NOAA Teacher at Sea
Susan Carty
Onboard NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown
March 14 – April 20, 2001
Mission: Asian-Pacific Regional Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE-ASIA)
Geographical Area: Western Pacific
Date: March 19, 2001
My goodness, I am beginning to need the calendar to see what day it really is! The days are beginning to blend together.
There are some “green faces” today. After fairly gentle seas yesterday, the swells have increased in size and the gray clouds are threatening us with rain. I am ever so grateful for my calm stomach, so far. The ships physician offers a guide with the following helpful hints to ease the discomfort of sea sickness.
1. Drink lots of water
2. Avoid fried foods
3. Take naps ( this is a particularly good suggestion !)
4. Keep some food in your stomach
5. Don’t work at a computer terminal too long
6. Don’t read too long
7. Get topside and breath in fresh air
8. Focus on the horizon or some object that is stationary
Apparently no one is immune to sea sickness. If the seas become rough enough for long enough we may all become green (like Kermit).
Testing continues daily. I am now becoming more familiar with the testing terminology. At times it is necessary for the ship to stop and hold position for a few hours for tests and other times, like today, the ship continues on course but tries to maintain a steadier position. Today is more difficult to do that.
What makes the RON BROWN such an excellent vessel for scientific experimentation
is the vast array of equipment on board. Here is a sample of that equipment.
a. Multibeam Echo Sounding System
b. Hydrographic/Sub-Bottom Profiler
c. Depth Recorder/Indicator System
d. Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler
e. Doppler Speed Log
f. Acoustic Positioning System
g. Conductivity, Temperature, Depth System (CTD)
h. Global Positioning System (GPS)
i. Scientific Computer System (SCS)
Sounds really impressive, doesn’t it? One of my goals is to understand how each piece of equipment actually works.
The albatross are gone now. Where could they go way out here anyway?
QUESTION OF THE DAY: What actually causes motion sickness? Why are some people more susceptible than others?
Bye for now,
Susan