Category: 2004

Posted on

Dr. Laura Brezinsky, April 17, 2004

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Laura Brezinsky
Aboard NOAA Ship Miller Freeman
April 8 – April 22, 2004

Day 9: Saturday, April 17, 2004

Latitude: 54.58.615
Longitude: 162.27.117

Weather: continuous clouds with drizzle
Visibility: 29.5-49.5 ft (Very High)
Wind direction: 181ees
Wind speed: 30m/s
Sea wave height: up to 20 feet
Sea level pressure: 996

Science and Technology Log

Last night we spent the entire night steaming south west down the Aleutian island chain, through the Unimak pass to the western side of the islands and past Dutch Harbor. Tonight we plan on picking up 4 moorings at Amukta pass and no new buoys will be deployed. The decision to move to the west side of the chain was made due to a small storm with 5 knot winds on the east side of the chain. If the weather improves we will move back over to the east side of the chain in a day or 2.

Personal Log

Last night I was awoken at 2:00 AM by some large waves that were tossing the boat (and me) back and forth. I kept thinking…”this boat has no centerboard” and “should I wake

up my roommate?” In the morning I discovered that my roommate was already awake and…this boat can take a lot more than what we saw last night. All of the tests are done with the centerboard up so we are still well within the limits of this boat. This journey has been an invaluable experience but I am very much looking forward to arriving in Dutch Harbor and seeing the wild horses that live there.

Question of the day: What are the factors that effect the formation of waves? How do the weather patterns differ between the Gulf of Alaska and the Bearing Sea

Laura

Posted on

Dr. Laura Brezinsky, April 16, 2004

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Laura Brezinsky
Aboard NOAA Ship Miller Freeman
April 8 – April 22, 2004

Day 7: Friday, April 16, 2004

Latitude: 55.11.03N
Longitude: 161 41.70

Weather: continuous clear
Visibility: 29.5-49.5 ft (Very High)
Wind direction: 125 degrees
Wind speed: 10 (m/s)
Sea level pressure: 24

Science and Technology Log

Last night we spent the entire night steaming south/west and this morning we are at Pavlov Bay where we will deploy a mooring. The weather report predicts 50 know winds which are too much for this boat to handle. The plan was to continue down the Aleutian island chain and pick up several moorings but if the weather turns out to be as predicted, we will come up with an alternative plan.

Personal Log

Last night we were in open water and the waves tossed us around all night. Both myself and my roommate got little sleep. Apparently though, the crew slept right through it. Today we are in very calm protected waters and it’s a sunny day with good visibility. We are working right in between Pavlov Volcano and some Aleutian islands and the contrast between the snow covered volcanoes on the starboard side and the relatively barren rock covered Aleutian islands on the port side creates a striking contrast.

Question of the day: Compare the formation process of the Aleutian volcanoes with that of the Hawaiian Volcanoes.

The larger volcano is Pavlov Volcano and the smaller one is Pavlov’s sister

This picture is an aleutian island across the straight from pavlov volcano
This picture is an aleutian island across the straight from pavlov volcano

Laura

Posted on

Dr. Laura Brezinsky, April 15, 2004

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Laura Brezinsky
Aboard NOAA Ship Miller Freeman
April 8 – April 22, 2004 

Day 7: Thursday, April 15, 2004

Latitude: 57.40.47N
Longitude: 155 12.38

Weather: continuous clouds
Visibility: 29.5-49.5 ft (Very High)
Wind direction: 220 degrees
Wind speed: 11 (m/s)
Sea level pressure: 26

Science and Technology Log:

Yesterday afternoon we began to collect data on “line 8” which is a line that goes across the Shelikof Straight from Kodiak Island to the Aleutian Peninsula. This is a line of moorings that has been in place for many years. After servicing the moorings, we began transiting back and forth taking CTD readings. This operation will take approximately 24 hours at which time we will begin moving South/West down the Aleutian Island Chain. As part of “The Ring of Fire” The Aleutian Islands are volcanically active and they continue to erupt on a regular basis. According to one of the ship’s crew who has been on this ship for many years and has seen them erupt, these volcanoes are explosive unlike our Hawaiian Volcanoes. Personal log Last night the ship had a couple hours of down time and I got a chance to go fishing. No one actually caught anything, but I suppose that’s why they call it fishing. Although thousands of tourists and commercial fishers flock to Alaska every year to catch the many different species of Salmon, the fishery remains one of the most healthy and prolific in the country. This is probably due to the relative inaccessibility of much of the state in combination with strict regulations. Recently the practice of farming Atlantic Salmon

has increased, much to the dismay of conservation Biologists.

Question of the day: Describe how Atlantic Salmon are farmed and processed? What are the negative impacts related to the farming of Atlantic Salmon? Discuss potential impacts to wild populations as well as local impacts due to pollution.

Picture of bumper sticker.
Picture of bumper sticker.

Laura

Posted on

Dr. Laura Brezinsky, April 14, 2004

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Laura Brezinsky
Aboard NOAA Ship Miller Freeman
April 8 – April 22, 2004

Day 6: Wednesday, April 14, 2004

Latitude: 57.40.47N
Longitude: 155 12.38

Weather: continuous clouds
Visibility: 29.5-49.5 ft (Very High)
Wind direction: 220 degrees
Wind speed: 11 (m/s)
Sea level pressure: 26

Science and Technology Log

Last night we sailed south/west and this morning we are off the coast of the Alaska Peninsula in the vicinity of Katmai National Park. According to Carol Dewitt, one of the supervisors on this leg of the project, there have been an inordinate number of lost moorings on the GLOBEC line as compared to other moorings in this area. It has been suggested that this could possibly be due to long-line fishing interference but no definitive cause has been determined as of yet. Today we will recover and deploy another buoy and continue in a south westerly direction.

Personal log

Last night during my nightly visit to the bridge I discovered that the crew was closely observing 2 lights that were directly in our path. The concern was that they could possible be marker buoys for a long line and if we were to cross the line it could become entangled in our propeller. Fortunately the lights turned out to be a small boat and a marker for some rocks called “latex rocks”. There is only one captain (John Herring) on this boat and he cannot be on watch 24 hours a day. Often the driving of the boat is turned over to the other crew members including the XO (Executive office) as well as other less senior personnel such as the ensigns. After watching them all work I have complete confidence in their abilities, dedication and attention to detail.

Question of the day: What is long-line fishing and how is it impacting our fisheries? What regulations have been put in place to try and reduce negative impacts of long-liners?

Laura

Posted on

Dr. Laura Brezinsky, April 13, 2004

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Laura Brezinsky
Aboard NOAA Ship Miller Freeman
April 8 – April 22, 2004

Day 5: Tuesday, April 13, 2004

Latitude: 59.05.72N
Longitude: 151 00.14

Weather: continuous clouds
Wind direction: 60 degrees
Wind speed: 19m/s)
Sea wave height: less than 2 feet
Sea level pressure: 13mb
Cloud cover: Cumulus

Science and Technology Log

Yesterday we failed to retrieve the buoy that had lost its floaters but we did successfully deploy a new buoy. During the night the boat sailed south west to our present position off the coast of the southern end of the Kenai Peninsula. This morning we deployed another buoy and took CTD readings. We have one or2 more buoys to recover and deploy and they we will be picking up several buoys that will not be replaced because their projects have completed.

Personal Log

Last night at around midnight, the ship finally got an hour of down time and I got to fish. No one else was much interested so I was out there on the stern of the boat in the middle of the night watching the sea birds and hoping for a bite. I got to thinking about all the different types of birds out here and all their different strategies. Some stay here year round while others migrate to warmer waters and return.

Question of the day: What species of Plover migrates between Hawai`i and Alaska. Illustrate the migration patterns and summarize how those patterns have been elucidated.

Laura