The Monthly Dunk

Probably few Suva residents are aware of a voyage from Suva Harbour that takes place each month in the cause of science.

THE voyage is usually made by the pilot launch Seniceva and the scientific team consists of Mr. P. O. Dunn of the Geological Survey and a group of sturdy Fijian assistants.

With them goes a mounted reel like a life-savers line-reel, but fitted with a lengthy span of thin stranded steel wire. There is also a torpedo shaped instrument three feet long, known as a bathythermograph, and another rather shorter metal con traption known as a reversing bottle.

The cruises began as part of a world-wide International Geophysi cal Year study of ocean levels, temperatures, and chemical com position, and have continued since— and will continue indefinitely as much useful information has been obtained.

On a fine smooth day the voyage is pleasant enough, but when the launch is in the short steep seas kicked up by a fresh Trade wind the launching and recovering of the equipment is not so pleasant or easy.

A small square of glass with one side smoked is inserted into the bathythermograph and it is at tached to the wire. Above it is attached the reversing-bottle, its open mouth downward so that it will take in no water on the way down. The wire is then quickly lowered until the pointer on the winch reads 75 fathoms (450 ft).

A weight is then sent down the wire. This releases a catch on the reversing-bottle, which promptly in

verts itself, fills, and is closed by a water-tight cap trapping a water sample at the 75-fathom level.

Meanwhile, as the bathythermo graph descends a special type of thermometer registers the seawater temperature by scratching a line across the smoked glass plate.

A sample of the surface water, and its temperature, is also taken.

These samples and the tempera ture data are then despatched to New Zealand and from there to world IGY centres in the USSR and US to add to the sum total of knowledge of the oceans and even tually to aid climatologists, fisher men, navigators, and others.

Jim Shortall.

Outside Suva Hare Fijian Joeli Romamn covers the revee bottle with its s* of sea water froic fathoms.

Scientific man Dunn on the launch with his ants, Joeli, T[?] Sawailau and M[?] Lawakeli. Their [?] takes place on[?] month in the ca[?] science.