NOAA Teacher at Sea
John Sammons
Onboard NOAA Ship Albatross IV
July 25 – August 4, 2005
Mission: Ecosystem Survey
Geographic Region: Northeast U.S.
Date: July 30, 2005
Weather Data from the Bridge
Latitude: 41° 26’ N
Longitude: 66° 34’ W
Visibility: <1 mile
Wind direction: NW (306 degrees)
Wind speed: 7 knots
Sea wave height: 1’
Swell wave height: 1’
Sea water temperature: 15°C
Sea level pressure: 1023.3 millibars
Cloud cover: 90% fog, haze, dust
Question of the Day: What physical adaptations help the animals pictured in numbers 1 – 6 above survive in their environment? Give at least three.
Yesterday’s Answer: The cloud types shown in yesterday’s pictures are: 1) cirrus and stratus 2) stratus (fog) 3) cirrus 4) cirrus 5) cumulus 6) cirrus and stratus 7) stratus (fog) 8) stratus 9) cumulus (alto-or cirro-cumulus) There were no cumulonimbus (thunderstorm) clouds (which is a good thing). The crew on the Albatross IV was experiencing FAIR weather.
Science and Technology Log
Animal adaptations fall into two general categories – behavioral and physical. The physical adaptations are the structures on the animal that help in survive, while the behavioral adaptations are the actions the animal takes in order to survive. The structures may include fins, body shape, beaks, mouth parts, legs, gills, etc. that are important to the animal’s ability to endure within the habitat. For example, scallops have a hard shell that helps them survive by keeping out predators. The actions that animals may take in order to survive include playing dead, showing teeth, and licking your face. For example, scallops squirt water in order to push themselves away from their predators.
On Saturday we moved into Canadian waters and are now operating in an open area. We essentially have the same tasks to perform at each station, including taking a picture of the catch before it is sorted, weighing and measuring selected species, tagging and bagging requested species, cleaning the workstations after each station, and operating the CTD. More information about the Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth instrument will be shared in tomorrow’s log. Several whales, dolphins, sharks, and porpoises have been spotted. They are difficult to photograph because I never have a camera ready, and they are breaking the surface at unpredictable time.
The table below shows the amount of some of the marine species collected since our survey began.
- Can you tell which species was the most populated in the areas surveyed?
- Which species was the least populated?
- Are there any that have the same or close to the same amount?
- What’s the difference between the number of the most and least populated totals?
Personal Log
Ocean Sunset
Stand in awe as the sun begins to finally set,
Awash in orange and red and yellow, it is hard to forget.
What a lasting beauty as the sky begins to glow,
Its splendor in the many colors that it will show.
Waiting for its lasting blaze of light to end the day,
Now I lay me down to sleep. . ., I ask of Him, I pray.
