2024 – Page 3 – NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog

September 4, 2024September 12, 2024

Lisa Werner: MultiNet Research, September 2, 2024

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Lisa Werner

Aboard NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada

August 29-September 13, 2024

Mission: EXPRESS Project

Geographic Area of Cruise: Pacific Coast, near Northern California

Date: September 2, 2024

Weather Data from the Bridge (Humboldt Canyon)

Latitude: 41.6º N

Longitude: 124.8º W

Wind Speed: S at 4.59 knots

Air Temperature: 15.1º C (59.18º F)

Conditions: Mostly Sunny

Science and Technology Log

One of the other interesting components of the EXPRESS Project is the use of MultiNets to study plankton in the mid layers of the water column. MultiNets are exactly what they sound like – a collection of nets that are lowered into the water to grab a sampling of plankton from the area. There are different ways of using MultiNets. Sometimes they are used horizontally, where they are dragged through the water to grab samples. For our mission, however, they are being deployed vertically.

view down the ship's railing as the multi-net - two long plankton nets side by side, where the left net ends in multiple attached cannisters - is being lowered into the water by cables attached to a winch. crewmembers wearing hard hats and life vests stand on board watching and guiding the deployment. The sky is overcast and the seas are calm and gray. — *MultiNet being lowered into the water with the ship’s winch*

There are 5 nets that are each attached to a red canister. The net bags are all closed prior to deployment in the water, so that water flows freely through the frame. Upon the net frame being lowered to the deepest desired depth of study, the first net is opened to collect the water at that depth. As that canister is closed, the next one is opened at the new depth. This goes on as the MultiNet is pulled upwards until all 5 canisters have collected samples at the varying depths being studied. The MultiNet that is being used for this project also has a side net. The side net is used for capturing everything in the water column all the way up from 1000 meters upwards.

One of my favorite parts of the day is what I call “Show and Tell with Jenn,” where Jennifer Questel, the scientist deploying the MultiNet, goes through everything found in the collection from the side net. She pours small portions of the samples from the side net at a time into a glass dish to sift through and pull out the organisms of interest for separate preservation to study in a lab later.

a woman in an orange jacket leans over a metal workbench in the wet lab. immediately in front of her is a glass pie dish containing water. resting her left elbow on the table, she looks down at the pie dish and reaches with what is likely a pair of tweezers or foreceps in her right hand. around her on the table, we see other sample jars, bottles, syringes. — *Jennifer, sifting through the samples from the day’s collection*

close-up view of a clear glass or plastic jar with a white screwtop lid, held up for the photo by two hands. The jar contains water with greenish-yellow clumps of plankton. Behind the jar, out of focus, are rows of colored hard hats hanging on the wall. — *The jar of collected samples from the side net*

The very first time she did this, I was so excited to see a few jellyfish and a lantern fish. I thought that was all that was caught. When Jenn went through the samples, however, she pulled out these incredible clear living organisms that I hadn’t even noticed floating in the sample water.

top-down view of a glass tray of sample wells resting on a metal tabletop. in the top center well is a clear round organism that looks a bit like a peeled grape (perhaps a comb jelly). in the well beneath that is some sort of long, skinny larval fish, looking like a soft clear tube. — *Examples of what Jenn found in her samples*

I even got to hold a salp, which looks really squishy and slimy, but does not feel that way – it definitely has its own structure!

very close-up view of a hand holding a salp for the camera. The salp, clear and gelatinous, is as long as the width of the finger on which it rests. Two tiny antennae extend from one end, toward the ring finger. — *Holding a salp!*

Personal Log

Captain Laura Gibson arranged for me to get a tour of the engine room. Although there is plenty of science in the ship’s day-to-day operations, too, I’m going to use the “Personal Log” section of my blog to discuss ship specifics, particularly since I’ve gotten so many questions about life on NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada.

There are many systems that keep the ship operating. Obviously there is the engine that keeps the ship running, but there is so much that many people wouldn’t think of. For example, did you know that the water is put through a reverse osmosis system so that it is drinkable? I know we have a system like this in my basement for my house, but it is nothing compared to this system!

view of the reverse osmosis system; we can see tubes connecting different parts of a machine. a clipboard with printed protocols hangs in the middle of the photo. — *Reverse Osmosis System for the ship*

There is a very important system on the ship that handles all of the waste from the toilets. It is a very sensitive system and it was reiterated many times that you CANNOT flush anything other than toilet paper down the pipes, or you will be very unpopular amongst the ship engineers! In fact, we learned that most ‘flushable wipes’ that you find are not flushable in any marine system. I imagine this is a system many of you would not have thought about, but it is a system that you definitely want to be working smoothly!

view of an old control board, with four monitors, rows of switches, buttons, and colored lights. a spiral logbook with a pen rest on top of the control board, to the left. mounted above are two more modern computer screens; the larger one shows four simultaneous camera views of locations around the ship. — *Engine room control board*

The Chief Marine Engineer Rob Dillon has a digital system in which he can watch all aspects of NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada in action at any given moment. He is retiring in a month, and it was fun to hear his stories of working on steam ships first, then diesel, and also watching the transition to the digital displays. He has been all over the world, including making deliveries to the USSR before the end of the Cold War. I could have listened to his stories all day long!

view of the rudder post, a heavy round metal casing mounted on the ship's floor. the top is painted blue and the underside is painted red, and hoses lead in and out of the casing. on top appear to be gears. — *Rudder Post – I could see the subtle turning as we were standing there!*

The real fun was seeing the rudder control and the ship propeller. It was such a fascinating feeling to imagine what was happening in the water just on the other side of what I was seeing inside the ship!

a man wearing an engineer's work jacket, a baseball cap, and a beard, faces away from the camera to look at something as he squeezes between large orange metal paneling. — *Getting to the ship’s propeller shaft!*

view down the length of the propeller shaft, which looks like a huge black metal pipe extending out of the ship's wall. everything around it painted orange-red. a dirty oilcloth hangs from a line suspended above the shaft. — *The ship’s propeller shaft – the cloth is there because they clean the shaft often to keep it running smoothly*

Music Connection

Today’s music connection comes courtesy of Ensign Megan Sixt. I was visiting the bridge, and asking questions about the structure of the NOAA Corps (the uniformed service men and women who run the ship operations) and the science teams. Megan beautifully explained that the ship runs like a symphony orchestra – every person has their role, and each role is important. She talked about how there are certain roles on the ship that would be very difficult for her to do, and she is grateful for the people who do them so well on NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada.

It is a very inspiring experience to watch the NOAA Corps and the science team collaborate. Both parties highly respect what the other is doing, and you can see that in every interaction. Everyone on the ship wants the mission to be successful and they all understand their individual role in making it happen. Just like in an orchestra where a trombonist would not be covering an oboist’s part, the people on NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada know their role and do not try to tell other people what to do in their roles. It is so refreshing to be in a place where everyone appreciates and supports each other fully. The trust in each other and respect for each person is very high here, and it is a great lesson for the students I teach to hear about. There is rarely a collaboration that does not end in thanking the other person for their help, insight, or critique. The bigger picture – whether it is a scientific mission, or a symphony orchestra performance, is the ultimate goal that everyone focuses on.

Also, I want to share another audio clip with you all – this is what a group of albatross sound like. You can hear Popoki, as well, as we are recovering her from her dive.

This audio clip contains the sounds of the albatross

Student Questions

Part of the homework I had to do for the students I work with was to find out about squid in the area I am working. They will be excited to know that I saw one off the side of the ship tonight! I couldn’t get a picture of it, as the lighting was not great for an iphone photo. However, there also happens to be a squid in the lab for the freezer.

view of a single market squid, perhaps a foot long, on a refrigerator shelf. — *Pretty sure this guy wants to say hi to St. Bruno Wildcats!*

The samples from the MultiNet have also included some tiny squid.

top-down view of a glass tray of sample wells resting on a metal tabletop. this photo focuses on a sample well containing a larval squid, which is notable smaller than the adjacent salp, though round eyes and tiny tentacles are visible. — *Jenn says this is paralarvae, probably from a squid, found in the side net collection*

September 2, 2024September 2, 2024

Lisa Werner: Popoki Goes to Sea, August 30, 2024

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Lisa Werner

Aboard NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada

August 29-September 13, 2024

Mission: EXPRESS Project

Geographic Area of Cruise: Pacific Coast, near Oregon

Date: August 30, 2024

Weather Data from the Bridge (Daisy Bank)

Latitude: 44.37 º N

Longitude: 124.44º W

Wind Speed: NW at 3.17 knots

Air Temperature: 15.7° Celsius (60.26° F)

Conditions: Foggy

Science and Technology Log

Today was the first deployment of the autonomous underwater vehicle (or AUV) for this sailing. The AUV’s name is Popoki ‘Eiwa (which is Hawaiian for ‘Cat Nine,’ and refers to Popoki’s catlike stealth, and the fact that this is the ninth one of this class of AUVs). There was a lot of prep work done yesterday to make sure Popoki was ready for her first outing for this trip (though she has had close to 300 deployments, according to Chief Scientist Dr. Elizabeth Clarke).

Crewmembers on the deck of the ship surrounded a large piece of scientific equipment suspended above the deck's surface by a cable. It is made of two yellow cylinders, each tapered on one end, mounted one above the other by metal beams. There is propeller mounted vertically midway across the front metal beam. There is another propeller mounted horizontally atop the lower cylinder. We can also see instrumentation, a red flag sticking up out of the bag, the NOAA symbol and the name Popoki. Crewmembers wear hard hats and float vests or life vests. — *Preparing to deploy Popoki*

An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is unique because it is not tethered to NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada in any way. The AUV must be programmed to do what the scientists want. The advantage of Popoki over other submersibles is that Popoki hovers a few meters over the ocean floor, so it can handle rocky terrains better. While underwater, Popoki takes pictures of the ocean floor every few seconds, allowing scientists to see fish, coral, and the marine habitat of the location.

Images from Popoki

underwater image of what must be corals - a few small fish swim nearby — Small fish swim among the deep-sea corals

underwater image of a skate swimming across sandy bottom — A skate swims along the ocean bottom

underwater view of an orange sea star with as many as 22 arms, on sandy bottom — An orange sunflower sea star

underwater view of a striking orange and pink fish, probably a rockfish of some sort, above ocean floor with some rocks and corals — A rockfish

underwater view of a mottled brown fish resting on a rocky bottom, near a white coral — Fish spotted near the ocean bottom

The first thing necessary for Popoki’s deployment today was to have a Green-Amber-Red (GAR) Daily Risk Assessment Meeting. This took place on the bridge, and Chief Scientist Dr. Clarke and her science team met with Commanding Officer Gibson and her ship crew. Both parties looked at current conditions and the necessary actions of the deployment, mission, and recovery of the AUV. They assessed categories such as resources, weather, and mission complexity to determine whether conditions were acceptable for a deployment today. Everyone communicated questions and concerns about the mission objectives. In the end, it was decided the mission was an Amber level – meaning to use extra caution. This is normal for the first deployment of a sailing, as there are new crew involved who have never dealt with Popoki before. Also, during the dive, the ship needs to be able to stay in a position to communicate with the AUV. The risk assessment served as a reminder to everyone to pay very close attention to everything that was going on and to communicate effectively and efficiently to get the job done.

After some deck testing, it was time to get Popoki to sea. She was hoisted off of the deck using the ship’s winch and side a-frame, and then gently lowered to the water. It takes many crew members to make sure that the 600-lb. Popoki does not get hurt or that she does not rub along the side of the ship.

Popoki was deployed a little before 10 am, and recovery started around 2:30 pm. She has a very busy work day (the subsequent dives for our trip will be around 7 hours), and Jeff Anderson, AUV pilot and scientist, will have a busy evening of analyzing the pictures she is bringing back. The recovery process is fascinating to watch, as it is an intricate dance of ship control by the highly skilled bridge of the ship, and the scientists and deck crew with impressive skill trying to wrangle the AUV with lines, hooks, and the winch. No easy feat for sure, though they certainly made it look less difficult than it was! Popoki will be deployed every day of this sailing, weather permitting.

view over the ship's railing of the autonomous underwater vehicle in the water on its return. from the surface, we can only see one of the two yellow cylinders that make up the instrument's body. We also see the red flag mounted on the back. Crewmembers farther down the deck extend hooks on poles, connected to winch cables, toward the swimming AUV. The ocean is fairly calm, and gray, reflecting a foggy gray sky. — *Hooking the Popoki to bring her back*

view down the ship's railing as crewmembers wearing hard hats and life vests use hooks on poles, and cables, to hoist the autonomous underwater vehicle out of the water; in this view it is suspended just above the ocean surface, dripping water. The ocean is calm and gray, reflecting a gray foggy sky. — *Hoisting Popoki back onboard to the ship*

Popoki does not just bring back pictures – she has a sophisticated collection of sensors that will graph the salinity, dissolved oxygen, and temperature, along with graphs that monitor the use of her propellors, battery usage, buoyancy, etc. It is really impressive to see all that she has encountered during the entirety of her dive.

photo of a computer screen displaying a graph labeled "Depth vs Time," with Mission Time as the x-axis and Depth as the y-axis. There is a dark purple line and a green line displaying the data. — Data showing Popoki’s different depths over the time of her dive – notice how many peaks and valleys occur – that’s a lot of shifts for ocean floor terrain, telling us it is very rocky and a lot of terrain changes below Popoki

Personal Log

I really enjoyed being a part of the risk assessment meeting and noticing how important it was that every person involved in the deployment, operation, and return of Popoki had all of the information of the day’s agenda. Every aspect of the day’s goal was planned, with every person aware of which portion he/she was responsible for. Although I don’t necessarily need to assess the risks involved with holding a music concert, the coordination of communication reminded me a lot of how big music events run at our school. Every person in our school – teachers, students, custodians, parent volunteers – all have a very important role to play in the success of the concert. The risk assessment for Popoki gave me a new perspective on how to best address all of the moving pieces necessary to communicate the needs for the concert, and the involvement of everyone in the success of the event!

Additionally, the pictures that came back from Popoki were so impressive to see, even while unedited (the computer runs a color-correction program). It is truly remarkable how the majority of people can be floating above 300 meters of water and never know what is directly below us! It was like looking at pictures from an oceanography documentary, except knowing that I was right above what was being shown on the screen. Seeing something that so few people get to see while being in the location the pictures were taken is an incredible experience! I am just in awe!

view over a man's shoulder of the laptop that he is working on. The laptop displays a black-and-white image of coral. The man sits at a metal desk or bench and uses an attached computer mouse with his right hand. In front of him is a cloudy window through which we can see an exterior ship railing. — *AUV Pilot and Scientist Jeff Anderson looking at initial images from the AUV.*

Music Connection

I did not talk about this up above, because I really wanted to discuss this here in the Music Connection: How do you think scientists on NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada communicate with Popoki?

If you guessed through the use of sound, you are correct! The technology is similar to that of a fax machine – a computer translates the programming from the scientist into a series of audio tones that are sent to Popoki. Popoki communicates back with a set of digital signals. It is a complicated oscillation of pitches in a variety of rhythms from the scientist doing the programming, a handoff period (because you do not want both the ship and Popoki transmitting at the same time), and then tones of different durations from Popoki responding with what actions she is doing (confirming the commands being followed, documenting images being recorded, recording position, etc.).

This is a sample of the audio coming from Popoki during her testing on the deck of the ship before deployment.

Student Questions

The students I teach made up a list of questions for me to get answers for them, which I called “Homework for your Teacher.” One of the questions they asked was if there were any jellyfish in the area I was going to be. After my visit to the aquarium, I learned that Moon Jellyfish were in the area. Today, while I was on the bridge, Ops Officer Lt. Jaime Hendrix showed me a jellyfish that we could see in the water, as it was near the surface. It was incredible to see a jellyfish outside of an aquarium, and I was impressed I could see the Moon Jellyfish all the way up on the bridge!

August 31, 2024August 31, 2024

Lisa Werner: Introduction to OREGON (Not Alaska!) – August 29, 2024

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Lisa Werner

Aboard NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada

August 29 – September 13, 2024

Mission: Expanding Pacific Research and Exploration of Submerged Systems (EXPRESS) Project

Geographic Area of Cruise: Pacific Coast, near Southern Oregon and Northern California

Date: August 29, 2024

Weather Data (Newport, OR)

Date: 08/29/2024
Time: 0730
Latitude: 44.6°N
Longitude: 124.05°W

Science and Technology Log

Originally I was scheduled to be a part of NOAA Ship Fairweather‘s hydrography mission, but ship repairs have changed my assignment. I am now going to be on NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada, working on the EXPRESS mission. EXPRESS stands for Expanding Pacific Research and Exploitation of Submerged Systems.

This project has three main goals:

To guide wise use of living and non-living marine resources,
To inform potential offshore energy decisions, and
To improve offshore earthquake, landslide, tsunami, and nautical hazard assessments.

One of the main aspects of this larger project that I will be experiencing will be the use of an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) named Popoki. I am incredibly excited to see the variety of experiments being done for this project!

Before we get going on the project, I had the great fortune of getting a tour of the NOAA Fisheries Lab (part of the Northwest Fisheries Science Center) and the Hatfield Marine Science Center with Alicia Billings, a Fishery Research Biologist. Alicia showed me where her office and work spaces are, taught me about how fish ages are figured out by counting the growth bands of the otoliths (“Ear stones”), and taught me a lot about the nets used for her studies on Pacific Hake. She had just gotten back from being at sea aboard NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada, so she had a lot of insights as to how the time at sea works and how much the scientists look forward to being able to work in the ocean environment.

close-up photo of a printed poster or bookpage. This section is titled Pacific Hake: Maximum age: 25 years. There is a photo of a hake resting on the seafloor, and two magnified images of otolith crossections. — Pacific Hake otolith example – note the rings to count!

I also had the opportunity to visit the Oregon Coast Aquarium, which had some incredible touch tanks and viewing tunnels showing the marine life of Oregon. I was able to find answers to many of the homework questions the students I teach gave me before I left (mainly about the octopus, crab, and jellyfish populations!)

view of a Pacific Giant Octopus hanging out near the window of an aquarium tank — Pacific Giant Octopus

a zookeeper wearing latex gloves kneels to offer a piece of squid to a sea otter floating on its back near the edge of the water of its enclosure — Pacific Giant Octopus

Oregon Coast Aquarium images:
(1) The students I teach really wanted to see how an octopus moves, so they will love the videos I took of this very large octopus! (2) I arrived at the aquarium just in time to see the sea otters being fed. (3) One of the 3 tunnels that immerses visitors in the sea life of Oregon.

We leave port later today, and I cannot wait to see the incredible work being done!

Personal Log

I am very excited to be sailing aboard NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada. I am so grateful to Emily Susko for arranging this quick change (while on her week off of work) so that I could still be a part of the Teacher at Sea program, despite the delays with NOAA Ship Fairweather.

Lisa, wearing her Teacher at Sea hat and t-shirt, poses for a photo by pointing excitedly at her nameplate on a wooden door. There are three other nameplates on this door, as well as smaller papers with muster station assignments — My name is on my stateroom door!

The EXPRESS program will be an excellent example of interdepartmental work, as it will feature scientists from NOAA, University of Alaska, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Combined with the beautiful partnership between the NOAA Officer Corps (the people who run the ships) and the NOAA science team (the people working on the specific project that sails aboard the ships), it will be great to see how all of these groups of people contribute to the greater project – definitely some great lessons and examples to bring back to the students in our school!

Music Connection

Since it is my belief that music connects to everything, the last section of each blog post will feature connections to music. While I was getting a tour of the beautiful Gladys Valley Marine Studies Building from Alicia, I saw an exhibit on a musical instrument that has been made from hollow bull kelp. There was a listening station where you could hear a hollowed bull kelp being played. The beauty of this instrument is that it is environmentally responsible – the bull kelp wash ashore regularly, so they do not need to be harvested. Kelp decays quickly, so the horn must be played within a week of it washing ashore. The projects displayed were showing the collaboration between music and ecology.

photo of a printed photo and caption displayed on a wall. the image shows a single piece of bull kelp lying in the sand. Mounted beneath, the caption reads: "Bull kelp, Nereocystis leutkeana, meaning "mermaid's bladder" is an annual macroalgae. It has a lovely natural history that weaves the story of our narrative. By providing structure to the rocky subtidal, it gives life to many organisms, past and present, small and large. From tiny juvenile rockfish to massive grey whales, extinct sea cows to urchin divers, many call kelp forests home." — Picture of bull kelp. Alicia Billings mentioned that sea lions and seals sometimes hold onto the kelp while feeding.

a man wearing long orange gloves holds a stalk of bull kelp, with his right hand grasping one end as if it were a garden hose, and his left hand holding the other end of the kelp to his lips. His cheeks are puffed out from blowing into the horn. He stands on a beach with muted colors. — Picture of bull kelp. Alicia Billings mentioned that sea lions and seals sometimes hold onto the kelp while feeding.

August 23, 2024August 27, 2024

Tonya Prentice: NOAA’s CTD and Carousel, August 20, 2024

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Tonya Prentice

Aboard NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow

August 8 – August 24, 2024

Mission: Northeast Ecosystem Monitoring Survey

Geographic Area of Cruise: Northwest Atlantic Ocean

Date: August 20, 2024

Weather Data from the Bridge
Latitude: 42.2212 º N
Longitude: 70.29659º W
Wind Speed: NW at 12 mph
Air Temperature: 19.8° Celsius (67.64° F)
Sea Temperature: 19.3 Celsius (66.74° F)

Science and Technology Log

Monitoring Ocean Parameters with NOAA’s CTD and Carousel Bottle Sampler

The CTD and Carousel Sampler are essential tools NOAA uses to monitor ocean conditions. “CTD” stands for Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth, the primary parameters this device measures. By running profiles of the water column from the surface to the bottom, the CTD helps us understand key ocean characteristics. The Carousel Sampler paired with the CTD allows collection of water samples at depth for laboratory analysis.

What Does the CTD Measure?

Conductivity: Helps determine the salinity of the water.
Temperature: Measures the thermal profile of the water column.
Depth: Tracks how deep the CTD is during data collection.

Together, these measurements give us a detailed profile of the water column, helping scientists monitor what we call “the Big Four” parameters.

Carousel: Collecting Water Samples

The CTD and Carousel is equipped with twelve Niskin bottles, which are used to collect discrete water samples from specific depths. The bottles are numbered 1-12, and are “fired” (closed) at different depths to capture water samples.

For example, bottle 1 might be fired near the bottom (a few meters above the seafloor), bottle 2 at 10 meters, bottle 3 at the determined chlorophyll maximum (C Max), and bottle 4 couple just below the surface. Multiple bottles are often fired at each depth to collect additional water. These samples provide critical data about the ocean’s chemical properties at various levels.

view of the carousel sampler resting on the deck of NOAA Ship Henry B Bigelow at night. A white cylindrical metal frame holds twelve gray cylindrical bottles in a round. The bottles have opened stoppers connected at the top and bottom. the CTD probe, at the center of the round, is not visible. Tonya has added yellow text boxes to label the following: carousel, Niskin bottles, top stopper, valves, bottom stopper. — CTD Carousel Bottle Sampler

Preparing the CTD Carousel Bottle Sampler

Before deployment, we ensure that all the stopper valves at the top and bottom of each Niskin bottle are closed. We also hook the wires at the top and bottom to prepare the bottles to open at the designated depths. Once the CTD is ready, it is carefully lowered into the water, beginning its descent through the water column.

Analyzing the Key Parameters

Once the water samples are retrieved, we focus on analyzing these key parameters:

Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC)
pH
Total Alkalinity (TA)
Nutrients
Chlorophyll

view of a large scientific instrument, a cylindrical metal frame containing a round of tall dark gray sample bottles, suspended over the rail of a ship. The sky and the water are both a dark blue, fading into one another at the horizon. — Lowering the CTD into the water.

photo of a computer monitor displaying a graph; the graph itself is not really readable — Lowering the CTD into the water.

Storing the Samples

After processing, the nutrient and chlorophyll samples are stored in a freezer kept at -80°C (-112°F) to preserve them for further analysis. Mercuric chloride is added to the DIC, pH, and TA samples to preserve them until they are measured in the laboratory. These samples provide invaluable insights into ocean health. The DIC, TA and pH samples help us monitor the effects effects of ocean acidification— which occurs when carbon dioxide dissolves into the ocean. The chlorophyll samples measure the amount of phytoplankton living in the water. Like plants on land, microscopic phytoplankton carry out photosynthesis, produce oxygen, and are at the base of the marine food web.

Understanding these parameters allows us to monitor the ocean’s health and better predict how it may change in the future. For more information on ocean acidification, check out this resource: NOAA Ocean Acidification.

By closely monitoring DIC, TA and pH we can track important changes in our oceans, providing critical data for research and conservation efforts.

Personal Log

Life on a 12-Hour Work Shift at Sea

Working a 12-hour shift at sea might sound intense, but there’s often some downtime between stations and even a few hours after the work is done. The time you get can vary depending on how far apart each station is. Sometimes it’s just enough to process samples before heading to the next station, while other times you have several hours to relax and recharge.

So, how do you spend that free time on a ship? There’s no shortage of options. You could enjoy a movie in the lounge area, dive into a good book, play a board or card game with other crew members, or head to the flying deck to spot seabirds and marine life, or simply take in the stunning ocean views. Another interesting way to pass the time is visiting the bridge, where you can see how the ship is navigated, maneuvered, and commanded.

Let’s not forget “Activities and Crafts with Katy,” which can bring a whole new adventure to your day. Today, this included visiting the lab and looking at the different species of marine organisms that have been collected, such as stingray barbs, dogfish, and scallop shells. Katy then showed us how to make our own Acadian Redfish otolith (ear bone) earrings. “Scientists use the ear stones (bones) as a way to age the fish. Also called otoliths, they are bones found right behind the skulls of bony fishes.” (Smithsonian)

The balance of work and downtime can make those long shifts much more manageable and even enjoyable, offering moments to connect with colleagues and the environment around you in a way that few people get to experience.

view of two rows of large brown comfy-looking recliners facing a tv screen mounted on the wall above cabinets. there is a bookcase off to one side. — The Lounge area.

the flying deck - the uppermost deck on the ship - is bisected by the ship's yellow mast. a tall metal frame appears to be shade structure but may serve additional purposes. There are picnic benches and beach lounge chairs. — The Lounge area.

Did You Know?

“One atmosphere is equal to the weight of the earth’s atmosphere at sea level, about 14.6 pounds per square inch” (NOAA Water Pressures at Ocean Depths). Beneath the ocean’s surface, water pressure increases by approximately one atmosphere for every 10 meters of depth.

To illustrate just how intense this pressure can be, we conducted a simple yet fascinating experiment. We decorated 16 ounce styrofoam cups with artwork, then placed them in a mesh bag attached to the CTD Carousel Sampler. The CTD , along with the cups, was submerged to a depth of about 500 meters (1640.42 feet), where the pressure equals roughly 725 pounds per square inch (psi). We repeated this process by submerging the cups to 200 meters (656.17 feet), which equals about 291.18 psi.

As the cups descended into the depths, the increasing water pressure caused them to shrink dramatically because the air inside the cups was compressed. This simple experiment vividly demonstrates how powerful the forces at play beneath the ocean’s surface can be.

three styrofoam cups in a row on a table or desk surface. the leftmost cup is the standard size, undecorated. The middle cup is 30-40% smaller. It's colored with marker to be a flower scene, with "2024" written around the top rim. The rightmost cup is the smallest, probably less than half the size of the original. It says Go Wildcats, August 2024, Henry B Bigelow. — This is a normal size ounce styrofoam cup (left side). Here is the cup after it was submerged 200 m below the ocean surface (middle). The last cup was submerged 500 m and then again at 200 m (right side).

August 16, 2024August 16, 2024

Lisa Werner: Introduction, August 16, 2024

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Lisa Werner
Aboard NOAA Ship Fairweather
September 3 – 20, 2024

Mission: Hydrographic

Geographic Area of Cruise: Alaska

Date: August 16, 2024

Weather Data (Mukwonago, WI)

Date: 08/16/2024
Time: 09:00
Latitude: 36.98°N
Temperature: 60°F
Longitude: 122.01°W

Introduction

Hello! My name is Lisa Werner and I am so excited to be a Teacher at Sea for the 2024 Season. I have been teaching for 15 years, and currently teach 3-year old kindergarten through 8th grade music, 4th-8th grade band, and 5th-8th grade choir in Wisconsin. I am passionate about showing students the link between music and other subjects, as music has so many connections to everything we do. The students in my classes are curious about the world around them and have a very adventurous explorer mindset. I will be entering this experience armed with all of their questions to answer upon my return!

a bulletin board with a yellow background and a sky-with-clouds border, titled Band Students Make Waves! cut out images of sound waves are stapled throughout - near each is pinned a smaller paper that says "Answer." at the bottom is the question: Can you guess which sound wave goes with which band student? — Students regularly study sound waves in band, choir, and music classes!

Our school music program is a bit unique – we are regularly exploring STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) concepts and turning them into STEAM (adding the A for Arts) concepts. Students in my classes use Virtual Reality headsets to practice performing their music to fight off performance anxiety. We study the effects of music and vibration on plant growth. We’ve even designed experiments for a zero-gravity parabolic flight. All of these music class units show students how music is interwoven into so many facets of our lives!

A St. Bruno student using a Virtual Reality Headset to practice for an upcoming performance.

Science and Technology Log

I will be aboard NOAA Ship Fairweather as a NOAA Teacher at Sea. The Fairweather is a ship used to map the ocean in order to ensure safe navigation and commerce. The crew aboard the Fairweather collect data from sonar scans and echo sounders and then pass this information to NOAA cartographers who create updated nautical charts to support marine navigation. The data from the Fairweather is also used to study fishery habitats and marine ecosystems. The Fairweather is named after the tallest peak in the Fairweather Mountain Range, Mount Fairweather, located in Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park.

NOAA Ship Fairweather on glassy-still ice-blue water in front of snow-covered mountains; the sky is light blue and mostly clear, and the water is perfectly reflective — NOAA Vessel *Fairweather* (Photo Credit: Hydrographic Survey Tech Kevin Lally)

Personal Log: Why would a music teacher be selected for this program?

I enjoy showing students connections between music and other subjects. I am a master at finding similarities between many areas of STEM fields and music concepts. The students I teach love learning about these connections and they often find inspiration to research and dig deeper into these experiences. My goal as a teacher is to help the students I work with find their spark – I know very few students I teach will become professional musicians, but I can help give them the skills they need to be successful in whatever area they choose. I can also help them to find their interests through experiences such as this one. I love to open the students’ eyes to life outside of our classroom and community and inspire them to make a difference.

Lisa wears a flight suit, floats in the air, and plays an instrument that looks like an odd, purple trombone. Around her float at least five other educators in flight suits. — Lisa Werner executing a student-designed experiment in zero gravity through the Space for Teachers Embedded Teacher Program (Photo Credit: Steve Boxall)

I anticipate using this program in a few different ways – I want to share the information we learn through the experience with the students. I plan to share the data with the students, and have them sonify the data into a musical composition. I want to record the sounds of the ship and the life at sea for the students to use in their musical composition recordings. While I am on the experience, I will also find similarities between the research going on and musical concepts I teach in the classroom, drawing comparisons between concepts students know from my class to help them understand what happens on a research vessel. Additionally, I want students to be aware of the missions of NOAA, and the research being done. I want to inspire curiosity in the students and to empower students to make changes to help the health of the Earth’s water. Seeing the important research being done will encourage students to look at how water is important in their own lives, even living a distance away from oceans.

I am excited to be selected for the Teacher at Sea program and have the opportunity to learn about bathymetry and oceanography careers. I can’t wait to share all that I learn with my students. Thank you to NOAA for giving me this opportunity to experience hydrography research in Alaska. I know that the students I work with and our community will be very inspired to learn more about the ocean!