Meet Craig Stewart
Meet Craig Stewart
What is your job title?
Marine Physics Technician: Moorings.
What do you study and why is it important?
I study ocean structure and currents as part of the NIWA marine physics team. The main method for measuring ocean currents, temperature, and salinity, is through leaving recording instruments tethered on deep ocean moorings. I design and build, deploy, and retrieve these moorings and service the instruments that they carry. The ocean is an important part of earth’s climate system – so understanding the processes that control its circulation is necessary to be able to make accurate climate predictions. It’s also interesting!
What will you be doing on the voyage?
My main task will be to recover the NIWA moorings from Macquarie Ridge and to download the data from these. I will also work shifts operating the CTD (conductivity-temperature-depth probe) used to measure profiles of ocean structure.
Where were you educated?
I completed high school at Selwyn College in Kohimarama, Auckland, then went on to study mechanical engineering and physical oceanography at Auckland University.
How did you become interested in the ocean?
I always enjoyed the coast and was interested in marine biology as a child but became interested in marine physics after completing my degree in mechanical engineering and realising that many of the skills that I had learned in my engineering studies could be applied to study the ocean.
Do you get seasick? And if so, any tips on how not to?
Yes – lying down with my eyes closed often helps, but throwing up usually makes me feel much better!
What do you enjoy about your work?
Getting to exciting places and always learning new things.
What are some of the challenges you face?
Sea sickness, long periods away from home and not eating too much of the great food on Tangaroa… (although the seasickness may help with this…)
What have you learned/discovered? What do you hope to learn?
I’m relatively new at NIWA, however, in my time there I’ve learnt a lot about mooring design, how different materials react when left in salt water, and how to deploy and retrieve moorings. I’m looking forward to seeing the data from the Macquarie Ridge mooring array to find out how strong and steady the current flowing through the Macquarie Ridge gap is.
How do you spend your spare time?
On Tangaroa I’ll hopefully get through some good books but I don’t know if I’ll have the stomach to head down to the gym.
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