This summer, undergraduates from XMU Faculty of Earth Science and Technology (FEST) embraced a unique opportunity to take a fortnight educational and training cruise onboard R/VTKK. XMU at Sea Undergraduate Training Cruise 2018 was co-organized by the College of Ocean and Earth Sciences (COE) and the College of the Environment and Ecology (CEE). A total of 66 students and teachers participated in this expedition.
During this cruise, students were divided into different working groups based on their majors. They conducted all on-deck operations, sample collections and analyses, data processing under the supervision and instruction of training teachers.
In this two-week cruise, 40 CTD casts, 101 plankton net tows, 13 benthic trawls, 10 sediment samplings, and 6 acoustic communication experiments were carried out. Numerous samples were collected.
Students collected samples out on the main deck. Photo: Xikun Song
Students worked together to rinse samples. Photo: Xikun Song
What is CTD?
CTD (acronym for Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth), one of the most important workhorses on any general-purpose oceanographic research vessel, helps scientists to collect seawater samples from various depths and to precisely probe the conductivity, temperature and pressure of the water column.
Students preparing the CTD Rosette for deployment. Photo: Xikun Song
A sum-up workshop of this very first XMU at Sea undergraduate training cruise will be arranged soon after the cruise so that the students can exchange field operations and exciting findings out of this journey.
Looking forward to the undergraduate expedition next year.
