NOAA Teacher at Sea
Lisa Werner
Aboard NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada
August 29-September 13, 2024
Mission: EXPRESS Project
Geographic Area of Cruise: Pacific Coast, near Oregon
Date: August 30, 2024
Weather Data from the Bridge (Daisy Bank)
Latitude: 44.37 º N
Longitude: 124.44º W
Wind Speed: NW at 3.17 knots
Air Temperature: 15.7° Celsius (60.26° F)
Conditions: Foggy
Science and Technology Log
Today was the first deployment of the autonomous underwater vehicle (or AUV) for this sailing. The AUV’s name is Popoki ‘Eiwa (which is Hawaiian for ‘Cat Nine,’ and refers to Popoki’s catlike stealth, and the fact that this is the ninth one of this class of AUVs). There was a lot of prep work done yesterday to make sure Popoki was ready for her first outing for this trip (though she has had close to 300 deployments, according to Chief Scientist Dr. Elizabeth Clarke).
An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is unique because it is not tethered to NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada in any way. The AUV must be programmed to do what the scientists want. The advantage of Popoki over other submersibles is that Popoki hovers a few meters over the ocean floor, so it can handle rocky terrains better. While underwater, Popoki takes pictures of the ocean floor every few seconds, allowing scientists to see fish, coral, and the marine habitat of the location.
Images from Popoki
The first thing necessary for Popoki’s deployment today was to have a Green-Amber-Red (GAR) Daily Risk Assessment Meeting. This took place on the bridge, and Chief Scientist Dr. Clarke and her science team met with Commanding Officer Gibson and her ship crew. Both parties looked at current conditions and the necessary actions of the deployment, mission, and recovery of the AUV. They assessed categories such as resources, weather, and mission complexity to determine whether conditions were acceptable for a deployment today. Everyone communicated questions and concerns about the mission objectives. In the end, it was decided the mission was an Amber level – meaning to use extra caution. This is normal for the first deployment of a sailing, as there are new crew involved who have never dealt with Popoki before. Also, during the dive, the ship needs to be able to stay in a position to communicate with the AUV. The risk assessment served as a reminder to everyone to pay very close attention to everything that was going on and to communicate effectively and efficiently to get the job done.
After some deck testing, it was time to get Popoki to sea. She was hoisted off of the deck using the ship’s winch and side a-frame, and then gently lowered to the water. It takes many crew members to make sure that the 600-lb. Popoki does not get hurt or that she does not rub along the side of the ship.
Popoki was deployed a little before 10 am, and recovery started around 2:30 pm. She has a very busy work day (the subsequent dives for our trip will be around 7 hours), and Jeff Anderson, AUV pilot and scientist, will have a busy evening of analyzing the pictures she is bringing back. The recovery process is fascinating to watch, as it is an intricate dance of ship control by the highly skilled bridge of the ship, and the scientists and deck crew with impressive skill trying to wrangle the AUV with lines, hooks, and the winch. No easy feat for sure, though they certainly made it look less difficult than it was! Popoki will be deployed every day of this sailing, weather permitting.
Popoki does not just bring back pictures – she has a sophisticated collection of sensors that will graph the salinity, dissolved oxygen, and temperature, along with graphs that monitor the use of her propellors, battery usage, buoyancy, etc. It is really impressive to see all that she has encountered during the entirety of her dive.
Personal Log
I really enjoyed being a part of the risk assessment meeting and noticing how important it was that every person involved in the deployment, operation, and return of Popoki had all of the information of the day’s agenda. Every aspect of the day’s goal was planned, with every person aware of which portion he/she was responsible for. Although I don’t necessarily need to assess the risks involved with holding a music concert, the coordination of communication reminded me a lot of how big music events run at our school. Every person in our school – teachers, students, custodians, parent volunteers – all have a very important role to play in the success of the concert. The risk assessment for Popoki gave me a new perspective on how to best address all of the moving pieces necessary to communicate the needs for the concert, and the involvement of everyone in the success of the event!
Additionally, the pictures that came back from Popoki were so impressive to see, even while unedited (the computer runs a color-correction program). It is truly remarkable how the majority of people can be floating above 300 meters of water and never know what is directly below us! It was like looking at pictures from an oceanography documentary, except knowing that I was right above what was being shown on the screen. Seeing something that so few people get to see while being in the location the pictures were taken is an incredible experience! I am just in awe!
Music Connection
I did not talk about this up above, because I really wanted to discuss this here in the Music Connection: How do you think scientists on NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada communicate with Popoki?
If you guessed through the use of sound, you are correct! The technology is similar to that of a fax machine – a computer translates the programming from the scientist into a series of audio tones that are sent to Popoki. Popoki communicates back with a set of digital signals. It is a complicated oscillation of pitches in a variety of rhythms from the scientist doing the programming, a handoff period (because you do not want both the ship and Popoki transmitting at the same time), and then tones of different durations from Popoki responding with what actions she is doing (confirming the commands being followed, documenting images being recorded, recording position, etc.).
Student Questions
The students I teach made up a list of questions for me to get answers for them, which I called “Homework for your Teacher.” One of the questions they asked was if there were any jellyfish in the area I was going to be. After my visit to the aquarium, I learned that Moon Jellyfish were in the area. Today, while I was on the bridge, Ops Officer Lt. Jaime Hendrix showed me a jellyfish that we could see in the water, as it was near the surface. It was incredible to see a jellyfish outside of an aquarium, and I was impressed I could see the Moon Jellyfish all the way up on the bridge!