Sue Zupko – Page 2 – NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog

June 8, 2011April 28, 2021

Sue Zupko: 10 Steamin’ an’ a Beamin’

NOAA Teacher at Sea: Sue Zupko
NOAA Ship: Pisces
Mission: Extreme Corals 2011; explore the ocean bottom to map and study health of corals and their habitat
Geographical Area of Cruise: SE United States deep water from off Mayport, FL to St. Lucie, FL
Date: June 4, 2011

Weather Data from the Bridge
Position: 29.1° N 80.1°W
Time: 11:00 EDT
Wind Speed: calm
Visibility: 10 n.m.
Surface Water Temperature: 27.6°C
Air Temperature:27.6°C
Relative Humidity: 72%
Barometric Pressure:1018.4 mb
Water Depth: 85.81 m
Salinity: 36.55 PSU

When the strong current from the Gulf Stream stretched the tether of the ROV and broke one of the three fiber optic cables inside, it was time to come up with a new plan. What do you do in the middle of the ocean if the main gear is not functioning? Plan B. Well, Plan B was using the spare fiber optic in the tether. The spare one then broke as a result of being rubbed, most likely, by the sharp end of the original broken fiber during the next dive. Now we had to go to Plan C . Fortunately the ROV crew is experienced, and, like Boy Scouts, were prepared. They brought a spare ROV and tethers from their lab in La Jolla (pronounced La Hoya), CA just in case. The ship is running the sonar gear back and forth over the area we plan to dive tomorrow, mapping out the bottom, looking for coral mounds. This process is called “mowing the lawn” since you run the beams back and forth to get complete coverage of the bottom, and it looks like the lines on the lawn left by the mower. Think of the beam as having the shape of a flashlight’s beam shining on the floor. Another interesting feature is that the acoustic beam can also read what fish are present. It needs to have a swim bladder for the signal to bounce back. When it does, based on the sound, an experienced acoustician can read what fish the signal represents. Sharks don’t have a swim bladder like most fish do so their signals are a bit more difficult to read.

I was just up on the bridge and it seems we hit “pay dirt” (like gold miners). The captain had been explaining to me a symbol shown on the Electronic Chart Display System (ECS). It looks like a graphic math problem showing the intersection of lines, in this case one line running on a 110° angle with three lines parallel to each other intersecting it. The line in the middle is a bit longer than the other two. I asked how he knew what that symbol meant. Apparently, there is a book for everything on the bridge. He whipped out his handy-dandy book entitled, Chart No. 1. It is a key to reading nautical charts (maps). He searched for the correct page with bottom obstructions of all types and showed me that symbol and what it means. Whenever I have a question, the bridge crew whips out a book of some type to let me see the answer. It’s really interesting. The Pisces is a really modern ship with the latest electronic navigation and scientific features. The other day I asked about navigating without power. There is a book for that. Bowditch American Practical Navigator has everything you need to know about crossing the ocean without electronics. As it says on my classroom door, “Reading makes life a lot easier.” Turns out that symbol is a shipwreck.

Laura sitting in front of computer screen — Laura Kracker looks at maps

But I digress. Back to the pay dirt (we struck gold). Laura Kracker, our geographer started getting excited. “Look at this! Look at this! Write down these coordinates.”

She went running back to the acoustics lab (where they use sound echos to map the ocean floor and the presence of fish) to mark the location along the transect (lines we’re running) because we apparently were over coral mounds. Using information gathered by others in years past as a guide, they were mowing the lawn with the sonar to find interesting habitat to study with the ROV. As the ship went back and forth along the planned transect to develop a much better map than existed, Laura would radio the bridge about any changes to the courseto pinpoint the best areas for us to study over the next couple of days.

ROV crew working on transferring gear from one ROV to the other on deck — ROV crew swtiches gear from one ROV to the other

Everyone was very excited. So, although the ROV had to be switched out, which took a lot of work, we made good use of the time on the ship. After a whole day of mapping, it’s now late at night and the map looks gorgeous. This is important work and many cruises are devoted entirely to mapping. Andy David, our lead scientist, says this acoustic mapping is useful to many people and will allow more precise coral surveys for years to come.

June 6, 2011April 28, 2021

Sue Zupko: 9 Under the Sea

NOAA Teacher at Sea: Sue Zupko
NOAA Ship: Pisces
Mission: Study deep water coral off the east coast of FL
Geographical Area of Cruise: SE United States from off Mayport, FL to Biscayne Bay, FL
Date: June 3, 2011

Weather Data from the Bridge
Position: 29.1°N 80.1°W
Wind Speed: Light and variable
Wind Direction: 112 true
Visibility: 10 n.m.
Surface Water Temperature: 28.6°
Air Temperature:28.2°
Barometric Pressure:1015.3
Water Depth: 82 m
Salinity: 36.5
Wet/Dry Bulb: 28.2/24.5

Red fish called Big Eye hovering over a rough sand bottome with a small fish below it. — Big Eye

Before reading further, vote on the survey above.

I was reminded on this voyage that colors change at depth in the ocean. If you were swimming at 60 feet, you wouldn’t see reds. Jana said she cut her leg while diving a few years ago at 60 feet. She watched the blood coming from the cut and it was black to her eye. Knowing it was probably wise to come to the surface with a cut like that in the open ocean, she started ascending (coming up). At 30 feet she stopped to look at her cut. The blood was green. Is Jana a Vulcan? As she rose to the surface, she continued to watch her blood flow from the cut. At the surface, finally, the blood was red.

Light is interesting. The white light we see has all the colors coming from it. When you think of the rainbow, red has the longest wavelength, and the lowest energy. When your friend is wearing a red shirt, you are actually seeing the red wavelengths reflecting (bouncing) back to hit your eye. So, your mind sees red. It doesn’t mean you’re angry (Get it? That’s a joke). However, in water, particles, such as detritus and plankton,and the water itself, get in the way and block or absorb the wavelengths. Since red has low energy, it gets interfered with quickly. The shorter, higher-energy blue wavelengths can reach down farther. Now, think back to our Big Eye example. He’s red. However, at depth he looks black and is camouflaged against the background of dark rocks and shadows.

Try this at home. Take a red or blue transparent bottle. I have a red water bottle that I can see through. Put a blue object behind it such as an internet cable or a shirt. What color does the object appear to be now? I’ll bet a really dark purple or a black. You might try a blue transparency over a red picture. One of my students, Kaci, was creating a PowerPoint slide show. His background was patriotic with red, white, and blue stripes. He wanted to pick a contrasting color to continue the patriotic theme of red, white, or blue. As a solution, he chose a transparent rectangle as a background to dark blue letters. The colors turned out a bit strange in the background and he had to fiddle with his transparency a bit. That is similar to the fish color being distorted by the water when there is little light at depth.

When the ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) shines its light on the fish, we see the real color of the Big Eye. There is very little distance for the water and particles in the water to distort the red color. The LED (Light Emitting Diode) headlights on the ROV have a powerful beam so we can see the real color of the fish.

Pink hogfish swimming away from the camera. — Hogfish

A red coral with a little scorpion fish next to it on the left — Soft coral called a gorgonian

June 6, 2011April 28, 2021

Sue Zupko: 8 Happy Birthday

Weather Data from the Bridge
Wind Speed: 2.4 knots
Wind Direction: 29.45°
Visibility: 10 n.m.
Surface Water Temperature: 28.6°C
Air Temperature:29.6°C
Relative Humidity: 60%
Barometric Pressure:1017.80mb
Water Depth: 251.75 m
Salinity: 36.35 PSU
Dry/Wet Bulb: 26/23.5

While speaking with Captain Jeremy Adams this morning, I mentioned that today, June 4, is my grandson, Wyatt’s, birthday. He happily stated that the good ship, Pisces, was born June 4, 2009. Wyatt is one year older than this ship. Happy birthday, Pisces and Wyatt.

June 6, 2011April 28, 2021

Sue Zupko: 7 Along the Bottom

NOAA Teacher at Sea: Sue Zupko
NOAA Ship: Pisces
Mission: Study deep water coral, Lophelia Pertusa, in the Gulf Stream
Geographical Area of Cruise: SE United States near Gulf Stream from off Mayport, FL to Key Biscayne, FL
Date: June 3, 2011
Time: 16:33 EDT

Weather Data from the Bridge
Wind Speed: 2.4 knots
Visibility: 10 n.m.
Surface Water Temperature: 28.6°C
Air Temperature:29.6°C
Relative Humidity: 60%
Barometric Pressure:1017.80mb
Water Depth: 251.75 m
Salinity: 36.35 PSU

If this is your first visit to my Teacher at Sea blog, you might want to scroll down to the bottom to follow the story of the voyage of the Pisces.

We’re here. At 245 meters, we have 100% sediment on the bottom. We have seen a lot of Cancer Crabs, eels, Spider Crabs, and Hermit Crabs. When we first reached our survey site, we found a soft bottom which looks like the surface of the moon with small craters. There wasn’t a lot of visible life, either. After we flew a bit further the ground cover changed to coral rubble (old, dead broken coral). There were more fish and worms visible. Finally, success! We found a mound of live Lophelia pertusa. Mounds are formed by Lophelia rubble covered with some sediment, then more Lophelia rubble. Live Lophelia then grow all over the mound. The mound we found had Lophelia of all sizes covering it. What a find! According to John Reed, one of our coral experts, the mound we observed is the shallowest Lophelia mound that has been recorded in this part of the Atlantic.

It took over three hours to reach our dive site once the ROV was launched. Again, patience is a virtue.

Kevin, the Captain, and Andy surround computer screens and discuss the mission. — Kevin Stierhoff, Captain Jeremy Adams, and Chief Scientist Andy David discuss the mission.

A red fish called Big Eye sitting on the bottom. — Big Eye

You might want to check out the web site, Extreme Corals 2011.

There is more information about our mission and we are posting pictures there. Enjoy!

Golden crab walking along the ocean floor — Golden Crab

June 6, 2011April 28, 2021

Sue Zupko: 6 Flying to 300 Meters

NOAA Teacher at Sea: Sue Zupko
NOAA Ship: Pisces
Mission: Study deep water coral, Lophelia Pertusa, in the Gulf Stream
Geographical Area of Cruise: SE United States in Gulf Stream from off Mayport, FL to south of St. Lucie Inlet, FL
Date: June 3, 2011
Time: 15:33 EDT

Weather Data from the Bridge
Wind Speed: 2.59 knots
Visibility: 10 n.m.
Surface Water Temperature: 28.25°C
Air Temperature:28.9°C
Relative Humidity: 61%
Barometric Pressure:1018.20mb
Water Depth: 280.94 m
Salinity: 36.33 PSU

Hello from the Pisces “flight” deck. I am sitting next to the pilots of the ROV. John Butler is currently flying the ROV at a depth of 243 meters. We are drifting with the ship as it makes its way to our survey site. The ROV has been in the water since around 9:00 this morning EDT and we have finished our lunch and are waiting to get to our drop site. Why is the ROV flying along at 243 meters when our survey site is at 300 meters? When the ROV first launched, the current was 3.5 knots above and below the surface. The ship’s crew on the bridge calculated how long it would take for us to arrive at the dive site given the currents. Once we started flying the ROV at depth, we found the counterweight acted as an anchor and the current slowed down above and below the surface. Accordingly, the ROV slowed down and it’s taking a lot longer to get to our dive site than originally calculated.

Jelly with tentacles spread out floating in the water column. — Jellyfish found on the way to the sea floor

What are we seeing on the video feed from the ROV? Lots of marine snow–detritus, zooplankton, and other small particles, plus a few interesting creatures– jellies, salps, several squid, arrow worms, and some hydrozoa. It really is surreal watching the video of our journey to the bottom of the sea.

Two men with helmets holding the ROV over the side of the boat, helped by a winch. — Crew Members holding the ROV, helped by a winch

What are we expecting to find? Lophelia pertusa. Lophelia is a ture hard, or stony, coral from the phylum Cnidaria, class Anthozoa (meaning it is a polyp), class Anthozoa (starts as a larva swimming around and then becomes attached to something, or sessile). We want to find out how many there are, their health, their size, and what is living amongst them. Lophelia are white when they are alive, unlike shallow water corals that most people are familiar with which have colors from the algae which live with them. If the Lophelia is not white, it’s either sick or dead.

June 6, 2011April 28, 2021

Sue Zupko: 5 Patience is a Virtue

NOAA Teacher at Sea: Sue Zupko
NOAA Ship: Pisces
Mission: Study deep water coral along the east coast of Florida
Geographical Area of Cruise: SE United States in deep water from off Mayport, FL to south of Key Biscayne, FL
Date: June 2, 2011
Time: 14:33

Weather Data from the Bridge
Position:30.4N 80.2W
Visibility: 10 n.m.
Surface Water Temperature: 27.33°
Air Temperature: 27.5°
Relative Humidity: 66%
Barometric Pressure: 1017.8
Water Depth: 71.53
Salinity: 36.44

The Pisces has embarked on an exploratory cruise. Many cruises run like clockwork to accomplish their missions. We have a schedule, but recognize that things don’t always work that way. I do not have a set time I must be somewhere–except perhaps meals:) Even then, I can grab a bowl of cereal or make a sandwich if I am not available due to conflicts. Just an aside here, I try not to miss the great meals served in the galley. So, we are, in a manner of speaking, charting the unknown, going where no man (or woman) might have gone before.

Good things come to those who wait. I know we’re going to have some good things come to us. Let’s see. A computer broke in transit and we waited for parts before departure. Well, it was a holiday and the parts didn’t get shipped on time to arrive early on Tuesday and we would have had to wait another day. We left without that computer working. I’m thinking it was a backup computer. You must have backup equipment for the backup equipment when out at sea. We left about 2 1/2 hours later than planned. Gotta be flexible when working with technology and the ocean.

Next, the ROV worked fabulous on our test drive in shallow water. We then ran over to our first deep water site and launched the ROV. Oh, no!! First dive started then aborted due to a thunderstorm which brought lightning strikes close to the ship. Fast current (although we planned for it) and the tether got a kink in it. The ROV and peripheral equipment is very delicate. The ocean, even on a good day, is a harsh environment. You have to plan for problems to occur. Well, problems happened. We lost video even though the ROV was still running perfectly. The whole point of the ROV is to take video and photographs. If the video fiber is not functioning, no point in continuing. We had to abort the mission and repair the tether cable which houses the fiber optic, data wire, and power cables.

The ROV crew is fabulous. They work long hours as a well-oiled machine. Problem solving seems to come naturally to them. They figured out the problem and within about 12 hours had the tether fixed. A morning dive was planned. Things didn’t line up exactly as planned so we launched later than scheduled. Remember, patience is a virtue. Every time we plan to launch, we must dress in our life jackets and hard helmets, gather everyone who has a part in that, and wait. Well, right after getting in the water, an electrical leak was detected. Back up came the ROV. Now, many things on a ship, except meals and the crew watch schedules, do not come as scheduled. Again, ocean and technology. Plan on delays. Patience is a virtue and I’m trying to be a virtuous woman.

Although frustrated, the science and ROV teams have done very well being patient. They are always ready for a dive–even hours before it happens. The scientists can’t do their jobs until the ROV runs so that has to be frustrating for them. You wouldn’t know it, however, from their attitudes. It reminds me of the 90/10 principle. We can’t control 10% of what happens to us. Equipment breaks. Weather gets stormy. Currents are too strong. People get sick. We can control the other 90% which is our attitude toward these challenges. Andy David, our chief scientist, didn’t jump up and down and scream and yell when things didn’t go according to schedule. What would that accomplish? Although probably frustrated by the forces of nature working on us, mail service, or the equipment issues due to nature, Andy was very cool and supportive. He found other jobs we could be doing while we waited. He wasn’t the only one. The ROV crew just jumped in and worked out bugs and kinks.

Captain standing at the stern side of ship fishing. — Even the Captain has to relax.

The scientists worked on research, papers, etc. Some of us worked on the blog, downloading pictures from our dive and cataloguing information, etc. It was a good time to go fishing off the stern. Someone sighted Mahi and the poles came out. Fresh fish is good. One has to find time to relax and when there are limiting factors in the mission you can’t do anything about, take a break.

Remember the last quiz? Were you patient waiting to find out what it is? Here is an enlargement of the photo.

: ROV Tether

That’s right. It is the tether for the ROV. It was good being patient to find out the answer.

June 3, 2011April 28, 2021

Sue Zupko: 4 Winning Answer #1

The first creature I saw when I boarded the Pisces was the Laughing Gull. Almost everyone who answered this survey said Sea Gull would be the first creature I would see. Good job! The gulls were flying all over the harbor. Ironically, this is the picture I chose to use in my first entry to this blog. Later that day I saw Dolphins, Mullet, a Brown Pelican, Sargassum, a Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Flying Fish, and Moon Jellies. Still waiting on a whale and the Lophelia. We have only been out a short time.

Gull silhouette landing on a ship stair in the evening — Gull landing at dusk

New survey. What do you think these are?

pink and yellow rods lying side by side — What is this #2?

June 2, 2011April 28, 2021

Sue Zupko: 3 On the Pisces

NOAA Teacher at Sea: Sue Zupko
NOAA Ship: Pisces
Mission: Study deep water coral, Lophelia, in the Gulf Stream
Geographical Area of Cruise: SE United States in Gulf Stream from off Mayport, FL to south of St. Lucie Inlet, FL
Date: May 31, 2011
Weather Data from the Bridge
Clouds: Partly Cloudy
Wind Speed: 8 knots
Wind Direction: 020
Visibility:10 nautical miles (n.m.)
Swells: 3-4′
Barometric Pressure: 1018.4mb
Salinity: 126.9
Dry/Wet Bulb: 26.8/24

I am finally here on the Pisces. The weather is perfect. Puffy clouds, nice breeze. I love being in the harbor. There are ships all around us and there is always something going on. We are berthed (parked) literally next to a missile cruiser. Instead of having a gangway (walkway) directly onto our ship, we must climb up some metal stairs (no kidding–you have to be able to pull yourself up about two feet to get started), board this cruiser, then cut across to another gangway to go to the Pisces.

Walkway made of metal with holes and raised slats — Gangway

Although we have shown ID at the gate, and the entrance to the pier, we must show it again to get onto this ship. There are a lot of guards. The gangway is not the easiest thing to walk on even though there are railings on both sides. The floor has slats that stick up and are easy to trip on. I really had to watch my step. Try carrying heavy gear while maneuvering on this. We had to unload our cars and trucks and carry just about everything across these two gangways. Thank goodness one of the crew was there to help me. Would have been a struggle to get my duffel up those first few steps.

Looks like two aluminum pie pans stuck with the wide sides together — What is this?

What is this? Vote using the survey on what this is a picture of. It is an important object on our ship.

This is an eye wash. Scientists often use chemicals in their work and if something splashes, they can step on a pedal and it opens up the top of this “waffle iron” and water eye-width apart rinses the chemical from their eyes. It’s a handy safety device.

May 31, 2011April 28, 2021

Sue Zupko: 2 Getting Ready to Go

Close up of sea shells in water at the shore — Sea Shells at the Shore

As a novice to sailing, I must rely on what the crew has told me to bring. In case of having to abandon ship (that’s a comforting thought), I need a hat, long sleeved shirt, and long pants. Seems like a good way to cover up and protect myself from the sun. They say it might be cool on board so I’m bringing a sweatshirt and windbreaker. When I say I’m going on a cruise, people instantly think of a big cruise liner with a pool and a huge auditorium. NOAA Ship Pisces is 209 feet (63.8 m) long. Sounds big until you think that that’s about the length of a hockey rink, 3/4 of a football field, or a bit more than four school buses. No need for a swim suit or good clothes. Not going swimming and the galley (dining room) is strictly casual. The stateroom (bedroom) is small so don’t bring a big suitcase. I bought a rolling duffel bag so it would collapse yet still roll in an airport.

In a way this will be like going to camp with a few differences. For our fifth grade it would be like going to the Great Smokey Mountain Institute at Tremont in Tennessee. Tremont has bunk beds as does the Pisces. I’ll be sharing a room with one female scientist rather than 40 girls and chaperones. At Tremont you bring your own bedding. On the ship, it’s provided. At least I won’t have to carry my sleeping bag though they did suggest bringing my favorite pillow. At Tremont the staff feeds you great food. I’ve heard you eat well on the Pisces and to make sure to work out. At Tremont you study nature in the woods and streams. On the Pisces, I’ll be surrounded by the ocean and will study nature above and below the surface. In both places you must be prepared for a variety of weather conditions. How to do that with one little suitcase? I drove to Tremont and took lots of things in my van. I must be more prudent packing for the Pisces since space is limited. In both places it’s fun and exciting to learn new things and do scientific research.

My most important gear besides my clothes will be my camera and video equipment. I have to carry those items on the plane rather than putting them in my duffel. I want to bring back lots of pictures and video for my students to better understand the work we’ll be doing. They can use this information in their technology projects. My students made some interesting videos this year. One was a “public service announcement” for the school to recycle old phone books rather than throwing them away. Our school earned money in a recycling contest and we want to make sure to repeat that next school year. Two other videos students created teach about the “seven habits“, a program our school uses to help inspire kids to be leaders and take responsibility for their lives. Every year we have at least one video about the service dogs we raise for Canine Companions for Independence. So, with a ton of video about corals and life aboard a ship, I can only imagine what they will choose to do. Be sure to check back to see some of the projects they’ve developed as a result of this trip.

May 23, 2011April 28, 2021

1 Introduction to My Voyage on the Pisces

Laughing Gull flying over ocean as viewed from our ferry — Laughing Gull

I have a rare opportunity and a responsibility to teach others about our world. Having been selected as a NOAA Teacher at Sea, I will be sailing aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ship Pisces as a scientist. Andy David, the chief scientist on our expedition, who works for NOAA’s Fisheries Service, has assigned and will be assigning me duties. Already I’ve participated in editing press materials, setting up a blog, pre-cruise meetings, and finding groups to Skype with from the ship. On board ship some of my duties will include photographing and videotaping our activities. Yeah! My students will have lots of material from which to create projects. I will be able to teach them about public access to information and my role in that from my blogging responsibilities. Having raised service dogs, I am already familiar with many aspects of public access, but it has usually been wheelchair access to buildings. Internet access for the blind hadn’t occurred to me. Learning, always learning.

I teach grades 3-5 in a pull-out program for the gifted and talented. Last week my 3rd grade students got to Skype with Andy David and asked him questions about the purpose of our cruise, what we would find there, how we would solve problems, how the ship is powered, and so much more. The students seem very interested in sharks, dolphins, whales, and turtles. Those species aren’t exactly what we are focusing on in our study of the deep water coral, Lophelia. Andy said that we would probably see all those marine creatures. That hadn’t occurred to me; they weren’t on my radar since these species haven’t been mentioned in other blogs or information pages from this study. They will be serendipitous meetings, and, although I didn’t think it possible, my excitement level has increased. I found a great web site about Lophelia. Check it out. It has easy reading, maps, pictures, and games.

Keep checking back for more on this exciting adventure. I will post my blog entries as often as bandwidth will allow after we depart on May 31, 2011 to help you better understand about our mission and what we found. We will return June 11, 2011. Until then, I will talk about things I plan to take and why.