunshine.
Close-up of artwork on Sunshine.
Deployment with splash of the float by Lovenio Soriano and Rafael Tadeo.
Deployment with splash of the Sunshine float by Lovenio Soriano and Rafael Tadeo.

Don’t forget to look for real-time data from this and other BGC floats on the GO-BGC website. Use one of the interactive maps to look for Sunshine—just search for the Float-ID 1568. You can also find information on key parameters measured by each adopted float on the AdoptAFloatViz page.

Check the GO-BGC array in real time and stay tuned to hear about the next float deployments!

About the Author—Isa Rosso is a hybrid physical oceanographer with extensive experience in numerical models, ocean observations, and satellite data, with a deep passion for being at sea, where she can truly experience the power and beauty of our oceans.