Joan Le, Rolling in the Deep, August 11, 2013

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Joanie Le
Aboard NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow
August 5 – 16, 2014

Mission: Deep-Sea Coral Research
Geographic area of the cruise: Southeast of Cape May
Date: August 11, 2014

Weather information from the Bridge
Air Temperature: 24.2° C
Wind Direction: 140
Weather Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Latitude: 38° 31.7′
Longitude: 73° 14.7′

Science and Technology Log

TowCam is back, and the deep sea pictures are in. The high resolution images from the last dive have been downloaded and many are stunning. We’ve spotted dozens of red crabs, flat fish, skates, eels, anemones, sponges and most importantly, coral. Clustered around the steeper rocky slopes, they greet us like tiny shrubs peeking around the corners of the rock.

Matthew Poti annotates images for future data analysis.

TowCam’s camera is protected at depth by its sturdy casing.

Dr. Lizet Christiansen downloads high resolution images from TowCam’s Nikkon camera.

But one of the reasons studying deep-sea coral is so important, is that they are part of a larger ecosystem. Documenting the diversity of organisms associated with the coral is equally as important and exciting as the coral sightings themselves. In fact, many conservation efforts have begun to shift their focus from single-species protection to focusing on the ecosystem as a whole. And now, without further delay, a few of TowCam’s high resolution images:

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Brilliance Under Pressure

While gathered around the control room today marveling at the beautiful fauna that thrives under the extreme environmental conditions of the deep sea, the video feed for our winch control went out. Without it, Dr. Lizet Christiansen would have been unable to safely maneuver the TowCam around the steep and rocky cliffs.

Dr. Christiansen uses video chat on my cell phone to safely complete the dive. Photo credit Matt Poti.

Brian Kinlan uses his cell phone to send video feed of the winch drum. Photo credit Matt Poti.

Screenshot of my cell phone acting as a video feed.

Stuck right in the middle of one our best dives yet, Brian Kinlan stepped in with a quick and brilliant save. Using two cell phones, video chatting, and a whole lot of duct tape, we were able to rig a new video feed and the dive continued. It reminded me again how difficult research can be while at sea, when you can’t simply run to the hardware store to fix broken equipment.

Thanks to our equally brilliant crew and tech support, the video feed returned shortly and the dive continued as planned.

Personal Log

After 4 midnight-noon shifts, I am starting to find my rhythm on the ship. My daily workout has finally moved from the stationary bike to the treadmill, as I can now walk (and even run) without falling over as the ship bobs back and forth. Though I’d rather be running in the absolutely beautiful sunshine that has daily graced our ship, my outdoor time is filled quite nicely writing my blog or simply searching for dolphins off the flying bridge of the ship. In honor of some late-night (early morning?) conversations around the true definition of a “hipster”, I decided to throw in a few hipster-esque shots of the sights around the ship.

Rounded stairs on the gangplank to adjust to rising tides.

In case of emergency.

Okay. I won’t

My desk window.

And for the record, I’d like to state that if a hipster is someone that is driven by their passions, dances to the beat of their own drummer, and has met no obstacle that can slow them down in their pursuit of an important and meaningful life, then field scientists are true hipsters–in the best sense of the word. Skinny jeans = optional.