NOAA Teacher at Sea
Jillian Worssam
Onboard U.S. Coast Guard Vessel Healy
July 1 – 30, 2008
Mission: Bering Sea Ecosystem Survey
Geographic Region: Bering Sea, Alaska
Date: July 3, 2008
Science Log
We are underway, a tug helped our vessel move away from the dock and we are now heading towards station number one.
Before we get to our first sampling point, which will be a CTD deployment and Mocness, I would like to give you a little background on some of the science that will be accomplished over the next 30 days. At first I was told there would be approximately seven concurrent scientific data sampling experiments being conducted, well that estimate is off by a bit, The scientists on board are studying:
Physical Oceanography and water circulation Hydrography Carbon productivity Nitrogen uptake and cycling Particle flux Iron Analysis Euphausiid and microzooplankton Euphausiid rate measurements Organic tracers and trophic transfer Ichthyoplankton Microzooplankton grazing Benthic biogeochemical fluxes Bird distribution and abundance Marine mammal observation: right whale observer Bio-optical and phyto plankton variations Water column bio-optics and phytoplankton characteristics.
Phew, I am out of breath, and to be honest hope to by the end of the cruise to know more about each and every one of these scientific studies, how to pronounce their names, and explain their importance to this amazing ecosystem called the Bering Sea!
Stop in tomorrow to learn more about quantitative zooplankton studies with Alexei Pinchuk. We will use the Mocness collect samples and well, I can’t tell it all today, there needs to be some surprises for tomorrow.
Quote of the Day: On the path that leads to nowhere I have sometimes found my soul. Corrine Roosevelt Robins
FOR MY STUDENTS: How long do you think you can go without sleep and still function effectively?
