Category: Mary Cook

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Mary Cook, January 2, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Mary Cook
Onboard NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown
December 5, 2004 – January 7, 2005

Mission: Climate Prediction for the Americas
Geographical Area: Chilean Coast
Date: January 2, 2005

Location: Latitude 41°47.12’S, Longitude 73°33.42’W
Time: 0830

Weather Data from the Bridge
Air Pressure (millibars) 1012.81
Relative Humidity (percent) 93.61
Wind Direction (degrees) 354.55
Wind Speed (knots) 7.03
Air Temperature (Celsius) 14.46
Water Temperature (Celsius) 11.62
Sunrise 0624
Sunset 2132

Question of the Day

What is a fjord?

Quote of the Day

“Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.” King Solomon

Science Log

It’s raining! I haven’t seen rain since last year. The sky is thick with dark, billowing clouds and gray mist. Occasionally a patch of bright blue breaks through. But it only takes a few minutes until it’s eclipsed by a rain cloud. The land on both sides of the channel is shrouded in the mist and looks mysteriously enchanting. Only a few people onboard have ever been this way before and everyone is excited. Even these salty sailors are energized. Seals are popping up and playing all around. It looks like they’re chasing each other. We’ve passed a couple of small fishing villages and there are some ferryboats in the channel. The Chilean pilot told me that we’re in a very interesting place because of the strong current. Our ship is traveling against a three knot current at this time and they’ve brought more engines online just in case we need them. He said the current can get as high as eight knots! I heard Captain Wright say that the last time he was through here the ship was going with the current and traveling at 21 knots!

Bruce, the boatswain is now on constant anchor alert. There are many potential hazards when traveling the narrow channels so all hands must be prepared for anything.

I’ve been standing outside in a sheltered place under the ladderways for about an hour. At first it didn’t seem cold but as time went by I felt the chilly dampness in my muscles and had to zip up my jacket and put on my hood.

Something I’ve learned about this ship is that even when the scientists aren’t actively conducting research projects, science is always going on aboard the RONALD H. BROWN. At the top of every hour they always record the weather data, which includes about 50 entries, and then send it in to the National Weather Service every six hours. If the ship is within 200 miles of the coast of the United States or Canada or within 300 miles of a named tropical storm or hurricane they report every three hours. They record the ship’s location and speed, plus wind factors, temperatures, pressure, clouds, precipitation, wave size and directions, swells, and presence of ice. It seems to me that everything is written in code. They have the “Ship’s Synoptic Code Ready Reference” lying nearby and make use of it when filling out the charts. This information is entered into the National Weather Service computers and used for weather forecasting.

Personal Log

There’s a festive atmosphere throughout the entire ship. Everyone’s smiling and walking with a little extra spring in their step. These seasoned sailors are like little kids on Christmas morning, their eyes sparkling with anticipation. They’re out on the deck with their binoculars looking over the pastoral scenes of green rolling hills dotted with colorful houses and farms and churches connected by winding dirt roads. One of them said, “Just give me ten acres with a little house and I could settle down and live right here.” Several nodded in agreement. Then they spotted the big snow-capped mountains in the distance! Their dreams of settling down seemed to evaporate into thin air as their attention had been captured by the majestic and forbidding.

Our course is taking us through the Gulf of Corcovado and we’re just now passing the volcanic mountain for which the gulf is named. The pointy, snow-capped mountain is Mt. Corcovado and it stands 2300 meters in elevation which is about 7000 feet high.

The water is so smooth in this gulf that I can barely tell the ship is moving. It’s great! Seasickness is but a distance memory.

Officer Ayers just told me that I missed a fabulous display of bioluminescence last night about 0200. I said that I’d just stay up all night tonight so I could see that for myself. Then watch-stander Melton says, “Oh, now you want to be awake and out at 0600 tomorrow because we’ll be entering an extremely narrow channel. You can’t be sleeping through that.”

Decisions. Decisions.

Whales on the starboard bow! I ran out and saw three waterspouts and one tail. Pretty cool.

Tomorrow, my students and co-workers will be returning to school from their Christmas break. I hope they’ve all had a good vacation and come back with renewed energy and smiles. I can’t help thinking about them and wishing they could be out here in this never-ending, ever-unfolding story of exploration.

Until tomorrow,

Mary

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Mary Cook, January 1, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Mary Cook
Onboard NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown
December 5, 2004 – January 7, 2005

Mission: Climate Prediction for the Americas
Geographical Area: Chilean Coast
Date: January 1, 2005

Happy New Year!!
Feliz Años Nuevos!!!!

Location: Latitude 37°47.97’S, Longitude 74°02.84 W
Time: 1000

Weather Data from the Bridge
Relative Humidity (percent) 91.44
Air Pressure (millibars) 1015.72
Air Temperature (Celsius) 17.28
Water Temperature (Celsius) 17.58
Wind Direction (degrees) 212.20
Wind Speed (knots) 12.20
Cloud Cover 8/8 Stratus
Sunrise 0638
Sunset 2120

Question of the Day

What causes seasickness?

Quote of the Day

“The best portion of a good man’s life is the little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love.” William Wordsworth

Science Log

All the Chilean scientists plus Jordan Watson from Scripps and the ship’s wage crew are all sleeping soundly after their 48 hour marathon project of collecting water and sediments. They will continue collecting surface water every 30 minutes of latitude but the ship will not stop for these collections.

Sometime tonight we will meet up with the pilots who will safely guide the RONALD H. BROWN through the inside passages. There will be two pilots so that one will be on the bridge at all times.

Today, Les Cruise shared with me that it is a seafaring tradition that the first log entry of the year for the ship should rhyme. So I want to share with you the first log entry of 2005 for the NOAA ship the RONALD H. BROWN.

Underway in the South Pacific 2004 was terrific.
Collecting mud on station six, all three thrusters in the mix.
Punta Tumbes, bearing 119º, at 34 nautical miles away is the closest point of land, in accordance with the Ronald Brown science plan.
All our lights are burning fine and our bow thruster is on line.
Main Power Diesel Generator Two keeps us going through and through.
Ship Service Diesel Generator Five gives us power to survive.
Auto-Positioning is how she sits, on a heading of 206°.
The sky is clear, I will not lie, Watch-Stander Melton is standing by.
Engineer-on-Watch Jacobson is down below, making sure the engines go.
Maneuvering various courses and speeds for sediment trap recovery, maybe there will be a new discovery!
Multiple personnel working in accord have brought the sediment trap aboard. Main Power Diesel Generator Three on line to help us make good time.
Increase speed 700 rpm, Auto track mode now as then.
190° is the way we go. Bow thruster power taken to zero.
Security round complete. That Jim Melton, he’s pretty neat.
Lt. Jones has the deck and conn ensuring the ship carry on.
13.3 nautical miles is our distance run. Hope 2005 will be fun! ”

Personal Log

This evening, my seasick queasiness is much better. I took the medics advice which was, “Stop looking at the computer and go to bed in a dark room. And stay there!” He was right.

But as a consequence of taking his advice my personal log is severely lacking. Most of the time, I’ve been in my stateroom, snuggled under a blanket looking at the backside of my eyelids.

Until tomorrow,

Mary

 

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Mary Cook, December 31, 2004

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Mary Cook
Onboard NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown
December 5, 2004 – January 7, 2005

Mission: Climate Prediction for the Americas
Geographical Area: Chilean Coast
Date: December 31, 2004

Location: Latitude 36°13.8’S, Longitude 73°31.25’W
Time: 0830

Weather Data from the Bridge
Wind Direction (degrees) 206.36
Wind Speed (knots) 3.94
Air Temperature (Celsius) 15.50
Water Temperature (Celsius) 14.58
Relative Humidity (percent) 96.10
Air Pressure (millibars) 1015.21
Cloud Cover 3/8 Altocumulus and Cirrus
Sunrise 0639
Sunset 2114

Question of the Day

Why are the daylight hours getting longer as we travel southward?

Quote of the Day

“Information is the commodity of science.” Kevin Sullivan

Science and Technology Log

No stargazing last night due to cloudiness. So I’ll try again some other night.

Today we’ve been hovering in one place for six hours waiting on the drifting sediment trap to do its thing, which is to trap sediment.

We’re farther from land and in deeper water so it takes longer for the trap to collect a sufficient amount of sediment. They’ve just gotten it out of the water so now we’ll transit for about two hours to the next station and hover there for about eight hours. At this station they will deploy the bigger, heavier core sampler that looks like a 4 meter-long hollow rocket. It will go down to about 1000 meters depth and gravity will ram it into the mud. The layers of sediment will fill the hollow tube then it will close under the pressure as it is brought back to the surface by the winch.

This afternoon as we hovered in one place, the seagulls gathered around the ship for a siesta. There were hundreds of them just sitting in the water like ducks. It was almost like they were waiting to see what we were up to. It was interesting to watch them take to flight from the water. They’d spread their wings and begin flapping. But that wasn’t providing enough lift so they’d start paddling with their feet. It looked they were walking on water!

Finally, up they’d go, soaring through the air and then swooping down, gliding just above the water’s surface.

Personal Log

Today, I’ve been moderately seasick. I think it was the 10-12 feet swells passing under the ship as we hovered at station. The seasick medicine made me drowsy so I’ve spent time lying down in my stateroom off and on all day.

At 0230 in the morning we are supposed to make the turn due south and steam toward the inside passages! I’m ready to move on.

I eagerly anticipate traveling the same paths as the great explorers of Ferdinand Magellan and Sir Francis Drake. We’ll meet up with the pilot who will board the ship and take us safely through the narrow straits.

This is the last day of 2004. As I reflect back on my life during the past year I can’t help but know I’m blessed. With a wonderful family and circle of friends that love me, a good job and great co-workers, good health and great opportunities to live life abundantly. And for all this I am deeply thankful. Of course, we all know that life isn’t always smooth sailing. We all have struggles. Some are life and death struggles, some are relational struggles, some are financial struggles, and some are spiritual struggles. This journey in the Pacific has been more than an adventure for me. Being removed from my comfort zone has compelled me to contemplate. Contemplate just about everything. There’s one phrase that keeps coming to my thoughts over and over again. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” And I don’t think this means money or other material possessions. I think it means giving of self. This is a much greater challenge, for me anyway. I want to absorb this into my life philosophy for the coming year and for always. I fully realize that I do not know the depth to which I may be called upon to live out this truth, but I have confidence that the future is brighter with this mind set.

Happy New Year!!

Until tomorrow,

Mary

p.s. Happy Birthday, Diane!

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Mary Cook, December 30, 2004

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Mary Cook
Onboard NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown
December 5, 2004 – January 7, 2005

Mission: Climate Prediction for the Americas
Geographical Area: Chilean Coast
Date: December 30, 2004

Location: Latitude 36°21.31’S, Longitude 72°59.65’W
Time: 9:15

Weather Data from the Bridge
Air Temperature (Celsius) 14.33
Water Temperature (Celsius) 14.81
Air Pressure (millibars) 1015.24
Cloud Cover 3/8
Cloud Type: Stratus
Wind Direction (degrees) 325.6
True Wind Speed (knots) 1.26
Sunrise 636
Sunset 2112

Question of the Day

What is a light year?

Positive Quote of the Day

“The influence of each human being on others in this life is a kind of immortality.” John Quincy Adams

Science Log

Last night I went up to the bridge at about 2300 hours. Vickie, Jeff, and Jackie were stargazing in search of the Southern Cross. There it was, almost directly in front of the ship! It had just risen over the horizon and looked more like a baseball diamond than a cross. We also spotted Alpha and Beta Centauri. At about 4.3 light years away, these are among the closest stars to Earth other than our Sun. Vickie also pointed out Orion with his belt of stars and the seven sisters called Pleiades. I’m going to get out my textbook and read up on the Magellanic Clouds because I’m wondering if we can see those from here. Then Jackie looked over the edge of the ship in the wake and caught a glimpse of some momentary flashes of light! Bioluminescence! I stood there pressing my face against the window staring at the darkened waters waiting patiently for some more microorganisms to glow. Sure enough it happened. They looked like little sparks of lightening in a cloud. It happened several times. I’ll definitely be back on the bridge again in search of more wonders of the sea at night.

For this leg of the journey, I’ve been moved to a different stateroom. I’m now down below in the science quarters. The sounds are different down here. I can hear the water splashing up against the ship’s hull. It sounds like I’m in a perpetual carwash!

It’s a soothing sound, though. I slept like a bear in hibernation.

Today begins the science operations. Right now, the scientists are on the fantail preparing the drifting sediment trap with its radar-reflector, floaters and nighttime strobe light. We’ll deploy the instrument then leave it while we make a short transit to the next station for CTD casts and core sampling. Afterwards, we’ll return and retrieve the sediment trap. According to the work plan, we’ll do this same thing at six different locations across the continental shelf and slope off Concepción, Chile. Most of the CTD casts are in fairly shallow water with the deepest one going down to 980 meters. These scientists will be working 48 hours non-stop.

It’s beautiful here in the Bay of Concepción. The water is so smooth and glistening in the sunshine. We’re nearly surrounded by a crescent-shaped coastline and we can see houses, forests, and other ships. This afternoon, we saw several ghostly-white jellyfish pumping their way through the water. Jim pointed out little anchovies swimming nearby. Yum!

I spoke with Kevin Sullivan of the NOAA research branch in Miami and Jordan Watson from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. They patiently explained some of the science to me. And I really appreciate that.

This is how the drifting sediment trap works. After the instrument collects the sediments from the water near the surface and is retrieved, it will be set aside for a few hours to allow the sediments to settle to the bottom of the tubes. Then a lever is turned that empties the sediments into bottles containing a preservative. Sediments can be particles from the air like dust or particles from the ocean such as little deceased sea creatures called diatoms.

The Rhumor gravity core sampler is basically a one meter long hollow tube with heavy weights attached to the top. After being lifted by the winch, it is slowly lowered into the water. When the tube gets about 10 meters from the ocean floor it is lowered very quickly and gravity rams it into the mud. In this process, the mud layers fill the hollow tube and as the core sampler is raised the pressure closes a valve that keeps the mud from coming out.

I’ve noticed on the SeaBeam readout that the depth here is only about 100 meters. That’s a huge contrast to a couple of weeks ago when we were in waters with a depth of 5000 meters!

It is my understanding that the rationale for their research is to explore the effects of nitrogen distribution and how that affects the marine algae nutrient usage in the present day water column. They are conducting the sampling in this location because of the upwelling that occurs which brings nutrients to the surface and because there are algae present that utilize the nutrients in these upwelling plumes. Likewise, they are interested in evaluating the amount of nitrogen left in the sedimentary record. This will help scientists better understand the history of the oceans.

Personal Log

Today has been a quiet but interesting day. All the science was new to me so I had to pay attention and ask lots of questions. It’s very rewarding to have people around who are eager to share with me what they are doing and the significance of it all in the whole scheme of things. I’ve learned a tremendous lot and my brain is kind of tired. Plus, I miss my mentor. She’s got enough energy for two people! I did take some time to go to the ship’s bow and watch the water skim by and look around for animals. I saw lots of birds and jellyfish. I like watching jellyfish because I never see jellyfish in Arkansas. To me they are intriguing critters because they are transparent. I can see right through them!

Well, I’m headed for the exercise room to rest my brain and work off that cake with chocolate icing that I ate for dessert. Then, after dark, up to the bridge for more stargazing in the Southern Hemisphere!

Until tomorrow,

Mary

p.s. Congratulations Brandon and Becky!

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Mary Cook, December 29, 2004

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Mary Cook
Onboard NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown
December 5, 2004 – January 7, 2005

Mission: Climate Prediction for the Americas
Geographical Area: Chilean Coast
Date: December 29, 2004

Question of the Day

What is sediment?

Quote of the Day

“Rust never sleeps.” Dan Wolfe

Special Edition Log: Part 2

We’ve just left the port of Valparaiso and we’re underway, headed for the inside passages and the Straits of Magellan!!! I’ve looked on the ship’s course chart and it’s going to be a great voyage!! We’ll be sailing between islands and there’ll be land on both side of the ship. I expect to see lots of wildlife-hopefully penguins and an albatross or two.

Bruce, the boatswain and Jeff, the chief computer technician have set me up in the science office with a desk, Internet, a big, comfy chair and a phone. And I’ve just found someone’s secret stash of Dr. Pepper’s under my desk. Yep, things are looking good.

I wanted to share with you about the Easter Island Museum that we went to yesterday. This will be my personal interpretation of what I saw since most of the museum’s information was in Spanish.

Easter Island is a volcanic island situated in the Pacific Ocean several hundred miles off the coast of Chile. The indigenous people or Rapi Nui made huge monolithic statues called maori and placed them all around the island. These gods are thought have been put in place for protection and worship. The native people had four quarries from which they extracted the stones and carved the features. Then they slid them into place with wooden rails and ropes. There are only four of these statues outside of Easter Island and one of them stands in front this museum. The Rapi Nui had a complex and organized society led by a chief. They made pottery, arrowheads, harpoon heads, and jewelry. They were great fishermen. It appears as though they had a sophisticated system of ocean navigation with bamboo and seashell “maps” that indicated currents and islands. (I love maps. So seeing this was “way cool”!) Sometime during the 1700’s the first white man arrived. Some of the Rapi Nui were taken as slaves. Different diseases were introduced that spread rapidly throughout the island. And so this was the beginning of the end for their culture. Today, Easter Island is part of the country of Chile and the maori are being restored and preserved as a world heritage site. So, that’s my take on the fascinating museum of Easter Island loaded with its artifacts of history, mystery and intrigue.

Tonight, my plans are to stay up late and go hang out on the ship’s bridge and search the dark waters for bioluminescence. Wow, that’s a big word. Bioluminescence refers to microorganisms that emit light when disturbed. I’ve heard about bioluminescence in the ocean but I’ve never witnessed it. Silas says it’s there almost every night so, hopefully, tonight we’ll see the ocean glow!!!! In Arkansas, we have lightning bugs that flash a glowing, neon green light. When I was a kid I loved catching them and holding them gently in my fist to watch the rays of green light shine between my fingers. It was fascinating, but they smelled like, I don’t know, lightning bugs. Anyway, I’ve heard that the bioluminescence in the ocean can be red or blue or green! I can’t wait. If I don’t see any tonight, I’ll go back every night until those little rascals get disturbed enough to emit a sparkle.

Tomorrow, we begin the scientific work with the University of Concepcion. According to the plan, a drifting sediment trap will be deployed, a CTD rosette cast will be conducted, and a sediment core sample will be taken.

The sediment core sampler looks like a rocket. It’s a long narrow metal cylinder with fins on the bottom. But instead of going up into space, it’s going down into the ocean floor. Co-chief scientist, Julio says it will collect sediments that were laid down thousands of years ago. This will enable them to better understand the history of the ocean.

Before I sign off for the day, I’d like to thank Alvaro Vera of the Chilean Navy for his thoughtfulness and generosity extended toward us during our stay in Viña del Mar. Alvaro invited all the Stratus 5 scientific crew over to his house for a barbeque in celebration of a job well done and the good working partnership between the Chilean scientists and the American scientists. It was great food and great fun-another fine example of Chilean hospitality.

Until tomorrow,

Mary