The fearless

 "Out of the dark, into the sun
I'm in a higher state of mind
A brand new start 
I will transform into the fearless"
- "Fearless" by Amaranthe

Just a few barnacles on CATAIN's end cap. 
Photo by Kharis Schrage.

Friends, it is going to be a looooong winter. As covid cases surge in the U.S. and the days grow ever shorter, I am doing my best to stay focused on things that make me happy. Biking in the crisp morning air. Chocolate-covered cashews. Slanted afternoon sunlight on Eel Pond. And my favorite band's new album (see above). 

This week, I got a chance to feel fearless. It's been 2 months since the last time we deployed CATAIN under the WHOI pier, which meant it was time to bring the camera back to the surface. I'm trying to get a continuous record of settlement over the course of a year, which CATAIN can do - I just have to charge the battery and download the data every 60 days. 

CATAIN's electronic entrails.

Here's the thing: it's December. And while the water temperature isn't actually that bad (and I have a nice warm drysuit), the wind is doing its best to drive all humans indoors. It's definitely tempting to take it easy, but I've never been one to shy away from field work in bad weather or a good winter SCUBA dive. I donned my gear and descended into the depths. 

As soon as we located CATAIN below the pier, I could tell the deployment was worth it. There were just a few barnacles on the camera's end cap - lone stragglers in the frigid sea. Contrast that with what we found over the summer, when CATAIN was covered in barnacles, bryozoans, ascidians, and snails. There are obviously strong seasonal patterns in settlement, which my data will clearly show. 

After cleaning off the camera and its frame with the hot-water tap (thank goodness for hot water!), I took it into the lab and opened the housing. The batteries will charge and the data will download over the next few days, before I seal up CATAIN and return her to her rightful place on the seafloor.