We ran transect one today, roughly slightly north of Knife Island on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Started in 200 meters of very cold water moving inland. Had to drop the last 3 stations (out of 8) due to fishing nets and shallow water. The weather is intoxicating. The water is flat and the boat glides smoothly over a gentle surface. Blue sky. Green pines on hilly shores. You could fall into a trance and let the world spin to a stop.

Fire and Ice, from the Jim Miller lecture Day 1
What I learned today was the story of geological development for the Lake Superior Basin. Fire and Ice or magma and glaciers, 23 million years ago resulted in thousands of lava flows as part of the mid continental rift basin creation. These events set the stage for the creation of the great lakes. Next the glaciers carved the basin out, retreated, depositing sediment and sand on top of high density basaltic crust.
Fifty major glacial advancements and retreats later, and we have Lake Superior, the most precious freshwater ecosystem in the world. From then on, plants, minerals, animals, zooplankton, phytoplankton, would emerge, evolve and grow to create a wealth of life that continues to thrive, recover and change today. It a story of Fire and Ice that is not yet finished. And he research continues….This is a very exciting prospect, to explore the greatest of Great Lakes.

On the lighter side of life, we land lubbers must morph into sea faring folk, which takes a little adjusting. Sleeping quarters are close and ear plugs seem to be an essential just in case one’s roomies snore a bit. Also,the rocking back and forth sorta sloshes your bladder around and this blogger kept thinking I needed to go to the bathroom. Thus I climbed in and out of my berth no less than a dozen times, something a contortionist would have difficulty with. The food has been terrific and the time to sit and talk scientifically with colleagues a wonderful opportunity. This is, indeed, a learning adventure!