NOAA Teacher at Sea
Amy Pearson
Onboard NOAA Ship Delaware II August 13 – 30, 2007
Mission: Ecosystem Monitoring Survey Geographical Area: North Atlantic Ocean Date: August 16, 2007
Scientist Jerry Prezioso and Amy Pearson in the wet lab
Weather Data from the Bridge
Air temp: 20.0
Water temp: 20.1
Wind direction: 215
Wind speed: 11 kts.
Sea wave height: 2ft.
Visibility 10+ nm
Science and Technology Log
Woke up after a good night’s sleep. Slept from about 3:00-10 a.m. Meals are served at certain hours so I had missed breakfast, but was able to get some cereal and coffee cake. I worked on my logs. Lunch is pictured below, amazing food! As the seas were reasonably calm, I decided to video-tape Chief Scientist Jerry Prezioso and teacher Kim Pratt going through their duties during a bongo net drop. This went well, and then I showed it to them. With seas rolling, and staring at the small camera screen, I began feeling ill.
Data collection station for scientists
Yes, I did become seasick, feeling really awful. I took a Bonine at about 3 p.m., then tried wrist bands about an hour later, and then went to my cabin to lie down. It got worse and yes, I lost lunch. This does make one feel a little better, though not much. I thought I’d feel better out on deck in the fresh air, which is where I stayed. I felt quite weak and unsteady on my feet. About 6:45 p.m. I had a little water and some crackers, which tasted good. I decided I had to try a patch of scopolamine that I had brought just in case….good thing. I put it on and remained on deck, feeling weak and drowsy until the captain suggested I’d be better off in my cabin. Scientist Joe Kane was very understanding and he took over the whole task of sampling this evening. A good sleep ensued and I woke up feeling much better.
My cabin aboard the DELAWARE IIEnsign Claire Surrey and Scientist Jerry Prezioso enjoying a delicious lunch. Bravo to the chefs!
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Chuck Gregory
Onboard NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson August 12 – 24, 2007
Mission: Hydrographic Survey Geographical Area: New York Harbor Date: August 15, 2007
“Delay is preferable to error.” ~Thomas Jefferson
Here’s the Plan of the Day (POD):
Sunrise = 0606h Sunset = 1955h 0000h
Ship at Sandy Hook, NJ anchorage 0745h
Launch safety brief (Survey) 0800h
Deploy Launches (3101 & 3102) 1745h
Retrieve launches
Tides for Sandy Hook Low @ 0416h (-0.1 ft.) & 1624h (0.4 ft.); High @ 1020h (5.0 ft.) & 2225h (5.2 ft.). Currents in Sandy Hook Channel Ebb: 0120h (1.7 kts.), 1339h (1.6 kts.); Flood: 0717h (2.0 kts.) & 1930h (2.0 kts.). Weather from Sandy Hook to Fire Island AM: SW winds 10 kts., seas 2-4 ft.; PM: SW winds 10-15 kts., seas 2-4 ft.
My goal today is to improve my computer skills on the ship. After an oatmeal breakfast I met with Eric, the ship’s Electronics Technician. Eric was able to check out my laptop, get me a cable for the dial-up connection, and help me access NOAA charts for my Power Point Presentation. He was a huge help!
I am now able to catch up on my e-mails, surf the net, and get in touch with Teacher At Sea Coordinator, Elizabeth McMahon. Before I send out my log for day’s 1 & 2, I was asked to have Commander Schattgen (or his designee) review my material. He was quick to read my e-mail log and add a few edits. Now it’s time so send it to Liz in Silver Spring.
The CO also added a few ideas for me to consider – being the helmsman when the ‘TJ’ heads out to sea for house keeping, observing the data acquisition and reporting process, and checking out a multibeam calibration test or patch test. Since this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for my I ensured him I was open to anything…once! The rest of my day was spent getting all caught up with my computer work, and calling Roxann. I saw tomorrow’s POD and learned I will be once again heading out on Launch 3102 for 10 hours. The weather looks OK in the AM, but the wind and thunderstorms will pick up in the afternoon. Now where did I put those Dramamine? I was in bed finishing up Cannery Row by 2100h.
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Amy Pearson
Onboard NOAA Ship Delaware II August 13 – 30, 2007
Mission: Ecosystem Monitoring Survey Geographical Area: North Atlantic Ocean Date: August 15, 2007
Weather Data from the Bridge
Air temp: 23.0
Water temp: 22.1
Wind direction: 195
Wind speed: 13 kts.
Sea wave height: 3-4 ft.
Visibility: 7nm
After dark, Amy Pearson operates the A-frame, which is used to lower the CTD and Bongo Nets.
Personal Log
Not ready to eat much food, the cook let me make some toast. Lunch was rice and as the day progressed I felt much better. During the day we saw a pod of dolphins, length of about 4 feet (grey upper body and light underside) riding the ship’s bow waves, some as close as 20 ft. to ship. I ate steak and tuna (also a little sushi!) for dinner with a little pasta. I rested a bit today and did some work on logs and email. Sampling occurred from 3 p.m. until 1 a.m. (3 stations – with me doing the outside work for several of them), and as the next station was at 3:45 a.m., we got to sleep at 1 a.m.
Science and Technology Log: What I have learned about ship life and some of the jobs on this ship……
One must work when the weather/seas are good as it’s difficult to focus or do certain tasks when the ship is rolling. The deck crew had been painting yesterday but today it was not conducive to that. Also, everyone is on a shift, with people working around the clock. Someone is always sleeping so one must be quiet when opening doors and talking near people’s cabins. There is a policy of only loud equipment use (sanders) between 9 am and 3 pm as this is when shifts change for some. The deck hands do ship maintenance (painting, some repairs) and help the scientists in their work. The CTD/Bongo nets are dropped from wire connected to a winch.
A crewmember bringing in the CTD and Bongo Nets after sampling
One crew member is in charge of the winch and has radio to communicate w/ the computer person who is watching the depth of the equipment. A second helps position the CTD/Bongo nets so they go out and away from the ship, and the when they come in, helps to get them on deck safely. A third deck person, this being a scientist works the A-frame controller that carries the equipment away from the side of the boat for deployment. I got to do this last night and it was a thrilling experience. When the equipment comes up, I had to pull the lever to bring the A-frame back in. It is very exciting to control this big piece of equipment.
We had some very deep sampling tonight. We went off the continental shelf for a short time with depths of over 400 meters. Here the maximum drop is 200 meters. There was not a lot of plankton retrieved in this cast. When we came back in to shallower water the contents of the cast did increase, with lots of amphipods and Calanus. Scientist Joe Kane said these are found in deeper colder waters this time of year.
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Chuck Gregory
Onboard NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson August 12 – 24, 2007
Mission: Hydrographic Survey Geographical Area: New York Harbor Date: August 14, 2007
“For here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead.” ~Thomas Jefferson
Happy Birthday, Dad!
Here’s the Plan of the Day (POD):
Sunrise = 0605h Sunset = 1956h 0000h
Ship at Sandy Hook, NJ anchorage 0700h
Took first Dramamine 0745h
Launch safety brief (Survey) 0800h
Deploy Launches (3101 & 3102) – I’ll be on the 3102 0830h
At first station of the day (somewhere between Coney Island, NY and Sandy Hook, NJ). Boot up computer systems and deploy multibeam. 0930h
Debug computer systems and we’re ready to track 1210h
Lunch and second Dramamine 1745h
Retrieve launches
Tides for Sandy Hook Low @ 0339h (-0.2 ft.) & 1543h (0.2 ft.); High @ 0938h (5.1 ft.) & 2145h (5.4 ft.). Currents in Sandy Hook Channel Ebb: 0041h (1.7 kts.), 1257h (1.6 kts.); Flood: 0640h (2.0 kts.) & 1851h (2.2 kts.). Weather from Sandy Hook to Fire Island AM: N winds 10-15 kts., seas 2-3 ft.; PM: S winds 5-10 kts., seas 2-3 ft.
One of the two 31 foot launches aboard the NOAA Ship THOMAS JEFFERSON. These launches are used to do the hydrographic survey work – side scan sonar and multibeam echo sounder – in coastal areas.
Today was a full day. After going to bed early (2030h) and rising early (0530h), I continued to bang away at my e-mails. The internet connection on the ship is dial up and quite slow. Or is it my understanding of computers that’s slow?!?! Probably the latter. Either way, I’m finding it frustrating to communicate with the ship’s computers. I’ll work on this tomorrow when I have the time. Breakfast was cereal and an English muffin. Then I got ready for the 0745h safety briefing and launch deployment. All went quite smoothly as I did my best to stay out of the way. Teamwork is huge on a vessel like the THOMAS JEFFERSON, and I was impressed by the teamwork effort to deploy and retrieve both launches. After the launch we were on our first station within 30 minutes. We had to deal with the customary computer snafu, but it was quickly fixed and we were soon doing our tracklines. Back and forth, east and west, forth and back, and west and east. Bill was at the wheel, Taylor was at the computers, Megan G. assisted with both, and I just watched, asked questions, learned, and helped out wherever possible.
Chuck studying some of the side-scan sonar (SSS) data as it is relayed from the SSS ‘towfish’ to the launch’s computer.
To help matters, the day was beautiful: warm, light breeze, and subsiding seas. I couldn’t have asked for better weather. Three times during our day we stopped to do a CTD cast. They use a SBE 19Plus Seacat with a stainless cage and tethered to a line. After two minutes of acclimating at the surface, Taylor would lower the CTD to the bottom and lift it back onto the boat. Then a computer cable was attached to the CTD, the CTD software booted up, and the data downloaded. Taylor and Megan taught me a lot about the launch computers and even let me attend to them for about an hour. Setting up the computer programs for the SSS Fish and the MultiBeam Echo Sounder (MBES) was complicated to this novice, thus the initial delay. There are screens to view the data as it is coming in from the side scan and another for the multibeam. There are screens to view the files as they are filling with data, screens to view the launch’s tracks, and screens to measure heave, pitch, and roll. And it was all fed into an on-board memory. Wow!
The 3102 was strong, but cramped for four adults. There were two comfortable seats on the boat – one for the coxswain and one for the survey tech – but we made the most out of every available space. Lunch was last night’s chicken made into sandwiches (not bad!), chips, chili, fruit, water, and cookies. There was other food to munch on and I found it hard not to eat with the sea air and full sun beaming down upon us. So much for my “food plan.”
Today I learned the importance of understanding computers, well planed navigation, and teamwork. The tracklines were well laid out and followed. Bill and Megan did a good job of maneuvering us around lower New York Harbor, as there were several recreational and commercial craft moving across the water. At no time were we in any danger. The day went smoothly and there was even a time of boredom after lunch when the launch was on course, the data was streaming in, and the weather was hot and sunny. Life was good!
We returned to the THOMAS JEFFERSON at 1745h tired and starved! After a full day at sea that was one of the best meatloaf dinners I’ve ever had!!! After dinner I returned to the ship’s computers, but continue to be frustrated as I try to get to my e-mails. Tomorrow my sole mission is to meet with engineer Eric and tap his computer expertise. For now I think I’ll call Roxann and go to bed early and do a little ‘Cannery Row’ reading.
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Amy Pearson
Onboard NOAA Ship Delaware II August 13 – 30, 2007
Mission: Ecosystem Monitoring Survey Geographical Area: North Atlantic Ocean Date: August 14, 2007
Weather Data from the Bridge
Air temp: 18.2
Water temp: 19.0
Wind direction: 160
Wind speed: 13 kts.
Sea wave height: 2 ft.
Visibility: 10+
Amy Pearson dons her survival suit during a safety drill
Personal Log
I got up around 7 a.m. and had some breakfast, a delicious egg sandwich on a bagel w/ bacon on the side. The ship is supposed to depart at 1 p.m., but due to some mechanical problems the time is bumped to 5:30 p.m. Kim Pratt, an ARMADA Teacher at Sea, and I helped Jerry with organization of jars, labels, supplies and received a second lesson in CTD data acquisition from Tamara. We had time to squeeze in another walk through Woods Hole, a great village, devoted to marine science study. The town is perfectly developed for working with the sea—many places for boats to tie up, great research facilities (MBL, WHOI, and National Marine Fisheries with NOAA), and just the right amount of shops and restaurants.
We departed Woods Hole at 5:45 p.m. It was very exciting to pull away from the dock. We looked back at a village devoted to science and saw the majestic Knorr that had just arrived yesterday and is tied up at the WHOI dock. We had drills to insure all are prepared for fires, abandoning ship, and man overboard. The photo shows me in a survival suit (nicknamed a Gumby suit) that we had to bring to deck in the event of having to abandon ship. We also had to bring along a long-sleeve shirt, hat and blanket, and were assigned life rafts. We headed out passing Martha’s Vineyard on our port (left) side and the Elizabeth Islands on our starboard (right). Dinner was a pork roast in mango sauce or fish. Great veggies. Our first station to sample was at about 10:00 p.m.
Science and Technology Log
Lots of science to learn and experience today. One goal of this trip is to collect plankton samples at over 100 stations ranging from Cape Hatteras to the Gulf of Maine and east to Georges Bank. Some stations are offshore, over 200 miles offshore. Others are closer to the coastline called inshore stations. This plankton will be preserved for identification and counted at a later date.
We collected the plankton in Bongo Nets – two round metal frames (look like bongo drums) that have fine netting attached. As we traveled slowly through the water, the nets collected plankton of a certain size, letting smaller plankton (phytoplankton) through. We are collecting large zooplankton (animal-like creatures-many crustaceans) and ichthyoplankton (fish larva).
As we head south from Woods Hole we will start doing offshore stations as the weather is good and if it deteriorates, we will move in-shore. For our first sample, my job was to man the computer, recording the data collected. At this station, there were 3 monitors to watch, one that has basic navigational info such as latitude, longitude, water and air temperatures, wind speed and direction, depth and more. The other monitor has the software that I am to input data on the cast. A third showed real time views of the stern deck where the scientific equipment was being deployed. Here I watched what was happening on deck and communicated with the winch operator who was lowering the equipment.
Another role here is to monitor the depth of the scientific equipment being lowered. Besides the Bongo Nets, a CTD is lowered. There is also a large lead weight at the end of this equipment to make it go down. The CTD unit (costing about $14,000) collects data on Conductivity, Depth, and Temperature. The conductivity reading produces data for ocean salinity. If this scientific equipment hits bottom it may be destroyed so I had to watch the depth reading to insure safety for the equipment. Based on the depth of the ocean, I check a chart to determine the rate of output wire release and input wire return, telling this to the winch operator.
All of this data is recorded on paper logs and the computer. Once the plankton is brought to the surface, the cod end of the net (tied end) is opened and the plankton is washed out of the net into a sieve that retains this plankton. This is then rinsed into a collection jar and formalin is added to preserve this. Labels are marked to identify its station location. All of this takes about thirty to forty minutes depending on the depth of the cast.
