Sue White – NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog

June 7, 2008April 2, 2021

Sue White, June 7, 2008

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Terry Welch
Onboard NOAA Ship David Starr Jordan
May 27 – June 7, 2008

Mission: Juvenile Rockfish Assessment
Geographical Area: Central California Coast
Date: June 7, 2008

Weather Data from the Bridge for Sat. 06-07-08 19:00 GMT

The DAVID STARR JORDAN Deck crew watches from the bow

Science and Technology Log

Heading for San Francisco!

The weather has again had an effect on the scheduled research tasks. As the week went on the weather deteriorated so that some nights we could only do one trawl before the waves crashing over the aft deck made it too dangerous to be out there. Safety was the primary issue in everyone’s mind on the ship – bridge officers and the scientists discussed weather conditions and forecasts and the deck crew were careful to point out safety concerns involving equipment or wearing protective clothing. Even with the ship feeling like it was doing a wild tango at one point, I felt very secure. Last night was a complete wash as far as doing the scheduled work. By evening the ship officers decided to stay out the night in Drake’s Bay since the peninsula would give some shelter from the wind and waves. We used the time to prepare for a new group to come aboard in San Francisco, cleaning our staterooms and doing laundry.

I sorted through notes and organized the dozens of photos taken over the last 12 days. Here are some squid facts Ken Baltz, the cruise leader told me about earlier in the cruise:

The Humboldt squid we caught were probably around 5 months old and will only live about 1 year
These squid are one of the fastest growing organism
They have a very rapid metabolism, eating about 20% of their body weight daily vs. our human requirement of 0.5 to 1%

Keith not only can tell you the scientific name of this big cephalopod, he can identify an incredible number of ocean animals

The bongo plankton tow ties in with the squid sampling in an interesting way. It shows how all of the research coordinated on the DAVID STARR JORDAN this cruise (and really all NOAA projects) is working towards understanding what life is like in the ocean and how the distribution of organisms is changing. One plankton sample from each bongo tow was preserved in ethanol. The other sample was preserved in formalin (a formaldehyde solution). The rationale behind this was that formalin denatures or destroys the structure of an organism’s DNA. The ethanol sample could be used to do genetic testing. When the samples are examined back in the lab, the researchers are hoping to find paralarvae of the Humboldt squid in the same location as the adults collected this cruise. This would give credence to the idea that they are now breeding off the coast of California, rather than in the tropics as has been the accepted understanding. Bill and Robert (two of the volunteers on this leg of the cruise) had great questions while Ken was explaining this part of his research. Bill (and the others) had been using a fluorescent lure to “jig” for squid. Squid are attracted to the bioluminescence found in some ocean animals, like the “headlights” on a California Headlight fish.

NOAA Teacher at Sea Sue White shows how gripping life at sea can be.

He asked if the squid are caught in the nets because they are hoping to feed on the small fish being concentrated there. His hypothesis was to see if luminescent lures in the net would increase the number of squid caught. Robert asked about using radioactive isotopes to label squid and then look for the radioactive label in the paralarvae as a way to see patterns in breeding. Such intriguing thinking. I was not alone in wanting to be awake for our entry into San Francisco Bay. We enjoyed a hot breakfast for the first time in days (and for some the first time ever on the ship!) and were invigorated by bright sunshine. Well, the sun seemed bright through the San Francisco haze after being on the night shift! Everyone was outside by the time land was sighted and we enjoyed watching the Golden Gate Bridge get closer. For days I had not noticed much traffic at sea (especially at night) so it felt like driving into a major city in that the traffic kept increasing the closer we got to the Bay. Huge shipping barges and small personal sailboats were all out on a beautiful Saturday morning.

The map distance from Drake’s Bay was not far, but our speed entering the bay was such that it took several hours to get around the bend and in to where the piers are in San Francisco. Just as in leaving San Diego, the ship officers were busy piloting the ship to its place at the pier. Staff from the Santa Cruz lab were waiting to help offload specimens, some ship personnel were already off duty and looking forward to a day in the city, and my husband was patiently waiting on the pier to hear my stories of life at sea.

Personal Log

After almost two weeks at sea it was interesting to adjust to life on land. I did feel the ground moving as I walked and especially felt phantom ocean waves when I tried to sleep or take a shower (no grab bars to steady yourself on land though!). The sounds were so different too with less of the ongoing sound of the ship engine or the air system in my stateroom and more collective noise of traffic and airplanes. I had missed the simple sounds of my backyard birds, but did not notice this until I realized how wonderful the familiar can sound. I am brimming with new information and connections to make with classroom labs and activities. I (and my husband) can hardly wait until school starts so I have a new audience for my Teacher at Sea stories.

Challenge Yourself

Think about the area where you live. How many people in your neighborhood can you name? List the types of dogs that live in your neighborhood, too.
Name any of the birds that may fly into your area. (Is this naming business getting harder?)
Name any other wildlife that may inhabit your neighborhood. (Remember that wildlife can be small and not all will be mammals!)
How many insects can you identify? Can you name specific types of one kind of insect? In other words, can you tell the difference between a monarch and swallowtail butterfly? What about a skipper and a sulfur butterfly?
Scientists, from experience, can name an incredible number of organisms. Often they can even give the scientific name for exactly one species that differs only slightly from another. You can also increase your naming ability with practice… what would you like to become an expert in identifying???

A unique view below the Golden Gate Bridge

“We can only sense that in the deep and turbulent recesses of the sea are hidden mysteries far greater than any we have solved.” ~Rachel Carson

What mysteries will I see next?

Sue

June 1, 2008April 2, 2021

Sue White, June 1, 2008

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Terry Welch
Onboard NOAA Ship David Starr Jordan
May 27 – June 7, 2008

Mission: Juvenile Rockfish Assessment
Geographical Area: Central California Coast
Date: June 1, 2008

Weather Data from the Bridge for Sun. 06-01-08 04:00 GMT

Joao Alves treats us to squid and salsa, Brazilian style.

Science and Technology Log

It’s shrimp night! We continue on up the coast of California. The transect schedule for tonight is off Point Reyes, north of San Francisco. The catch tonight surprised us (again) by being completely unique from earlier trawls. Usually the largest part of what we sort is krill. The first night it was very strange to see all of those eyes, but now the krill just seem like background to look past as you see other colors and textures. When we spread the catch out on our trays tonight, it was an orange pink instead of the typical brownish color. The nets were loaded with market shrimp! Joao took off with some after we sorted and came back later with boiled shrimp and cocktail sauce. This was the second time he had acted as a seafood chef for everyone. Friday night Joao brought down the squid he had saved from Tuesday and Wednesday night. He had been marinating it in his special recipe and spent the time before his shift sautéing squid strips for us. He had also made some salsa that was perfect with it . . . and the saltine crackers some of us were needing tonight due to the waves. It brought to mind this passage from John Steinbeck’s introduction to The Log from the Sea of Cortez: “…we could see the fish alive and swimming, feel it plunge against the lines, drag it threshing over the rail, and even finally eat it.”

Vlad Zgutnitski, Sam Brandal, and Jose' Coito ready to do a trawl — Vlad Zgutnitski, Sam Brandal, and Jose’ Coito ready to do a trawl

We have a pattern down for the nights now. The scientists, deck crew and bridge are seamless in their coordination of a trawl. Everyone knows their job now and down to who turns the deck lights off once the nets are in the water seems to be done intuitively. As soon as the nets are brought in, the sorting starts. Big fish, or worse the big jellyfish, are caught as the nets are being rolled up. Some fish and the jellies are measured and added to a database by location. Jellyfish are especially hard on the nets because of their weight. If they become too plentiful, trawls can be cancelled to keep the nets from being destroyed.

Looking for rockfish - Gabe, Ben, Keith, Bill, and Robert (left to right) — Looking for rockfish – Gabe, Ben, Keith, Bill, and
Robert (left to right)

Here is my count from one tray of catch tonight:

38 Myctophid (fish)
22 Californian Headlight (fish)
8 Sergestid ( tiny red dot shrimp)
5 Black Smelt (fish)
3 Black-tip (squid)
1 Blue Lantern (fish)
1 Gonatus (squid)

The fish are more familiar by now. The Myctophid and Headlight fish looked so similar at first, but now I can see the two bioluminescent dots between the eyes on the Headlight fish. With more experience, it became even more obvious that there were many differences differences, but harder when they are hidden behind the more generic krill, or in the case of tonight’s haul, the pinkish shrimp. The rockfish (Fig. 4) also have to been identified as separate from other fish also similar in size and color. Side by side it is easy to see that these fish that are both dark in color.

Personal Log

The waves just keep getting rougher as the cruise progresses. The motion onboard varies with different activities. The bars to grasp in the shower and at various places around the ship are very practical, to say the least. Sleep is an interesting process where you can wake up with tired muscles from trying to keep yourself in place! Those with more experience have said that it is physically tiring to be onboard and that we should expect to need more sleep. It is amazing how I have adjusted to sleeping during the day now. The volunteers have been great to work with. They are now bringing their music down to play as we sort the catch from each trawl.

Unsorted catch (krill, Sergestid shrimp, fish, squid)

It is fun to hear the eclectic playlists they have. I have also been impressed with how well-read they are. We have been able to talk about books that range from Steinbeck to environmental awareness. They also enjoy the oddities we find on our sorting trays… anything with suckers must be stuck on your finger to see how long it will hold on (little squid or octopi require peeling off!) One night we had double tailed fish. Somehow several of the fish that night managed to get one head caught in the other’s to the point that it looked like the head was in the center with a tail going off each side.

Challenge Yourself

Look at Figure 6 above. How many different types of animals do you see? (Hint: Different colors are easy to spot, but also look for different eyes since some of the animals we found were transparent! )
Can you find any animals that are not fish? We found tiny squid and octopi most nights. Squid tended to have really big eyes for their overall size. Most of what you see in Figure 2 is krill.
Describe what makes the juvenile rockfish different from the sand dab shown above.

“We can only sense that in the deep and turbulent recesses of the sea are hidden mysteries far greater than any we have solved.” ~Rachel Carson

What mysteries will I see next?

Sue

May 28, 2008April 2, 2021

Sue White, May 28, 2008

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Terry Welch
Onboard NOAA Ship David Starr Jordan
May 27 – June 7, 2008

Mission: Juvenile Rockfish Assessment
Geographical Area: Central California Coast
Date: June 28, 2008

Weather Data from the Bridge for Wed. 05-28-08 04:00 GMT

This is the second night of collecting data for this leg of the cruise. Last night was a real learning curve for those of us new to the work involved. As soon as they were aboard, the scientists in charge of the rockfish survey (Ken Baltz – the Chief Scientist, Keith Sakuma, and Brian Wells) were busy organizing equipment so they could begin at sunset. Each night the plan is to start by gathering plankton using the bongo nets. The plankton is processed and preserved for later study back at the scientist’s lab in Santa Cruz. CTD (conductivity, water temperature, and depth) data is gathered throughout the day and night, and on the first night there was an electronics problem between the collection equipment that goes into the water and the computer. Since weather has become such a factor on this cruise, the scientists did not want to lose any opportunity to gather data or specimens. After sunset, the main focus through each night is to conduct mid-water trawls to collect data on fish populations and preserve samples for later study. All of this data goes into an ongoing database.

Screen shot 2013-05-24 at 7.10.46 AM — Bongo Plankton Tow

Each volunteer had specific jobs associated with the different specimens or data being collected throughout the cruise. Figure 1 shows how Robert Cimitile and Bill Matsuba worked the bongo nets. Gabe Singer was responsible for the CTD readings throughout the night shift. Ben Gire sampled krill from each trawl for a separate Euphausia study, checking for species type and numbers of gravid (“pregnant”) in an area. We all worked to sort the catch from each trawl. Last night there were a number of midshipman fish in the catch. Tonight there is a different sort of excitement since we are finding large numbers of Humboldt squid in the nets. These are processed for other research groups who are studying stomach contents and establishing the squid’s genome. Between trawls the deck crew, scientists, and volunteers “jigged” for squid using fluorescent jigs on fishing line over the port side of the ship. It was impressive to see the live squid and their reaction to being out of water. Their chromatophores pulse and change colors while they hiss water out of their siphons. Some also spray ink in the process.

NOAA Teacher at Sea, Sue White, holds a live Humboldt squid! — Sue White, holds a live Humboldt squid!

These squid are huge compared to the tiny Gonatus or Loligo squid we have seen. The main fish being surveyed is the rockfish. They are few in numbers and when we do find one, it is placed in an ocean water ice bath to maintain them until Keith identifies them by species. This is also part of an ongoing, year-to-year survey to establish their distribution and numbers up the coast of California. Since they only come up to feed at night, they are the reason the trawls can only be done at night. It has been impressive to see the teamwork involved with working the cranes for the bongo nets and the CTD equipment, as well as the pulleys involved with the gates, and the trawlnet reel located on the gantry on the aft deck. Radio communication between the deck crew, the scientists, and the bridge starts each operation. The deck crew manipulates the equipment and the scientists and volunteers assist in positioning. They all have a part in collecting the specimens as they are brought up. The bridge officers maintain the course and speed of the ship for all operations and also are vigilant about safety on the aft deck. They maintain contact with the radio and also have visual contact with cameras.

Personal Log

I feel rested tonight, but not quite used to working a night shift! Last night was the first time I think I have ever been awake for 24 hours, so my bunk looked wonderful this morning. It was easy to sleep through the day after being so tired and now it is beginning to seem more normal to work at night. The squid are amazing the animal unit. Seeing them alive and then being able to witness their dissection just a short time later was a singular experience that I will retell each spring now for my students. Joao, one of the fishermen, showed me how to hold the live squid behind their eyes so the arms would not “get me”. After seeing how they can latch on to fish even in the trawl net and how their beaks mince those fish, I have even more appreciation for what these animals can do as a predator! I am learning how to recognize and name a great diversity of pelagic animals. It has been an intensive learning curve for me in the last day (or should I call it night?) but I am starting to see the pattern of the trawls and it is very interesting to see how they vary according to transect location and even distance from the coast throughout the night.

Ben Gire (Volunteer) and Keith Sakuma (NOAA Scientist) with Humboldt Squid (CTD equipment is behind them to the right)

Challenge Yourself

How has the weather changed since my last log (Monday at noon)? Calculate the differences in wind speed and temperatures. Has the ocean salinity changed? Is the pressure rising or falling?
Do the temperature changes seem reasonable considering we have traveled north and the time of day is later?
The Humboldt squid are very well adapted for these conditions. Would you be comfortable swimming in this water too?

Daybreak and the nets are ready for nightfall

“We can only sense that in the deep and turbulent recesses of the sea are hidden mysteries far greater than any we have solved.” ~Rachel Carson

What mysteries will I see next?

Sue

May 26, 2008April 2, 2021

Sue White, May 26, 2008

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Terry Welch
Onboard NOAA Ship David Starr Jordan
May 27 – June 7, 2008

Mission: Juvenile Rockfish Assessment
Geographical Area: Central California Coast
Date: June 27, 2008

The wet lab's wind direction and wind speed instrumentation. Original to when the ship was built in the 1960's?? — The wet lab’s wind direction and wind speed instrumentation. Original to when the ship was built in the 1960’s??

Science and Technology Log

The DAVID STARR JORDAN (DSJ) departed from San Diego, CA this morning to begin Leg 3 of the Juvenile Rockfish Survey research cruise. The seas have been rough and Leg 2 of this cruise was cut short because of the weather conditions. Since weather has been such a huge influence in the last few weeks in this area of the Pacific and led to a loss of days at sea for the research scientists, here is some background for understanding the abbreviations and terms found in the “Weather Data from the Bridge” section above:

GMT = Greenwich Mean Time, international time which is the basis of time in each time zone around the world. Greenwich, England is located at Longitude 0° 0′ 0″, Latitude 51° 28′ 38″N (North of the Equator) or where the east meets the west. The DSJ is on Pacific Time which is 7 hours earlier.

Latitude is the distance the DSJ is north of the equator, expressed in degrees (or hours), minutes, and seconds.

Longitude is the distance the DSJ is west of the prime meridian which runs through Greenwich, England, expressed in degrees (or hours), minutes, and seconds.

(Ship) Speed / Wind Speed refers to how fast the ship is moving or how fast the wind is blowing. Speeds on water or in the air are measured in knots (kts). One knot is one nautical mile per hour. A nautical mile (6076 feet) is a little longer than a mile here on land (5280 feet). Use this conversion factor to change speed in the weather data to speeds on land: 1 knot = 1.16 mph. Here is a fun visual that connects wind speed in knots to our more familiar miles per hour. It also gives a more qualitative description of what different wind speeds are like.

(Ship’s) Course refers to the direction the ship is traveling to and is based on a 360^ocompass.

Wind Direction refers to the direction the wind is coming from. It is also based on a 60^o compass.

^oC = degree Celsius

The conversion factor to change metric temperature to our more familiar Fahrenheit scale is: [(°C X 9) / 5] + 32 = °F
An easy way to estimate, that you can do in your head, is to take °C and multiply it by 2 and then add 30 to get approximate °F: (°C X 2) + 30 = approx. °F
Want to do it the other way? Take your temperature at home, subtract 30 and divide by 2 to get the temperature in degree Celsius: (°F – 30) / 2 = approx. °C

Surface Water Salinity simply stated, describes how salty the ocean water is at the surface and can be referred to in PSUs (Practical Salinity Units). It is based on the understanding that the electrical conductivity of seawater is related to its salinity. A special conductivity meter is used at sea and the PSU value is calculated from the data. PSU is not a unit of measurement, but a calculated value. The average world ocean salinity is around 35 PSU.

Relative Humidity is a measure of the amount of water in the air compared with the amount of water the air can hold at the temperature it happens to be when you measure it. At the temperature given in the weather data above, the air has 71% of the moisture it can hold. If the temperature decreases while the number of molecules of water is the same, then the relative humidity would increase. The cooler air molecules are closer together and cannot hold as much water between them.

Barometric Pressure is the force the atmosphere is exerting on a given place, measured by an instrument called a barometer. Think of it as being the “weight of air”. Air pressure is recorded onboard using the unit mb, which stands for millibar. A millibar is 1/1000^th of a bar. A bar is a force equal to 100,000 Newtons pressing on a square meter. You can feel the change in pressure in your ears when you are flying in an airplane. High pressure usually means good weather and dropping pressure means the weather is changing. Low pressure often brings precipitation.

Vlad and Sam prepare to lift our link to land.

After being in port since Friday, the ship officers and crew are busy with a flurry of preparation to be at sea again. Bags of groceries were brought aboard this morning while a steady stream of people came aboard too. The ship went from being asleep to bustling in a matter of hours. Engines were started and soot flakes billowed. Deck crew began the tasks of taking up the walkway and casting off. Ship officers were stationed on the port side (left hand side if you are facing towards the front of the ship) to report ship positions as we began to move away from the pier. We headed out to sea, passing what looked like a series of empty boat slips. As we got closer I could see dolphins there and trainers were putting them through their paces. The ship’s electronics technician, Kim Belveal (U.S.Navy, ret.), explained that this was a Navy training facility and the dolphins were trained to do very specific tasks, often tasks that reduced risk to people. We passed a Coast Guard ship truly under sail, rigged with huge sails. The lead fisherman, Jose’ Coito, has a son who is in the Coast Guard. He proudly told about his son’s training on that grand ship.

Personal Log

It has been a whirlwind time in the last week for me. I gave my last final exam for the school year on Friday morning, wrapped up the last details for school that afternoon, and headed home to pack. Since the last leg of the cruise was cut short, my travel plans changed within the last few days as well, meaning that I was going to be a NOAA Teacher at Sea one day earlier than planned and flying to a new destination as well. I flew to San Diego on Sunday and got to the ship Sunday evening. After settling into my stateroom, I felt a little like Goldilocks walking around the ship and making myself at home. It was very quiet, but eventually I met the ship’s electronics technician and Sam Brandal, an able fisherman, who had also just arrived on the DAVID STARR JORDAN to fill in for someone on vacation. It has been nice to have some down time to make the transition from school to my time as a Teacher at Sea. I spent today on the fly bridge with my binoculars. Chico Gomez, the chief bosun (also spelled boatswain), and Jose’ helped me spot whales on the horizon. I also saw seals and dolphins closer in to the ship. Sea jellies which ranged in size from about 2” to 10” floated by from time to time. Work starts tomorrow when we pick up the scientists at Avila and do the first transect schedule for this leg of the cruise at Point Sal, CA . . .

Challenge Yourself

Can you compile your own weather data from your home or school? Use measuring instruments you already have, or research in your local newspaper or online. Fill in the table below, converting your data to match the units and values from the DAVID STARR JORDAN bridge:

Here’s a quote from Rachel Carson that pretty much sums up what it’s like to look off the side of the ship: “We can only sense that in the deep and turbulent recesses of the sea are hidden mysteries far greater than any we have solved.” What mysteries will I see?

Sue