26-AUG-2010

Naples Harbor Sampling

Naples Harbor With The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Aircraft Carrier Anchored

Thursday July 15th

After getting some sleep at anchorage in Ischia island we sailed for a few hours to the main harbor in Naples.  Over the years the Sorcerer II Expedition has collected samples in major ports around the world (Sydney, Halifax, Boston,  Panama, Cape Town, just to name a few).  Naples harbor is not only a big industrial harbor but also a research site that has been monitored by Italian scientist for may year.

Water Profile from Naples Harbor
Water Profile from Naples Harbor

As you would imagine from such a busy port the water was not clear blue like open ocean!  We could only filter 200 liters from the surface (normally we can easily do 400 liters) and 75 from the Chlorophyll max (we can normally do 200 liters).

After we collected our Naples sample we sailed overnight to the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea and collected samples from above a  thermal vent off of Lipari Island.  Once we had the samples collected we sailed to Vulcano Island to anchor for the night and prepare for the 3 samples we would collect the next day as part of our Straits of Messina transect.

Vulcano Island
Vulcano Island