2024 – Page 5 – NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog

July 22, 2024July 24, 2024

Nick Lee: The Data, July 15, 2024

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Nick Lee
Aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson
June 29 – July 20, 2024

Mission: Pollock Acoustic-Trawl Survey

Geographic Area of Cruise: Eastern Bering Sea

Date: July 15, 2024

Weather Data from the Bridge:

Latitude: 59° 51.9 N

Longitude: 173° 53.5 W

Wind Speed: 11 knots

Air Temperature: 6.1° Celsius (42.9° Fahrenheit)

Science and Technology Log:

On my cruise, scientists take acoustic measurements along the length of each transect. To ensure that they are accurately estimating the abundance of pollock, they take steps to separate out any backscatter that they believe didn’t come from pollock.

Scientists then apply algorithms to the data in order to estimate pollock abundance over the entire survey area. First, they break up the transect into 0.5 nautical mile (NM) sections and record the average backscatter for that section. Specifically, scientists are interested in the areal density – the amount of backscatter per square nautical mile (NM²).

This data can be challenging to interpret, so one way the scientists represent it visually is with a stick plot over the survey area:

Stick plot showing acoustic backscatter from the 2022 pollock survey. This is a simple map of the Bering Sea, where the land of Alaska appears in gray and the water is white with some bathymetric lines. The transect lines run straight, at a slight angle on this rotated map, across the waters. Yellow bars of different sizes stick up off the transect lines at an angle. — *Acoustic backscatter from the 2022 pollock survey.*

In this graphic, the transect lines are shown in black, and the density of acoustic backscatter for each 0.5 NM section is represented with a yellow stick. The longer the stick, the greater the density of backscatter at that location.

Scientists then use this data to perform calculations on the entire survey area, including the space in between transects. For each 0.5 NM section of transect, the acoustic density is extrapolated halfway to the next transect on either side.

Diagram showing transect lines, and how acoustic density is applied across the survey area. Three gray vertical lines, evenly spaced, are each labeled "transect line;" dotted lines mark the distance halfway between each transect line. A smaller portion of the middle transect line is colored red instead of gray. It's labeled with a parallel double-sided arrow marking out "0.5 nautical mile." A red box the height of that red section stretches as far to the left and right as the next dotted halfway line; one side is labeled "half distance to next transect." — In this diagram, the red line represents a 0.5 NM section of transect for which acoustic density is calculated. This acoustic density is then applied to the entire pink rectangle, which extends halfway to the next to the transect on either side.

By doing this process for every 0.5 NM section of transect studied, scientists are able to calculate values of acoustic density for the entire survey area.

Map of current survey area with transect lines and boxes showing the area over which transect data is extrapolated. — *Map of current survey area and transect lines (black), with boxes (purple) indicating the area over which data from each transect is extrapolated.*

Getting from acoustic density to pollock abundance takes another set of calculations, this time making use of trawl data. The pollock caught in each trawl can vary drastically in terms of size – some trawls are mostly juveniles, some trawls are mostly adults, and some are an even mix of both. For a given location, scientists use data from the nearest geographic trawl to estimate the distribution of fish in that area.

Distribution of pollock centered around 20-30 cm. This is a bar chart. The x-axis displays length in centimeters (0 to 80 cm) and the y-axis displays proportion of the catch (0 to 0.125). The majority of the bars are black, but a minor portion are colored partially red, indicating proportions of identified male pollock, or blue, indicating proportions of identified of female pollock. — *In some trawls, the most fish were within 20-30 cm in length (above) while in others, most fish were over 40 cm in length (below).*

Distribution of pollock centered around 40-50 cm. This is a bar chart. The x-axis displays length in centimeters (0 to 80 cm) and the y-axis displays proportion of the catch (0 to 0.125). The majority of the bars are black, but a minor portion are colored partially red, indicating proportions of identified male pollock, or blue, indicating proportions of identified of female pollock.

Having trawl data is necessary to convert the acoustic data into fish abundance because small and large pollock do not reflect backscatter equally. Scientists have studied this, and they have created a relationship for the different backscatter reflected by different length pollock. Using the distribution of pollock in the nearest trawl, scientists are able to proportionally allocate the observed backscatter to pollock of different lengths.

Graph showing that as pollock length increases, acoustic backscatter also increases. The x-axis shows pollock length in centimeters (0 to 80) and the y-axis shows acoustic size in "(TS, dB re 1 m2)", ranging from -50 to -30. A blue line curves gently from the lower right corner ("small fish, weak backscatter") to the upper right corner ("large fish, strong backscatter.") — *As pollock length increases, backscatter also increases.*
(Equation from Lauffenburger et al., 2023. Mining previous acoustic surveys to improve walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) target strength estimates, ICES Journal of Marine Science, Volume 80, Issue 6, August 2023, Pages 1683–1696, https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsad094)

As an example, let’s simplify the two locations sampled in the graphs above. Suppose the first location had only 20 cm pollock, the second had only 40 cm pollock, and equal backscatter was observed at both sites. Scientists know that, all else being equal, 20 cm pollock produce less backscatter than 40 cm pollock. This means that in order to reflect the same backscatter, there must be a greater number of 20 cm pollock than 40 cm pollock.

By repeating a similar process for each geographic location, scientists are able to estimate the number of pollock in the entire survey area!

Personal Log

The sailing and many of the operations of NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson are done by NOAA Corps officers. I hadn’t heard of the NOAA Corps before sailing, but I’ve since learned that they play an important role in facilitating NOAA research.

To learn more about the experience of NOAA Corps officers, I interviewed Ensign Savi Morales.

Ensign Savi Morales working with John Swenson, a member of the deck crew. Engisn Morales wears the blue every day uniform of the NOAA Corps and stands at a bank of navigational computers on the bridge. Both men gaze down at a display screen. — *Ensign Savi Morales (left) on the bridge collaborating with John Swenson, a member of the deck crew.*

Why did you decide to become a NOAA Corps officer?

I’ve always wanted to support the protection of the environment and mitigating climate change. After college, I was trying to figure out where I would contribute the most. I really loved being out on the water, and I had sailed plenty but I wanted to find a way to combine my interests in an environment I contribute the most. The NOAA Corps felt like it was a combination of those things.

I also loved the idea of working with the crew, engineering department, and science. I really enjoy that mixture of groups we have aboard Dyson, which makes every trip’s dynamic different. There’s also a lot of hands-on experience on the bridge deck making our 12 days packed with projects I work on. The NOAA Corps embraces a diverse skill set in order to think and act like a Swiss army knife and be a jack of all trades.

What are your responsibilities on board the ship?

My responsibilities are two 4-hour bridge watches as a Junior Officer of the Deck as I work towards becoming a fully qualified Officer of the Deck. In between my watches I work on tasks related to my responsibilities as the Dyson’s damage control officer, assistant navigation officer, and assistant public affairs officer. I track the sea service hours for our augmenting and personal crew, which they can use to upgrade their license. I maintain flags, and I do monthly safety rounds, inspecting fire extinguishers and fire stations.

What do you enjoy the most about your work?

I enjoy meeting the characters that come to the Dyson, definitely an eclectic but fun group. I also enjoy how much they’ve thrown me into the mix and had me figure things out. It’s a little bit of a trial by fire, but I learn really quick and I’d rather learn by doing.

What part of your job with NOAA did you least expect to be doing?

Checking fire extinguishers, there’s about 100 on board and they all need to be checked monthly. It takes about 3-4 hours.

Here in the Bering Sea you hear about the big, massive waves, but it’s not always like that. The Aleutian Islands are gorgeous with lots of wildlife. I don’t think I’ve seen this many bald eagles, orcas, or puffins in my entire life. They always brighten my day.

What advice do you have for a young person interested in a career in the NOAA Corps?

NOAA Corps requires you to have a four-year college degree in order to apply. Other than that, I’d say find opportunities to go out on the water. There’s high school scholarships, there’s college scholarships. You can also volunteer if you have time. I volunteered at the UC Davis Bodega marine lab. I visited once a week just to hang out with the scientists, with the crew to see if this is what I liked. Be curious and experience things for yourself!

Did you know?

NOAA Corps is one of the country’s eight uniformed services, and its officers operate NOAA ships and aircraft around the country. After completing basic training at the US Coast Guard Academy, NOAA officers assist in fisheries research, seafloor mapping, monitoring atmospheric conditions, and may respond to natural disasters and extreme weather. Learn more at the NOAA Corps website here!

July 16, 2024July 16, 2024

Nick Lee: In the Fish Lab, July 12, 2024

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Nick Lee
Aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson
June 29 – July 20, 2024

Mission: Pollock Acoustic-Trawl Survey

Geographic Area of Cruise: Eastern Bering Sea

Date: July 12, 2024

Weather Data from the Bridge:

Latitude: 60° 02.17 N

Longitude: 176° 37.3 W

Wind Speed: 14 knots

Air Temperature: 5.5° Celsius (41.9° Fahrenheit)

Science and Technology Log

Once the trawl is completed, the codend is unloaded onto a conveyor belt for sorting. Usually, we just sort by species, picking out any organisms that aren’t pollock and storing them in separate baskets. Overall, I’ve been surprised with how “clean” or uniform the catches have been. We will usually have some jellyfish, but other than that we tend to have only a few fish of other species in a catch with hundreds or thousands of pollock.

Pollock on the conveyor belt. We can see the orange rain coats and long yellow gloves of two scientists standing nearby. — *The catch is first emptied onto a conveyor belt where it is sorted by species.*

When the catch has a mix of juvenile and adult pollock, we’ll also sort them by size, which roughly correlates to age group. The size cutoff used for sorting is only an approximation of age (the exact age is determined later), but it is still useful in ensuring that we sample a consistent number of each size class in every trawl.

Distinguishing between the larger juveniles and smaller adults on the belt can be tricky, so on one trawl we got creative and found what we named a “measuring fish.” This fish was the smallest length that had been designated as an adult in the previous trawls – anything smaller we left on the belt with the juveniles and anything larger we put in a separate basket with the adults. While not the most conventional solution, it served our purpose well and showed that anything can be made into a measuring instrument!

Nick is wearing a heavy orange rain coat and long yellow gloves. He holds up two pollock fish vertically, comparing their lengths to one another. We see more fish on a sorting table in the background. — *Using a “measuring” fish to sort the catch according to size (Photo Credit: Matthew Phillips).*

Once the fish are sorted, we take length and weight measurements for a representative sample of all species in the trawl. We measure the length of hundreds of pollock in a given trawl, so luckily the system is very efficient.

When I length a pollock, I’ll grab the fish in one hand and place it on the magnetic length board so that its head is against the end at zero. Then I’ll use my other hand to straighten the fish and place a magnet at the fork of the tail. The length board records where the magnet touches the length board, measuring what is known as the “fork length” of the fish.

Pollock on length board; its head faces toward the left side of the board, near a digital meter reading the length. toward the right side, a red magnet is placed at the fork of the fish's tail. — *The length board records where the red magnet is placed.*

For a subsample of pollock, we will also record the sex and maturity of each individual. To collect this data, we’ll first make a cut along the side of the pollock. This allows us to observe the pollock’s ovaries or testes and compare them to a chart showing the stages of development. Based on the time of year, most of the pollock we catch are in the “developing” stage. Also visible are the pollock’s liver and its stomach, which is often filled with krill!

Three people stand at a long metal table wearing heavy orange raincoats and gloves. White bins, a white cutting board, and a measuring board line the table. Matthew, in the foreground, holds a fish up with two hands over a measuring board, and looks at someone over his right shoulder. Nick, in the middle, looks down at the fish that Matthew holds, and a third scientist stands beyond Nick, looking on as well. — *Scientist Matthew Phillips showing me how to identify the sex and maturity of a pollock (Photo Credit: Mike Levine).*

For a subsample of the pollock in this group, we’ll also collect otoliths, which are similar to tree rings in that they allow scientists to visually determine the age of the individual. Otoliths are part of pollock’s inner ear, and they help the fish to detect vibrations in the water. Like tree rings, they grow throughout a fish’s life, adding visible layers each year. During times when the fish is actively feeding (usually during the summer), an opaque layer forms around the otolith. In contrast, when the fish is eating less, the otolith layer formed is translucent. By studying otoliths, scientists can determine the age of a fish, as one opaque layer and one translucent layer together represent one year. (Source: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/science-data/age-and-growth)

Teacher at Sea Nick Lee removing an otolith. Nick wears a heavy orange raincoat and long yellow gloves. He holds part of a pollock in his right hand and with his left hand holds up a small white object (the otolith) with tweezers. — *Extracting an otolith from the head of a pollock (Photo Credit: Mike Levine).*

One important and sometimes overlooked step in scientific data collection is the clean-up. At Codman Academy, we use the phrase “Leave No Trace,” and I try to model this idea in the fish lab as well. Working with fish can be smelly, and the smell only grows when fish are allowed to sit for extended periods of time. The process of recording sex and extracting otoliths can be especially messy, so we are constantly spraying down baskets and surfaces (and each other!) between data collection steps.

All of the fish that are processed are ultimately disposed of overboard – usually during the processing of the trawl dozens of seabirds follow the ship in search of discarded fish!

View through a doorway of an outer deck; over the railing we see seabirds flying past the fish lab. The sky and the water are gray. — *Seabirds flying past the fish lab.*

Personal Log

Outside of my stateroom, there is a tongue-in-cheek poster claiming to be a “Bering Sea Weather Guide.” The poster has the labels “Good Day,” “Some Days,” and “Other Days,” below paint swatches, all of them different shades of gray. There are also gray paint swatches for “Summer,” “Winter,” and “Days Ending in Y.”

"Bering Sea Weather Guide," a collection of gray paint swatches labeled: Most Days, Good Days, Some Days, Other Days, Last Week, Next Week, This Week, Days Ending in Y, Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring — *“Bering Sea Weather Guide” outside my stateroom.*

We’ve certainly had our share of gray days this cruise, and I’ve become used to falling asleep to the sound of the ship’s foghorn. However, we’ve also gotten a few moments of sunshine and blue sky, providing some great moments for bird and whale watching from the bridge. Being on the night shift, I’ve also been able to observe a couple of sunsets from the water!

View from the bridge on a clear day - blue skys, scattered fluffy white clouds — *View from the bridge on a clear day (left) and sunset at sea (right).*

Sunset behind NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson - nice mix of purples, pinks, blues, yellows — *View from the bridge on a clear day (left) and sunset at sea (right).*

Did you know?

Because we are so far north and west in the time zone, the sun sets very late here, usually around 1 am!

July 12, 2024August 8, 2024

Nick Lee: Fishing, Fishing, Fishing, July 10, 2024

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Nick Lee
Aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson
June 29 – July 20, 2024

Mission: Pollock Acoustic-Trawl Survey

Geographic Area of Cruise: Eastern Bering Sea

Date: July 10, 2024

Weather Data from the Bridge:

Latitude: 50° 40.9 N

Longitude: 178° 29.9 W

Wind Speed: 20 knots

Air Temperature: 6.2° Celsius (43.1° Fahrenheit)

Science and Technology Log:

Last blog post, I talked about acoustic backscatter, which scientists on board use to locate fish. When scientists notice high-intensity backscatter – or backscatter that they’re interested in collecting more biological data about – they’ll call the bridge and ask to go fishing. The bridge then makes the announcement over the radio:

“All stations. This is the bridge. We will be fishing, fishing, fishing.”

This announcement sparks a flurry of action from scientists, NOAA officers, and the deck crew. A few scientists go up to the bridge for a marine mammal watch, where they make sure that there are no marine mammals in the area of the operation. NOAA officers navigate to the science team’s target fishing area, and the deck crew prepares the net to go in the water.

Teacher at Sea Nick Lee on marine mammal watch. Nick stands at a window on the bridge and looks out through binoculars at gray waters under a gray sky. — *Marine mammal watch on the bridge.*

Before my cruise, I thought fishing nets were relatively simple and uniform. However, I’ve since learned that the net has many different components and sensors, which help scientists collect additional information about the fish seen with acoustics.

Codend

During the trawl, the net is dragged behind the boat. Near the opening at the mouth of the net, the net’s mesh is over a meter wide. This helps reduce drag from the water, while still funneling fish toward the back of the net. The net gradually gets smaller until the very end of the net – called the codend – where the fish are collected. At the end of each trawl, the net is hauled out of the water, and the contents of the codend are emptied into a sorting table for further processing in the fish lab, where length, weight, sex, and maturity are recorded for a representative sample.

Pocket Nets

In portions of the net with larger mesh, small fish and other organisms can escape through the holes in the mesh. This creates a problem for scientists – a trawl could show that only adult pollock are present in a certain area when in reality the population is mixed, but all of the juveniles escaped! Since scientists will be using trawl samples to understand the overall population of pollock, they want to avoid bias as much as possible in their data.

To get around this problem, scientists are studying the rates at which different sized pollock (and other organisms) escape from the net. They use pocket nets, or small nets made of the same fine mesh as the codend, to get an idea of what escaped from each trawl. Nine pocket nets are attached to the side, top, and bottom of three different sections of the net with varying mesh sizes. As the trawl net is being hauled back on the boat, one of my jobs is to help empty these pocket nets and collect what’s inside.

We’ve mostly found krill and jellyfish, but occasionally we’ll find a larval fish or squid!

CamTrawl

Near the codend, there is also a camera, referred to as CamTrawl. This camera provides scientists with a visual of what is going into the net, and can be used to help identify species and length of fish that are caught.

Scientists deploying PelagiCam. View through a doorway of two scientists in orange foul weather gear and green and white hardhats standing close to one another at the railing of the ship. They face away from the camera. In the foreground, on the deck, is a spool containing yellow cable. — *CamTrawl (left) and scientists Matthew Phillips and Mike Levine deploying PelagiCam (right).*

On this cruise, scientists are also testing a camera that they lower over the side of the ship (without a net), known as PelagiCam. They are hoping that PelagiCam may be able to collect species and length data, supplementing the data captured when processing fish from the trawl. If PelagiCam can record this data accurately, it could provide an efficient complement to trawling, which requires a lot of time and collaboration between different teams of people.

Pollock seen on PelagiCam — *A pollock seen on PelagiCam (left). Posing with scientist Mike Levine in front of the PlagiCam (right).*

Teacher at Sea and scientist posing in front of PelagiCam. They are wearing foul weather gear and hard hats; Mike is also wearing a mask and gloves. — *A pollock seen on PelagiCam (left). Posing with scientist Mike Levine in front of the PlagiCam (right).*

FS70 Net Sounder

The FS70, nicknamed the Turtle, collects acoustic data and produces a live image of the net’s opening when it is in the water. This data allows scientists and the deck crew to monitor the shape of the net while fishing, ensuring that the net opened correctly. It also monitors when fish enter the net.

Live data from the FS70. a square screen mounted in a console displaying sonar data. — *FS70 (left), nicknamed the turtle, and the live data it shows scientists during a trawl.*

Personal Log:

Going fishing can sometimes be a lot of “hurry up and wait.” After the marine mammal watch, at least one scientist stays on the bridge to monitor the net using the FS70, and the others get ready to process the trawl. Letting the net out and hauling it back in is far from simple, however. It requires constant communication between the bridge and the deck crew, and it can be made more complicated by the weather or equipment malfunctions. Once the net is in the water, trawling can take anywhere from 15 minutes to over an hour.

Opening the codend is always exciting, because we’re never quite sure what we caught. While our target is always pollock, we’ll often find other interesting organisms mixed in as well. Some highlights include rockfish, squid, and a smooth lumpsucker.

close-up of a Rockfish in a white bin — *Organisms caught in the trawl so far include rockfish, squid, and smooth lumpsuckers.*

Squid in a white bin — *Organisms caught in the trawl so far include rockfish, squid, and smooth lumpsuckers.*

Did you know?

The net used on NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson was specifically designed for this survey!

July 9, 2024July 11, 2024

Nick Lee: Finding Fish, July 6, 2024

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Nick Lee
Aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson
June 29 – July 20, 2024

Mission: Pollock Acoustic-Trawl Survey

Geographic Area of Cruise: Eastern Bering Sea

Date: July 6, 2024

Weather Data from the Bridge:

Latitude: 61° 15.0 N

Longitude: 174° 56.8 W

Wind Speed: 13 knots

Air Temperature: 5.3° Celsius (41.5° F)

Science and Technology Log:

On NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson, the science party’s mission is to understand the population of walleye pollock in the Eastern Bering Sea. To collect data, scientists rely on two main tools: acoustics and targeted trawling. Before any trawling can happen, scientists must first locate fish using acoustics, so I’ll be focusing on acoustics in this blog post – stay tuned for a post on trawling next time!

Scientists use two kinds of acoustics: active and passive. Many of my students are familiar with how bats use echolocation to navigate in the dark – active acoustics relies on the same principle. First, the echosounder on the ship emits a pulse of sound, or ping. This sound travels through the water and bounces off of objects that have different densities than water (such as fish, krill, or the ocean floor). The echosounder then “listens” for and records these echoes, also known as backscatter. Passive acoustics work similarly, except the echo sounder only listens for sound and doesn’t emit any itself.

illustration of a pulse of sound, depicted as a triangle, emanating from the bottom of a ship at the surface of the ocean. the triangle encompasses some of the sea creatures swimming by (depicted as simple white silhouettes) and ends at the ocean bottom. — *The echosounder emits a pulse of sound, which gets reflected by objects of different densities, like pollock.* *Image Credit: Wieczorek, Schadeberg, Reid (2021) “How do Scientists Use Sound to Count Fish in The Deep Sea?” Frontiers for Young Minds.* *https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2021.598169*

The greater the distance between the echo sounder and the object reflecting the pulse, the greater the amount of time between when the signal was emitted and backscatter. Based on this time, echosounder can determine the depth of the object producing the backscatter. This information is represented visually in an echogram:

Screenshot of an echogram. Backscatter is depicted as colored dots on a grid. in this case, the dots are densest and darkest at the shallowest depths (the ship bottom) and the deepest depths (the hard ocean botttom) — *Screenshot of an echogram. The space between vertical grid lines represents 100 pings, and the space between horizontal grid lines represents 10 meters of depth.*

The echogram shows depth on the y-axis and time on the x-axis. The intensity of backscatter is color-coded, where more intense backscatter is represented with red and brown, and less intense backscatter is represented with blue and green. The vertical grid lines represent all the backscatter from one ping, and the space between lines represent 100 pings.

On the cruise, pings are typically emitted at a rate of 1 Hz, or once every second. With every new ping, the echo sounder adds data to the right end of the echogram. This means that the horizontal grid lines represent the backscatter at one depth over time (or distance, if the ship is traveling at a constant speed).

At least one scientist monitors the backscatter throughout the duration of the transect. During the first day, the echogram was blank except for some lower-intensity backscatter near the surface and high-intensity reflection from the ocean floor. Because the mission of this cruise is to survey pollock, which tend to live at greater depths, we don’t pay much attention to the backscatter near the surface which is comprised of smaller organisms like krill. However, when scientists notice backscatter consistent with scattering from pollock, they may trawl to collect a sample for more detailed biological information.

Screenshot of two echograms showing low-intensity backscatter and high-intensity backscatter. — Echograms from two different locations showing low-intensity backscatter (left) and high-intensity backscatter (right). When the backscatter looks as it does on the right, the science team may decide to fish in that area.

As we traveled along the first transect line, there was very little backscatter that the science team thought represented pollock. Our CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) measurements also showed that the water temperature was cold, right around freezing. This may suggest that we were traveling through the Bering Sea cold pool, a mass of cold water that forms from melting ice. This water tends to be too cold for pollock and other fishes, however, other animals, such as snow crabs, can still survive the lower temperatures. Fish like cod prey on snow crab, so the cold pool offers these crab an important refuge from predators. Read more about the importance of the cold pool for crab here!

GIF showing historical bottom temperatures in the Bering Sea from 1983 to 2018. The years 2015, 2016, and 2018 are notably warm. — *Historical bottom temperature showing cold pool in blue / purple (Image Credit: NOAA Fisheries)*

Personal Log:

The start of the cruise has been busy learning new faces, maritime practices, and scientific terms. However, in the past few days, with the help of meclizine (seasickness medication), I’ve begun to feel more settled and like I have some sense of routine.

When I’m on shift, I bounce around between a few different places. The science team tends to be in the acoustics lab, where we monitor backscatter and make decisions on when to fish.

Photo of the acoustics lab. Computers and many computer screens mounted on the wall above a long desk. — *Acoustics lab, also called “the cave” for its lack of windows.*

Once the scientists decide to fish, we first go up to the bridge, where NOAA officers control the direction and speed of the ship. The bridge has windows on all sides, so we’re able to make sure there are no marine mammals before putting the net in the water.

From the bridge, you can also see the trawl deck, where the deck crew works in collaboration with NOAA officers to put the net in the water. Once the fish are caught and hauled back to the ship, the science team processes the catch in the fish lab.

Photo of the bridge. Navigation computers surrounded by windows. — *The bridge and its view of the trawl deck.*

Photo of the trawl deck. Unspooled trawl net visible in A-frame. — *The bridge and its view of the trawl deck.*

When we’re not working, we’ll grab food from the galley / mess deck. The stewards on the ship serve three meals a day, but since I’m on the night shift, I often heat up leftovers or take advantage of the wide selection of snacks they leave out. There’s also a lounge, two gyms, and places to do laundry while at sea!

Photo of the galley, the ship's cafeteria. Tables and chairs, a refrigerator. Chair legs are capped with tennis balls to reduce sliding. — *The galley, where food is available 24 hours a day!*

Did you know?

NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson has six onboard laboratories including a wet lab, dry lab, electronics lab, bio lab, acoustics lab, and hydrographics lab. Read more about the ship here!

July 3, 2024July 3, 2024

Hello…Houston? And an unexpected end… 3F’s! June 21, 2024

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Ryan Johnson

Aboard NOAA Ship: Oregon II

June 18 – July 2, 2024

Mission: SEAMAP Summer Groundfish Survey

Geographic Area of Cruise: Gulf of Mexico

Date: June 21, 2024

While we do get some extreme weather in the Midwest (2011 Snowmageddon is a personal favorite), phenomena like tropical depressions, storm surges, and ‘named’ storms are merely words to me; they’re weather events that I know exist, but have never had to deal with, or imagined I ever would. Turns out, I was wrong, and I had to learn about all of these terms pretty quickly as they were imminently impacting where I was staying on Oregon II. Per NOAA: “Tropical Storm Alberto is expected to produce rainfall totals of 5 to 10 inches across northeast Mexico into South Texas. Maximum totals around 20 inches are possible [and] this rainfall will likely produce considerable flash and urban flooding along with new and renewed river flooding” with flooding in Galveston predicted to be between 2-4 feet.

photo of a television screen showing a weather forecaster pointing to a digital map of the Gulf Coast. the map uses shades of green to indicate amounts of predicted rainfall, and the area around Houston and Galveston is dark green. the map is labeled "Excessive Rainfall This Week." The chryon reads: Tropical Showers Aim for Gulf — Tropical Storm Alberto made national news and *Oregon II* was predicted to be right in line of direct impact. Picture taken of a WeatherNation morning newscast on local television.

The expedition was delayed and the decision was made to move me off the vessel and head to Houston and hopefully avoid the most serious effects of the storm. I knew I didn’t want to spend all of my time holed up in a hotel room, so I did a bit of digging as to what Houston had to offer. Houston and Chicago are often compared (and I’ll discuss some similarities/differences in this blog), so for my first stop, I wanted to explore a place that I couldn’t find at home… and it was amazing.

photo of a backlit sign that reads Space Center Houston — Chicago might have (in my biased option) a superior skyline/downtown…but it doesn’t have NASA!

Tuesday

My first stop was Space Center Houston (SCH), a museum dedicated to science, which functions as the primary place for visitors to NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston. An affiliate museum of the Smithsonian, SCH is a top-notch destination full of science, discovery, inspiration, and wonder, dedicated to the power of human ingenuity. I got choked up in a few exhibits, found my jaw on the floor in others, and left with the same feeling of awe I would have experienced as a 10 year old.

photo of the museum display about Space Crops — Can’t wait to share this to go with our hydroponic work!

an an exhibit labeled Touch Mars; we can see other visitors standing in line — Can’t wait to share this to go with our hydroponic work!

Due to hazardous conditions brought on by Tropical Storm Alberto, my expedition was eventually postponed from the initial Tuesday departure until Saturday. This was incredibly disappointing, but I had such an incredible time at SCH, I decided to spend my remaining days until departure exploring the area to its fullest (well, at least inside due to ongoing rain/heat).

Wednesday

Next, I went to the Houston Museum of Natural Science. It reminded me a lot of the Field Museum in Chicago in theme and content, but it was cool to see how different exhibits were approached and experience different histories, objects, and phenomena. One major observation about this museum (and all around the Houston area from what I had seen so far) was the presence of oil and gas companies. It seemed like every other exhibit was ‘Brought to you by…’ or ‘Presented in sponsorship with…’ Shell, BP, Exxon Mobile, Chevron, and others, while the entire fourth floor, Wiess Energy Hall, was seemingly devoted to oil and drilling. It was interesting to see how messages were communicated compared to Chicago, and how events like the Exxon Valdez disaster were handled. Overall, it was an exceptional museum and I learned a lot. Like the Field Museum, it is HUGE and if I ever return in the future, I’ll make a plan before jumping in.

an arm reaching down into a tank to pet a small spotted shark — There was a shark and ray touch pool!

plants in pots and tanks, with lights mounted a couple feet above the tanks, and interpretive signage behind — There was a shark and ray touch pool!

Thursday

The next journey was to the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, which was a free day thanks to Shell. Free museum days in Chicago tend to be a bit crowded in my experience, so I was pleasantly surprised at how empty the museum felt. The campus itself is really interesting in that the art is displayed in different buildings which are all interconnected through a series of subterranean tunnels. The maps were very clear and it was easy to move from gallery to gallery and see what looked interesting. Much like the Art Institute of Chicago, you probably can see everything in one day, but you don’t really get the full experience or get to see things in detail. I appreciated the focus on modern, contemporary, and Houston-based artists, as well as local underrepresented and/or marginalized communities. Like many art museums I’ve been to, most patrons gravitated to the historical paintings, but I found some of the sculpture and mixed-media pieces to be the most interesting.

photo of a mixed-media piece by Berni of a boy walking to town with a sack on his back — Berni – Juanito va a la ciudad

elaborately framed painting of fishermen on a ship under sail — Berni – Juanito va a la ciudad

Friday

With Oregon II set to sail the following day, I headed back to Galveston. I was due on the ship at 10:30 the next day so I decided to make the most of my final ‘off’ day and visit Moody Gardens. The flooding in Galveston was noticeable, but not devastating, and most of the roads were open and only some rail traffic was still impacted by receding floodwaters. Moody Gardens is like nothing I’ve quite seen before. Dominated by three themed pyramids, there is also a hotel, golf course, pool, restaurant, and more. I planned on visiting all three pyramids with my day: the aquarium, the rainforest, and the discovery (science themed), in that order. The aquarium pyramid took me by surprise. Whereas the Shedd in Chicago follows a traditional floorplan, Moody maximizes vertical space, taking visitors up, down, and around the area which is dominated by an enormous cylindrical tank. Penguins are front-and-center and there was quite a bit of space dedicated to FGBNMS, which was great to see. While I know TAS is a nautical adventure, the rainforest pyramid stole my heart. While there were traditional zoo-ish elements, the open-air free range section was remarkable. Brookfield Zoo in has some similar aspects, but doesn’t come close to the interactive nature of Moody. It was really amazing to looks, smell, and feel like I was IN a South American rainforest… in Texas!

view through a window of coral laboratories — Coral Labs in partnership with FGBNMS

penguins in their exhibit — Coral Labs in partnership with FGBNMS

During the aquarium pyramid I started feeling a bit unwell, which was (I thought) exasperated in the rainforest pyramid due to the heat/humidity/all of the days finally catching up to me. I sat down for lunch with little appetite, developing a sore throat that no amount of hydration could seem to slake. I decided it would be best to skip the discovery pyramid and take it easy for the rest of the afternoon. I headed back to the Strand (the main hub of town) to just relax and see if I felt any better.

In the car, I started to feel REALLY unwell and, after what happened to fellow TAS Jaqueline Omania, I decided to take a Covid test. It was positive. I went to a hotel and took another test. Positive again, which I knew meant I couldn’t sail out on Oregon II. I was devastated. After being delayed so long, moving back and forth, and then finally getting to the cusp of departure only to be delayed indefinitely. I’m so glad that I was able to live and learn so much in Texas, but to not be able to go out on groundfish survey was heartbreaking. Ah well, as always, follow the three F’s!