jcobley2019

September 3, 2019

Jessica Cobley: A Busy Return to Home, September 2, 2019

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Jessica Cobley

Aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson

July 19 – August 8, 2019

Mission: Midwater Trawl Acoustic Survey

Geographic Area of Cruise: Gulf of Alaska (Kodiak to Yakutat Bay)

Date: 9/2/2019

Weather Data from Juneau, Alaska:

Lat: 58.3019° N, Long: 134.4197° W
Air Temp: 12º C

Personal Log

Phew…finally a day to sit back and take a breath! A few days after getting back from sea, I attended our school district’s inservice and am now 2 weeks into the new school year. It is hard to believe how quickly the summer break goes by!

Back in Juneau, the sunny, warm weather has continued, which has also meant no shortage of adventures. Since getting home, friends and I have hiked the Juneau Ridge, fished in Lynn Canal, and hunted on Admiralty Island. It has been a warm welcome home! A group of us are also training for the upcoming Klondike Running Relay from Skagway, AK to Whitehorse, YT. Needless to day, I was VERY happy to have a treadmill and workout equipment on the boat to keep active while at sea.

Jess' dogs — Our pups at the end of a trail run to the Herbert Glacier in Juneau.

Spotting deer at sunset on Admiralty Island.

Jess and fish — Fishing after a night camping on a nearby island. Photo by Max Stanley

On the school side of things, I felt lucky to have some time to spend curriculum planning while at sea. It has helped me have a smooth start to the year and give the new 7th graders a great start. I am definitely looking forward to sharing my Teacher at Sea experience with all my new kiddos.

With the return to school, my relaxing days at sea have been replaced with nonstop action in and out of the classroom. Not only does the school year bring teaching science classes, but also an Artful Teaching continuing education course, coaching our middle school cross country team, and planning events for SouthEast Exchange (SEE). SEE is an organization I am a part of that works to connect local professionals, like those I met at sea, with local teachers. Our goal is to bring more real-world and place-based experiences into our classrooms. Through my involvement with SEE, I met and worked with NOAA scientist Ebett Siddon. Along with collaborating together on a unit about Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management for my 7th graders, she also told me about Teachers at Sea!

With that, I would like to say a HUGE thank you to all of the staff at NOAA who help make this program possible. It was a once in a lifetime experience that has helped me better understand the field I am teaching about. I look forward to using what I have learned about studying fish populations and the unique career opportunities at sea with my students. I know they will appreciate my new expertise and see that there always opportunities to keep learning!

Kodiak Island mural — Last photo taken in Kodiak! Photo by Ruth Drinkwater

Thank you again and please consider applying for this program if you are a teacher reading this. 🙂

August 7, 2019

Jessica Cobley: Recalibrating, August 6, 2019

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Jessica Cobley

Aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson

July 19 – August 8, 2019

Mission: Midwater Trawl Acoustic Survey

Geographic Area of Cruise: Gulf of Alaska (Kodiak to Yakutat Bay)

Date: 8/6/2019

Weather Data from the Gulf of Alaska: Lat: 58º 44.3 N Long: 145º 23.51 W

Air Temp: 15.9º C

Personal Log

Currently we are sailing back across the Gulf of Alaska to the boat’s home port, Kodiak. I think the last few days have gone by quickly with the change of daily routine as we start to get all the last minute things finished and gear packed away.

Since my last post, the definite highlight was sailing up to see the Hubbard Glacier in Disenchantment Bay (near Yakutat). WOW. The glacier is so wide (~6miles) that we couldn’t see the entire face. In addition to watching the glacier calve, we also saw multiple seals sunbathing on icebergs as we sailed up to about a mile from the glacier.

We spent a few hours with everyone enjoying the sunshine and perfect view of the mountains behind the glacier, which form the border between the U.S. and Canada. We also had a BBQ lunch! Here are a few photos from our afternoon.

*Group photo of the science crew! Photo by Danielle Power*

Another surprise was showing up for dinner the other night to find King Crab on the menu. What a treat! Most people are now trying to get back on a normal sleeping schedule and so mealtimes are busier than usual.

king crab legs — *Our Chief Steward, Judie, sure does spoil us!*

Lastly, the engineering department was working on a welding project and invited me down to see how it works. On the first day of the trip I had asked if I could learn how to weld and this was my chance! They let me try it out on a scrap piece of metal after walking me through the safety precautions and letting me watch them demonstrate. It works by connecting a circuit of energy created by the generator/welding machine. When the end you hold (the melting rod) touches the surface that the other end of the conductor is connected to (the table) it completes the circuit.

Jessica welding — Wearing a protective jacket, gloves and helmet while welding are a must. The helmet automatically goes dark when sparks are made so your eyes aren’t damaged from the bright light. Photo by Evan Brooks.

Scientific Log

Before making it to Yakutat we fished a few more times and took our last otolith samples and fish measurements. Otoliths are the inner ear bones of fish and have rings on them just like a tree. The number and width of the rings help scientists calculate how old the fish is, as well as how well it grew each year based on the thickness of the rings. In the wet lab, we take samples and put them in little individual vials to be taken back to the Seattle lab for processing. Abigail did a great job teaching where to cut in order to find the otoliths, which can be tough since they are so small.

Jessica and pollock otoliths — *Our last time taking otolith samples from pollock. Photo by Troy Buckley*

Another important piece of the survey is calibrating all of the equipment they use. Calibration occurs at the start and end of each survey to make sure the acoustic equipment is working consistently throughout the survey. The main piece of equipment being calibrated is the echosounder, which sends out sound waves which reflect off of different densities of objects in the water. In order to test the different frequencies, a tungsten carbide and a copper metal ball are individually hung below the boat and centered underneath the transducer (the part that pings out the sound and then listens for the return sound). Scientists know what the readings should be when the sound/energy bounces off of the metal balls. Therefore, the known results are compared with the actual results collected and any deviation is accounted for in the data accumulated on the survey.

After calibration, we cleaned the entire wet lab where all of the fish have been processed on the trip. It is important to do a thorough cleaning because a new survey team comes on board once we leave, and any fish bits left behind will quickly begin to rot and smell terrible. Most of the scales, plastic bins, dissection tools, nets, and computers are packed up and sent back to Seattle.

Gear packed — *All packed up and ready to go! The rain gear also gets scrubbed inside and out to combat any lingering fish smell.*

Did You Know?

Remember when you were a kid counting the time between a lightning strike and thunder? Well, the ship does something similar to estimate the distance of objects from the ship. If it is foggy, the ship can blow its fog horn and count how many seconds it takes for the sound to be heard again (or come back to the boat). Let’s say they counted 10 seconds. Since sound travels at approximately 5 seconds per mile, they could estimate that the ship was 1 mile away from shore. We were using this method to estimate how close Oscar Dyson was from the glacier yesterday. While watching the glacier calve we counted how many seconds between seeing the ice fall and actually hearing it. We ended up being about 1 mile away.

Cheers, Jess

August 5, 2019

Jessica Cobley: Not Just Fishing, August 1, 2019

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Jessica Cobley

Aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson

July 19 – August 8, 2019

Mission: Midwater Trawl Acoustic Survey

Geographic Area of Cruise: Gulf of Alaska (Kodiak to Yakutat Bay)

Date: 8/1/2019

Weather Data from the Gulf of Alaska: Lat: 59º 18.59’ N Long: 146º 06.18W

Air Temp: 14.8º C

Personal Log

We made it to Prince William Sound the other day, but I was asleep by the time we got all the way up. The part I did see, near the entrance, was pretty, but fog and clouds blocked the majority of the view. One of the beaches we attempted to fish by had what looked like an old red train car washed up on it. We wondered where it came from and how it got there!

Sunrise over Gulf of Alaska — *Sunrise the day before we headed into Prince William Sound.*

We are sailing the last few transects of the trip now and headed towards a small bay, called Broken Oar Bay, near Yakutat. Once we arrive, we need to calibrate the instruments used for collecting data and compare the results to the start of the trip. This will let the scientists know that their instruments are stable and making consistent measurements.

While calibrating we may have an opportunity to get a glimpse of the Hubbard Glacier at the head Yakutat Bay. The Hubbard Glacier is approximately 6 miles wide and when it calves, makes icebergs 3-4 stories tall. Fingers crossed we get to see it!

On a side note, I have been drawing while on the boat. Here are some photos!

Jessica's sketch of a squid — *One of the squids we caught… it was just a tiny little guy, about 2 cm.*

Diagram of commercial fishing methods — *Gus Beck, lead night fisherman, sat down with me yesterday and explained the main types of commercial fishing methods. Now I won’t get them mixed up.*

Abigail's prowfish sketch — *This is my favorite one! Abigail’s drawing of a prowl fish. They have the best facial expressions.*

Science and Technology Log:

The majority of my time has been spent above deck with the science and deck crews. Yesterday, I took the opportunity to head down below and learn some of the ways Oscar Dyson is kept running smoothly.

Danielle and deck crew — Some of the deck crew that are responsible for putting the nets out. Danielle, one of our senior survey techs, is up top and controls the movement of the net.

There are several areas/rooms that hold different types of equipment below deck. One of the largest rooms is the engine room, where not 2 or 3, but 4 engines are located. At night, 2 of the engines are needed since the ship sails slowly for camera drops. During the day, when traveling along the transects and fishing, 3 engines are used. Engines 1 and 2 are larger with 12 cylinders and 3 and 4 are smaller with 8 cylinders. These engines are attached to generators. The engines give moving force to the generators, which they then convert into kilowatts/power and as a result, power everything on board. Also, I learned that the boat has at least 2 of every major piece of equipment, just in case!

Engineers Kyle and Evan — *Two of the engineers, Kyle Mulkerin and Evan Brooks, who gave me a tour below deck. They are standing in front of engine #1.*

The engine room also stores the water purification system, which Darin had mentioned to me the other day. He knew the ship converted seawater into potable water, but wasn’t exactly sure how the process worked. Here is a brief summary.

Seawater is pumped onto the boat and is boiled using heat from the engine.
Seawater is evaporated and leaves behind brine, which gets pumped off of the ship.
Water vapor moves through cooling lines and condenses into another tank producing fresh water.
The water is then run through a chemical bromide solution to filter out any left over unwanted particles.
The finely filtered water is stored in potable water holding tanks.
The last step before consumption is for the water to pass through a UV system that kills any remaining bacteria or harmful chemicals in the water.

Evan's notes — *Notes from Evan Brooks on how to convert seawater into potable water. I wish all my student’s notes were this neat and organized!*

After the engine room, Kyle and Evan took me one level deeper into the lower engine room. There are a few other lower areas but, being a bit claustrophobic, I was happy we didn’t explore those. The lower engine room (or shaft alley) holds the large rotating shaft which connects directly to the propeller and moves the ship. It was neat to see!

Jessica descends to lower engine room — Heading down into the lower engine area.

We rounded out the tour in a workshop that holds most of the tools on board. The engineers help fix things from engines to air conditioners to plumbing. This week I may even be able to see them do some welding work.

Did you know?

If a large piece of equipment needs to be replaced, they do not take it apart and lug it to the upper deck and off the boat. Instead, they cut a giant hole in the side of the ship and get the parts in and out that way. I had no idea!

Cheers, Jess

July 31, 2019

Jessica Cobley: Resurrection Bay, July 28, 2019

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Jessica Cobley

Aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson

July 19 – August 8, 2019

Mission: Midwater Trawl Acoustic Survey

Geographic Area of Cruise: Gulf of Alaska (Kodiak to Yakutat Bay)

Date: 7/30/2019

Weather Data from the Gulf of Alaska: Lat: 58º 50.39’ N Long: 150º 14.72’ W

Air Temp: 14.2º C

Personal Log

Today we had the chance to sail up into Resurrection Bay on the Kenai Peninsula and it was beautiful! In general, transects, or lines the boat collects acoustic information along, run perpendicular to the Gulf of Alaska shelf because that is where pollock are most likely found. Luckily for us, a few of them travel up into bays along the coast and give us a welcomed change of scenery from the open ocean.

transect map — *A map of the transects we followed up into Resurrection Bay.*

Why do we survey in bays when pollock are usually open water fish? Well, during the winter, pollock sometimes aggregate to spawn (reproduce) in bays and those areas are documented by the scientists. In the summer, scientists want to see if there are still any pollock present in those areas. Unfortunately, we do not have time to survey all of the bays and so just a few are selected. For this leg, after the next couple of days back on the shelf, we will head up into Prince William Sound, which I am really looking forward to seeing.

*The town of Seward – can you spot the cruise ship?*

While following the transects up into Resurrection Bay, it was fun to see sailboats, fishing boats, helicopters and float planes rushing around us. To my surprise, I also saw masses of RV campers through the binoculars when looking at town. I learned that Seward is a popular place for people to visit from Anchorage and other areas for summer vacations and fishing opportunities. As for those of us on the boat, we also enjoyed the summer weather while sailing through. The sun was shining and it seemed that everyone took a moment to step outside, make a few phone calls home (we had service for a bit!) and soak up the warm weather. All in all, I think everyone feels re-energized going into our final 10 days at sea.

*Enjoying the sunshine from the top deck of the boat*

Science and Technology Log

We stopped to fish near the mouth of Resurrection Bay and found mostly age 1 and 2 pollock, along with a few adults. This shows us that pollock do utilize both the bay and the shelf areas during their lifecycle. Afterwards, we headed back out into the gulf and fished with a net called a Methot net.

*The Methot net gets lifted up by the A-frame (yellow metal beams). I did not know the A-frame moved before this!*

A Methot net is a different kind of net that is specialized to catch Euphausiids (krill). In addition to collecting data on pollock, scientists also collect data on Euphausiids (krill). The net used to collect krill is a bit different than the one used for pollock. There are no pocket nets along the side and instead of the end of the net being mesh, there is a small canister that the net filters krill into. Once we haul in the net, it is time to sort and collect data on the catch, just like the pollock trawls.

*Processing fish in the wet lab. This one had a lot of jellies! Photo by Darin Jones*

It has been back to regular fishing trawls since then, along with comparison trawls. A comparison trawl is when we fish twice over the same area using two different nets. This year, the scientists decided to replace the old survey net with a newly designed one that is a little bit smaller and easier for the deck crew to deploy. Now they need to compare the two nets to make sure the newer net is catching the same species and size of fish. Darin was explaining to me that they have to do approximately 25 comparison trawls on this survey and will continue comparisons during the winter survey as well. If all goes according to plan, they will permanently replace the old net next summer.

On one of our trawls the other day, we caught a lot of rockfish. Lucky for us, rockfish is a species we can keep and eat on the boat. We are not allowed to keep salmon, crab, halibut or herring since they are prohibited species. You are only allowed to keep those species if you have a special permit. While I wish we could eat the others, rockfish is also really tasty!

Darin filleting — *Lead scientist, Darin Jones, filleting dusky rockfish for dinner.*

Did You Know?

There is an incinerator on NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson that burns all of our trash from the boat so that we don’t have to keep it aboard for the whole trip. Also, nothing is thrown overboard, not even food scraps. When I was taking a look yesterday, the temperature was over 800 degrees Celsius. Diesel fuel is used as fuel initially, followed by burning sludge from the boat once it gets hot enough. All leftover ash gets put into bins and discarded when back in port.

Thanks for following along!

Cheers, Jess

P.S. We go up and watch the sunrise everyday…it is beautiful out here!

Abigail watches sunrise — *Abigail McCarthy watches the sunrise every morning and ranks them. This one earned a “glorious!”*

July 27, 2019

Title: Jessica Cobley: “Camera, Nets, Science!” July 25th, 2019

NOAA ship Oscar Dyson

At sea from July 19th – August 8th

Mission: Midwater Trawl Acoustic Survey

Geographic Area of Cruise: Gulf of Alaska (Kodiak to Prince William Sound)

Date: 7/25/2019

Weather Data from the Gulf of Alaska: Lat: 58º 50.39’ N Long: 150º 14.72’ W

Air Temp: 14.2º C

Personal Log

We have been out at sea now for 5 days and are getting into the swing of things. While the 3:30am alarm isn’t my favorite, everything else has been great! A typical day starts with some sort of caffeine for everyone and a briefing from the night crew before we take over. Typically, we finish up the 4th camera drop (explained in science log) while it is still dark out and then head up to the bridge to watch the sunrise.

*Sunrise this morning. The bridge (where the ship is driven from) has one of the best vantage points.*

Meanwhile, Darin watches the acoustic readings and looks for schools of fish we might want to come back to and fish once it is light out. At 7am we pause for breakfast and by then Darin has told the crew where to drop the fishing nets. The process of putting the nets out, fishing, and pulling them in takes about an hour and a half at which point the scientists head out to start collecting the catch. I enjoy fishing in the morning because it makes the time go by quickly. We often break for lunch after the first set (a set is one round of fishing) and then get ready to fish again.

*Tossing back a chum salmon from the catch. Unfortunately, but understandably, we are not allowed to keep any salmon for eating.*

I am lucky enough to have a bit of down time between fishing and processing the catch. So far, I have been filling it with sketching, reading, and curriculum planning for this coming school year. I have also started to interview people with different roles on the boat to help give my students an idea of what working out here can entail. More to come on that later. I head back to school the week after this cruise finishes and so the free time to prep is greatly appreciated!

Once the shift is over at 4pm, I try to exercise before dinner and then wind down before bed. I was pretty excited to see not only a treadmill on board, but a stationary bike, rowing machine and squat rack. Who knew working out would be so easy on a boat in the middle of the ocean! Note: running and doing yoga on a rocking ship is definitely testing my balance skills.

Science and Technology Log:

CAMERA….

As mentioned before, one of the first jobs in the morning is to complete the last camera drop. When it is dark out, the scientists don’t survey along acoustic transects or fish, as explained in my last blog. Instead, they do another project where fish species and densities are recorded in untrawlable areas with a camera near the seafloor. During the camera drop, a large stereo camera gets lowered off of the deck and into the water. Once at the bottom, a colored image is displayed live on our screens while being recorded in the cameras computer. Another part of this job is to communicate with the bridge about the camera movement. I was responsible for this job the other day and decided to write up a radio command cheat sheet to help me remember!

Once finished with a recording session, all of the images are downloaded to be looked at and quantified later on. The images allow scientists to do species identification, counts, and length measurements.

NETS…

Next up? Fishing! And there is more to the fishing nets than you might think. First, there is one main net that narrows and has decreasing sized holes as you get to the end. The very end of the net, called the codend, is where the fish are collected and sampled from. In addition to the main net are pocket nets, also called recapture nets. These are attached to the sides of the main net and have even finer mesh. Pocket nets help scientists track escapement, or the types of fish that are escaping from the main net. Nets get pulled through the water for up to about 45min and are set in the middle of the water column where acoustics data are showing schools of fish.

SCIENCE!

There are a few things that need to happen before we can step on deck to empty the pocket nets. First, we must put on safety gear consisting of life jackets and head protection. Second, we must wait for the ok from Gus, the lead fisherman, who calls, “SCIENCE”, which we all enjoy.

*A couple things we have caught so far. Left: Chrysaora Jellyfish. Right: Capelin*

Pocket net contents are emptied into corresponding numbered buckets to be analyzed. The same is done with the codend net. Once on the fish table, we sort out different species and do a combination of counting, weighing, and measuring the samples.

Did you know?

Capelin fish smell like cucumber. The deck smells very fresh when you catch a lot of them 🙂

Thanks for following along!

Cheers, Jess