CATAIN 2.0

Back when Kharis started her PhD, we came up with a grand plan: deploy CATAINs at three locations in an Arctic fjord. One site would be near the glacier at the head of the fjord; one site would be in the middle of the fjord next to the research station; and one would be at the fjord mouth, exposed to the open ocean. That way, we could tell how settlement and post-settlement mortality patterns varied across a gradient of glacial influence. 

Kharis building CATAIN's computer system - we had to 
stack a Sleepy Pi on a Raspberry Pi.

Here's the problem: we only have one CATAIN. I always intended the settlement camera to be a research tool I could duplicate - in an ideal world, I would have 100 CATAINs deployed all over the world - but I was left with the question of how to build more.

It's been a challenge. The first barrier to scientific progress is always, always funding, so Kharis and I set about writing grant proposals and scraping together money to buy all the necessary components. We succeeded at affording everything except the waterproof housing (more on that saga later - don't worry, I figured out a solution). Once all the components showed up in the lab, we were tasked with  assembling them. 

We have the original designs from the engineers who built the CATAIN prototype, thank goodness. We have the software, too. The engineers are available to answer general questions, but our lack of funding means we can't afford any of their time. The good news is that the engineer who designed CATAIN's electrical system, John, actually retired in the last year and has volunteered a few hours to help us get on track. I am extremely grateful for his magnanimity. 

The other challenge we're facing is one of location: Kharis and I have barely been in the same place since the spring. First I was in Palau, then she was in the Arctic, then we had about a month and a half in Woods Hole together, and now she's back up in Svalbard. The plan was to play tag-team, with her purchasing the necessary CATAIN parts while I was gone, me finishing the process after Palau, and us building the system over the summer together so it was ready to go for the trip she's currently on. Our plan was derailed by a series of unfortunate events - mostly the global microchip shortage and our funding problems for the housing. We're now into mid-August, and CATAIN is still a pile of parts. 

Will it come together? Man, I hope so. The last critical component will be delivered in a week, and then I need to meet with John to pick up a piece he's assembled. Whether all these steps take place and I can ship the new CATAIN to Svalbard before Kharis comes home and our deployment window closes is still an open question. I dream of the day that someone manufactures CATAINs and I can just buy them. In the meantime, I am trying my best to duplicate this incredible tool and get it to the Arctic in time. Wish me luck, friends.