R/V Weatherbird II in port

The R/V Weatherbird II docked at the Florida Institute of Oceanography at University of South Florida (USF) College of Marine Science in St. Petersburg, Florida. USGS scientists and partners at Eckerd College and USF load the vessel in preparation for a research cruise as part of a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Scientists-at-Sea program. During the cruise, USGS and Eckerd College students collected samples from, and redeployed, sediment traps to study sediment flux and climate change in the Gulf of Mexico.