CFL in Africa – What Was Lost Now Is Found…

The Lake Tanganyika Ecosystem Project crew prepares for a day in the field.

If you read our summer series “CFL in Africa,” then you know that field work on that far-flung continent is anything but routine.  For example, a bright orange buoy floating atop the water is a sure sign to passing fishermen or anyone else motoring by that there’s probably something worth some money on the other end of the line. Tired of having their equipment lifted from the lake, the clever researchers in Pete McIntyre’s lab have learned to submerge buoys beneath Lake Tanganyika’s surface and even lock equipment to rocks to ensure it’s still there when they head back out to collect data.
Turns out a submerged sonde isn’t so easy to spot, even if you swim right past it…

There’s only one little problem to this method – it turns out equipment chained to the bottom of the world’s second deepest lake is pretty hard to find.
Ben Kraemer, a grad student in the McIntyre lab, is spending the year in Tanzania collecting data on Lake Tanganyika for the Lake Tanganyika Ecosystem Project. A couple of months ago, some equipment went missing….here’s his tale of rediscovering something….right where he left it.
Hi All,

So here is the thermistor chain story…the day was off to a very bad start. 

All of the gear was loaded up in the boat and Hagai, George and I launched out from TAFIRI at about 8:45 am to go install a new thermistor chain mooring. After motoring for about 200 meters, the engine started making a terrible noise and died.
Read the rest of the story on McIntyre lab manager, Ellen Hamann’s blog.