[July 2026] WHIRLS Adventure in the Cape Basin of the South Atlantic
Published:
From launching my first-time ballon radiosonde to analysing ocean profiles as they came in, July aboard R/V Marion Dufresne in the WHIRLS cruises was an experience I will not forget.
From June 27 - July 29, 2026, I had the opportunity to participate in the WHIRLS 2026 expedition in the Cape Basin of the South Atlantic. This five-week, dual-vessel field campaign brought together scientists from across Europe and South Africa aboard R/V Marion Dufresne and S.A. Agulhas II.
WHIRLS aims to understand how fine-scale ocean structures—including eddies, fronts and filaments—shape air-sea exchange, marine biogeochemistry, biodiversity and, ultimately, our climate.
My work on board including ocean CTD sampling, data analysis and science communication:
🧪 I participated in biogeochemical water sampling from the CTD rosette, focusing particularly on salinity and dissolved oxygen samples.
⚗️ I learned how shipboard salinometer measurements and dissolved-oxygen titrations are used to calibrate and validate oceanographic sensors.
📊 I contributed to the preliminary processing, quality control and analysis of temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and nitrate profiles collected by the CTD and Moving Vessel Profiler (MVP300). This included helping turn newly collected observations into vertical sections across eddies and ocean fronts.
🎈 I launched my first weather balloon carrying a radiosonde—definitely one of the most memorable “firsts” of the expedition.
🎙️ I organised and chaired an onboard WHIRLS science and outreach seminar, where I also gave a talk entitled “Why Ocean Observations Matter for Understanding Climate Change.”
And between sampling shifts, data processing and scientific discussions, I had the chance to experience the South Atlantic at its most spectacular: remarkable sunsets, rainbows stretching across the ocean, and whales appearing beside the ship.
Over the past 5 years, I have processed millions of in-situ profiles for my study on ocean climate change, and with this cruise voyage, this is my first time seeing how these millions of profiles I dealt with over the past 5 years are collected, sampled, and calibrated!
I am grateful to the entire WHIRLS team and the crew of R/V Marion Dufresne for the science, teamwork and unforgettable moments at sea.
I touched the Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW), the abyssal water in the ocean!
