Fieldwork

Pilot Cruise

First time the team worked together at sea.

Established basic procedures for EcoCTD profiles, simple water sampling, and plankton net tows.

Major learning period for logistics, timing, and equipment handling.

Spring Cruise

Deployed the first long‑term temperature moorings, adding year‑round monitoring capability.

Improved and standardized station workflow and sampling order.

More organized filtration and plankton sampling compared to January.

Summer Cruise

Installed a new heavy winch and davit, enabling use of a full CTD‑rosette for multi‑depth water collection.

Used CTD‑rosette sampling at four depths, greatly expanding what could be measured.

Deployed two Argo floats far offshore—the first autonomous instruments of the project.

Used a drifting sediment trap to sample sinking particles.

Longest cruise so far, with the densest set of measurements.

Fall Cruise

Added depth‑resolved sonar recording, not used earlier in the year.

Improved cross‑shelf sampling strategy with a consistent pattern for station order.

Expanded imaging work: the PlanktoScope was used systematically at almost all stations.

Longest cruise so far, with the densest set of measurements.

Training & Winter Cruise

First cruise focused mainly on hands‑on training for CTD‑rosette operations.

Practiced both automated and manual bottle‑firing modes.

Multiple‑depth sampling used as a teaching tool rather than a full science survey.

Consistent work along one transect (Prampram) to support training.