Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute  Southern Ocean Iron
Experiment (SOFeX) Cruise January 5 - February 26, 2002
February 23, 2002: Day 50  R/V Melville: Position: 48 degrees,
56 minutes South, 176 degrees, 9 minutes West  R/V Melville Log
Entry: This expedition has been driven by some fundamental
questions in oceanography, biogeochemistry and paleoceanography
that have important significance to questions of climate change
and the fluctuation of atmospheric carbon dioxide over the last
several glacial/interglacial cycles. These are huge questions
not readily addressed by any one person; it takes a large
program and many years of study. Although we try, we cant
predict the oceans response from our desktop or super-computers
using models, there are limitations and there are no substitutes
for being there. But mobilizing a large program to such a
distant region is non trivial and the efforts and logistical
considerations to get a few vessels down here are formidable.
After the science is evaluated for mer