NOAA Teacher at Sea: Sue Zupko NOAA Ship: Pisces Mission: Study deep water coral, Lophelia Pertusa, in the Gulf Stream Geographical Area of Cruise: SE United States in Gulf Stream from off Mayport, FL to south of St. Lucie Inlet, FL Date: June 3, 2011 Time: 15:33 EDT
Weather Data from the Bridge Wind Speed: 2.59 knots Visibility: 10 n.m. Surface Water Temperature: 28.25°C Air Temperature:28.9°C Relative Humidity: 61% Barometric Pressure:1018.20mb Water Depth: 280.94 m Salinity: 36.33 PSU
Hello from the Pisces “flight” deck. I am sitting next to the pilots of the ROV. John Butler is currently flying the ROV at a depth of 243 meters. We are drifting with the ship as it makes its way to our survey site. The ROV has been in the water since around 9:00 this morning EDT and we have finished our lunch and are waiting to get to our drop site. Why is the ROV flying along at 243 meters when our survey site is at 300 meters? When the ROV first launched, the current was 3.5 knots above and below the surface. The ship’s crew on the bridge calculated how long it would take for us to arrive at the dive site given the currents. Once we started flying the ROV at depth, we found the counterweight acted as an anchor and the current slowed down above and below the surface. Accordingly, the ROV slowed down and it’s taking a lot longer to get to our dive site than originally calculated.
Jellyfish found on the way to the sea floor
What are we seeing on the video feed from the ROV? Lots of marine snow–detritus, zooplankton, and other small particles, plus a few interesting creatures– jellies, salps, several squid, arrow worms, and some hydrozoa. It really is surreal watching the video of our journey to the bottom of the sea.
Crew Members holding the ROV, helped by a winch
What are we expecting to find? Lophelia pertusa. Lophelia is a ture hard, or stony, coral from the phylum Cnidaria, class Anthozoa (meaning it is a polyp), class Anthozoa (starts as a larva swimming around and then becomes attached to something, or sessile). We want to find out how many there are, their health, their size, and what is living amongst them. Lophelia are white when they are alive, unlike shallow water corals that most people are familiar with which have colors from the algae which live with them. If the Lophelia is not white, it’s either sick or dead.
NOAA Teacher at Sea: Sue Zupko NOAA Ship: Pisces Mission: Study deep water coral along the east coast of Florida Geographical Area of Cruise: SE United States in deep water from off Mayport, FL to south of Key Biscayne, FL Date: June 2, 2011 Time: 14:33
Weather Data from the Bridge Position:30.4N 80.2W Visibility: 10 n.m. Surface Water Temperature: 27.33° Air Temperature: 27.5° Relative Humidity: 66% Barometric Pressure: 1017.8 Water Depth: 71.53 Salinity: 36.44
The Pisces has embarked on an exploratory cruise. Many cruises run like clockwork to accomplish their missions. We have a schedule, but recognize that things don’t always work that way. I do not have a set time I must be somewhere–except perhaps meals:) Even then, I can grab a bowl of cereal or make a sandwich if I am not available due to conflicts. Just an aside here, I try not to miss the great meals served in the galley. So, we are, in a manner of speaking, charting the unknown, going where no man (or woman) might have gone before.
Good things come to those who wait. I know we’re going to have some good things come to us. Let’s see. A computer broke in transit and we waited for parts before departure. Well, it was a holiday and the parts didn’t get shipped on time to arrive early on Tuesday and we would have had to wait another day. We left without that computer working. I’m thinking it was a backup computer. You must have backup equipment for the backup equipment when out at sea. We left about 2 1/2 hours later than planned. Gotta be flexible when working with technology and the ocean.
Next, the ROV worked fabulous on our test drive in shallow water. We then ran over to our first deep water site and launched the ROV. Oh, no!! First dive started then aborted due to a thunderstorm which brought lightning strikes close to the ship. Fast current (although we planned for it) and the tether got a kink in it. The ROV and peripheral equipment is very delicate. The ocean, even on a good day, is a harsh environment. You have to plan for problems to occur. Well, problems happened. We lost video even though the ROV was still running perfectly. The whole point of the ROV is to take video and photographs. If the video fiber is not functioning, no point in continuing. We had to abort the mission and repair the tether cable which houses the fiber optic, data wire, and power cables.
The ROV crew is fabulous. They work long hours as a well-oiled machine. Problem solving seems to come naturally to them. They figured out the problem and within about 12 hours had the tether fixed. A morning dive was planned. Things didn’t line up exactly as planned so we launched later than scheduled. Remember, patience is a virtue. Every time we plan to launch, we must dress in our life jackets and hard helmets, gather everyone who has a part in that, and wait. Well, right after getting in the water, an electrical leak was detected. Back up came the ROV. Now, many things on a ship, except meals and the crew watch schedules, do not come as scheduled. Again, ocean and technology. Plan on delays. Patience is a virtue and I’m trying to be a virtuous woman.
Although frustrated, the science and ROV teams have done very well being patient. They are always ready for a dive–even hours before it happens. The scientists can’t do their jobs until the ROV runs so that has to be frustrating for them. You wouldn’t know it, however, from their attitudes. It reminds me of the 90/10 principle. We can’t control 10% of what happens to us. Equipment breaks. Weather gets stormy. Currents are too strong. People get sick. We can control the other 90% which is our attitude toward these challenges. Andy David, our chief scientist, didn’t jump up and down and scream and yell when things didn’t go according to schedule. What would that accomplish? Although probably frustrated by the forces of nature working on us, mail service, or the equipment issues due to nature, Andy was very cool and supportive. He found other jobs we could be doing while we waited. He wasn’t the only one. The ROV crew just jumped in and worked out bugs and kinks.
Even the Captain has to relax.
The scientists worked on research, papers, etc. Some of us worked on the blog, downloading pictures from our dive and cataloguing information, etc. It was a good time to go fishing off the stern. Someone sighted Mahi and the poles came out. Fresh fish is good. One has to find time to relax and when there are limiting factors in the mission you can’t do anything about, take a break.
Remember the last quiz? Were you patient waiting to find out what it is? Here is an enlargement of the photo.
ROV Tether
That’s right. It is the tether for the ROV. It was good being patient to find out the answer.
The first creature I saw when I boarded the Pisces was the Laughing Gull. Almost everyone who answered this survey said Sea Gull would be the first creature I would see. Good job! The gulls were flying all over the harbor. Ironically, this is the picture I chose to use in my first entry to this blog. Later that day I saw Dolphins, Mullet, a Brown Pelican, Sargassum, a Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Flying Fish, and Moon Jellies. Still waiting on a whale and the Lophelia. We have only been out a short time. Gull landing at dusk
New survey. What do you think these are?
NOAA Teacher at Sea: Sue Zupko NOAA Ship: Pisces Mission: Study deep water coral, Lophelia, in the Gulf Stream Geographical Area of Cruise: SE United States in Gulf Stream from off Mayport, FL to south of St. Lucie Inlet, FL Date: May 31, 2011 Weather Data from the Bridge Clouds: Partly Cloudy Wind Speed: 8 knots Wind Direction: 020 Visibility:10 nautical miles (n.m.) Swells: 3-4′ Barometric Pressure: 1018.4mb Salinity: 126.9 Dry/Wet Bulb: 26.8/24
I am finally here on the Pisces. The weather is perfect. Puffy clouds, nice breeze. I love being in the harbor. There are ships all around us and there is always something going on. We are berthed (parked) literally next to a missile cruiser. Instead of having a gangway (walkway) directly onto our ship, we must climb up some metal stairs (no kidding–you have to be able to pull yourself up about two feet to get started), board this cruiser, then cut across to another gangway to go to the Pisces.
Gangway
Although we have shown ID at the gate, and the entrance to the pier, we must show it again to get onto this ship. There are a lot of guards. The gangway is not the easiest thing to walk on even though there are railings on both sides. The floor has slats that stick up and are easy to trip on. I really had to watch my step. Try carrying heavy gear while maneuvering on this. We had to unload our cars and trucks and carry just about everything across these two gangways. Thank goodness one of the crew was there to help me. Would have been a struggle to get my duffel up those first few steps.
What is this?
What is this? Vote using the survey on what this is a picture of. It is an important object on our ship.
This is an eye wash. Scientists often use chemicals in their work and if something splashes, they can step on a pedal and it opens up the top of this “waffle iron” and water eye-width apart rinses the chemical from their eyes. It’s a handy safety device.
As a novice to sailing, I must rely on what the crew has told me to bring. In case of having to abandon ship (that’s a comforting thought), I need a hat, long sleeved shirt, and long pants. Seems like a good way to cover up and protect myself from the sun. They say it might be cool on board so I’m bringing a sweatshirt and windbreaker. When I say I’m going on a cruise, people instantly think of a big cruise liner with a pool and a huge auditorium. NOAA Ship Pisces is 209 feet (63.8 m) long. Sounds big until you think that that’s about the length of a hockey rink, 3/4 of a football field, or a bit more than four school buses. No need for a swim suit or good clothes. Not going swimming and the galley (dining room) is strictly casual. The stateroom (bedroom) is small so don’t bring a big suitcase. I bought a rolling duffel bag so it would collapse yet still roll in an airport.
In a way this will be like going to camp with a few differences. For our fifth grade it would be like going to the Great Smokey Mountain Institute at Tremont in Tennessee. Tremont has bunk beds as does the Pisces. I’ll be sharing a room with one female scientist rather than 40 girls and chaperones. At Tremont you bring your own bedding. On the ship, it’s provided. At least I won’t have to carry my sleeping bag though they did suggest bringing my favorite pillow. At Tremont the staff feeds you great food. I’ve heard you eat well on the Pisces and to make sure to work out. At Tremont you study nature in the woods and streams. On the Pisces, I’ll be surrounded by the ocean and will study nature above and below the surface. In both places you must be prepared for a variety of weather conditions. How to do that with one little suitcase? I drove to Tremont and took lots of things in my van. I must be more prudent packing for the Pisces since space is limited. In both places it’s fun and exciting to learn new things and do scientific research.
My most important gear besides my clothes will be my camera and video equipment. I have to carry those items on the plane rather than putting them in my duffel. I want to bring back lots of pictures and video for my students to better understand the work we’ll be doing. They can use this information in their technology projects. My students made some interesting videos this year. One was a “public service announcement” for the school to recycle old phone books rather than throwing them away. Our school earned money in a recycling contest and we want to make sure to repeat that next school year. Two other videos students created teach about the “seven habits“, a program our school uses to help inspire kids to be leaders and take responsibility for their lives. Every year we have at least one video about the service dogs we raise for Canine Companions for Independence. So, with a ton of video about corals and life aboard a ship, I can only imagine what they will choose to do. Be sure to check back to see some of the projects they’ve developed as a result of this trip.
