NOAA Teacher at Sea Log:Deborah Moraga NOAA Ship: Fulmar Date: July 20‐28, 2010
Mission: ACCESS (Applied California Current Ecosystem Studies) Geographical area of cruise: Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries
Date: June 24,2010
Weather Data from the Bridge Start Time: 0705 (7:05 am) End Time: 1658 (4:58 pm) Position:
CBOMP Line 6 start on eastern end: Latitude = 38o 6.6066 N; Longitude = 123o 24.804 W
CBOMP Line 1 end on eastern end: Latitude = 37o 56.1066 N; Longitude = 123o 18.7206 W
Nearshore line 1 start on western end: Latitude = 38o 8.5369 N; Longitude = 123o 5.8019 W
Nearshore line 1 end on eastern end: Latitude = 38o 8.7436 N; Longitude = 122o 57.5893 W Present Weather: Cloud cover 100% Visibility: 3‐5 nautical miles Wind Speed: light, variable winds 5 knots or less Wave Height: 0 to 1.1 meters Sea Water Temp: 11.6 C Air Temperature: Dry bulb = 11 C Barometric Pressure: 1014.0 mb
We saw Dall’s porpoises riding the bow wake. Riding the bow means the porpoises were using the energy of the wave that is created by the front of the boat to body surf. It is a treat to watch them weave back and forth then leap up out of the water.
Science and Technology Log
Today we worked the Cordell Bank transect lines (COMP). We finished all six lines of bird and marine mammal observations
Marine mammals that were spotted were…
• Blue whale
• Humpbacks‐ adult & calf
• Killer whale – male & female
• Dall’s porpoises
• Harbor porpoises
• Harbor seal
• California sea lion
• Stellar sea lion
Today, the seas were very calm. This was a good thing because we had guests on board. We also surveyed near shore line one. Near shore lines take about 40 minutes traveling at 10 knots. The offshore lines take more time to survey because they are longer and we deploy the CTD and nets. On our off shore lines today we deployed the CTD seven times and took seven water samples and one of our visitors helped by collecting the last water sample of the day.
NOAA Teacher at Sea Melinda Storey Onboard NOAA Ship Pisces June 14 – July 2, 2010
Mission: SEAMAP Reef Fish Survey Geographical Area of Cruise: Gulf of Mexico Date: June 23, 2010
Weather Data from the Bridge Time: 1000 hours (10 am) Position: latitude = 27°51 N longitude = 093º 51 W Present Weather: 7/8 cloudy (cumulus/cirrus clouds) Visibility: 10 nautical miles Wind Direction: SSE Wind Speed: 8 knots Wave Height: > 1 foot Sea Water Temp: 31°C Air Temperature: dry bulb = 31.4°C, wet bulb = 28°C
Science and Technology Log
Because of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, most of the fish we are catching in the Chevron Trap or Bandit Reel is being weighed, measured, and frozen for the National Seafood Inspection Laboratory (NSIL) to be tested for oil or toxin contamination. After the NSIL completes its testing, the fish are sent back to the NOAA Pascagoula Laboratory where the scientists determine the sex of the fish and remove the otolith, or ear bone, which can be analyzed to determine its age. The otoliths are sliced very thin and examined under a microscope. Rings can be seen that help the scientists age the fish, similar to reading tree rings to determine the age of a tree. Age data is analyzed to contribute to the fishery-independent stock assessments which help determine the health of the fish population and how many can be taken out of the water. This also helps establish the size restriction of fish for the commercial and recreational fishing industry.
Red Snapper Otoliths
Occasionally, the fish trap will catch more than 10 fish at a time. If this happens, the first 10 fish are frozen for NSIL. Any remaining fish are dissected on board the ship to determine their sex and their otoliths are removed and placed in a labeled envelope for later analysis. The picture above shows the otoliths taken out of a red snapper.
Video Footage from Sampling Station
The video footage taken at each station will also be analyzed in depth back at the NOAA Pascagoula Laboratory; however after each station, the footage is spot checked to ensure that the cameras recorded properly. The scientists make sure that the cameras are positioned correctly and not pointing upward in the water column or down on the ocean floor, that the field of view is not obstructed by an object like a rock, and that the water is clear enough to view the fish in sight. When we first began the Reef Fish Survey, most of the fish we saw were red snapper. As we have moved up in latitude toward the Flower Garden Banks Marine Sanctuary, the diversity of fish has increased.
There are 14 federally designated marine sanctuaries in the United States and the Flower Garden Banks is the only one located in the Gulf of Mexico. The Banks are essentially three large salt domes that were formed about 190 million years ago when much of the Gulf evaporated into a shallow sea. When the salt deposits were covered in layers of sediment, the pressure and difference in density caused the salt domes to rise and corals began to form on them about 10,000 to 15,000 years ago. (This information was obtained from the Flower Garden Banks Marine Sanctuary website. For more information, visit this informative and interesting website at http://flowergarden.noaa.gov )
Yellowmouth GrouperGrey Triggerfish
Most of the fish we catch in these waters seem to be Red Snapper. We have also seen a variety of groupers including the giant Warsaw grouper, a Marbled Grouper, a Scamp Grouper, and a very rare Yellowmouth grouper shown in the upper left photo. We have also caught a few Grey Triggerfish shown on the right, Longspine and Red Porgies, Tomtate, Vermillion Snapper, and a very small and colorful Reef Butterflyfish.
As stated earlier, we do not view the entire recording from the camera arrays, but as we were spot-checking the footage from one of the cameras, one of the scientists came across an image of the Marbled Grouper that was later caught in the bandit reel. Looking closer at the image shows the variety of species found in these coral reef ecosystems including a Squirrelfish, a Yellowfin Grouper that has spots resembling a cheetah, and to our delight, a Spotted Moray eel!
From the Camera Array
Personal Log
I was amazed that fish could be aged by the rings in their ear bones! I watched one of the scientists extract the otiliths from a snapper and it was real work! Chief Scientist, Paul Felts, explained that the age of sharks can be determined by growth rings found in their vertebrae. Sometimes when they catch sharks, scientists inject a dye into the spines of sharks. This makes their growth rings more easily seen. Then they quickly tag the sharks and release them again into the ocean. If these sharks are ever caught again by NOAA, scientists could get new measurements and determine survival data.
Another interesting fact about sharks has to do with blood in the water. Most people know that blood attracts sharks. However, if you cut open a shark and throw it into a group of sharks, the other sharks scatter. Seems like they don’t like the smell of shark blood.
Fishing “kissing the camera”
I love watching video of the fish at the Flower Garden Banks Marine Sanctuary. I’m fascinated seeing the variety of fish as they swim by and I really like to see them “kiss” the camera. It’s a whole different world down there.
New Term/Vocabulary
Otolith – ear bone,
NSIL – the National Seafood Inspection Laboratory
Flower Garden Banks Marine Sanctuary – only sanctuary in the Gulf of Mexico
“Did You Know?”
Did you know that sharks aren’t always able to digest what they eat. I guess it’s hard to digest a can or a boot. Well, if that happens, the shark will either vomit or turn its stomach inside out.
Marbled Grouper
Yellowfin Grouper
Squirrelfish
Spotted Moray eel
NOAA Teacher at Sea Richard Chewning Onboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson June 4 – 24, 2010
NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson Mission: Pollock Survey Geographical area of cruise: Gulf of Alaska (Kodiak) to eastern Bering Sea (Dutch Harbor) Date: June 23rd, 2010
Weather Data from the Bridge
Position: Bering Sea, east of St. George Island Time: 0450 Latitude: N 56 38.000 Longitude: W 168 28.030 Cloud Cover: overcast with patchy fog Wind: 14.0 knots from the east Temperature: 5.8 C Barometric Pressure: 1006.6 mbar
Science and Technology Log
Combining science, technology, and leadership, NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps provides skilled leaders for NOAA’s diverse programs. Numbering around 300 individuals, this group of dedicated professionals has a wide range of duties and responsibilities including operating NOAA’s ship and aircraft, managing research projects around the world, conducting diving operations, and manning staff positions on the shore. Officers are rotated every 2-3 years between ship-based and land-based positions. Before joining the Dyson as the Executive Officer for instance, Lieutenant Jeffrey Shoup worked with a satellite-based international search and rescue system as his NOAA shore assignment.
NOAA Corps emblem
All of these officers have completed rigorous training and have degrees in various fields of study relating to NOAA science such as physical oceanography, marine biology, chemistry, fisheries science, engineering, and meteorology. For example, the Dyson’s Commanding Officer, CDR Mike Hoshlyk, studied biology and geology at the University of Rochester.
Part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA Corps is one of the nation’s seven uniformed services of the United States. You are undoubtedly familiar with the other six: U.S. Public Health Service, Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force, and Marines. During times of war or national emergency, NOAA Corps officers can assume duties with the Armed Forces. NOAA Corps officers have leadership and command positions on NOAA’s various vessels, aircraft, and instillations and manage programs and research efforts.
Personal Log
I wish to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the NOAA Corps officers, crew, and scientists of the NOAA ship Oscar Dyson for their support of my Teacher at Sea experience. I greatly appreciate their time and efforts making my stay comfortable and informative. I recognize that they not only allowed me to observe and learn about their workplace, but they also welcomed me into their home.
Ensign Russell Pate performing a safety demonstration
I have been continuously impressed by the professionalism and dedication of the Dyson’s NOAA Corps officers. Ensuring a safe and successful cruise for all onboard, I am grateful for the many efforts of CO Mike Hoshlyk, XO Jeff Shoup, Field Operations/Acting XO Officer Sarah Duncan, Navigation Officer Nathan Witherly, Safety Officer Russell Pate, and Medical Officer Amber Payne. I credit the entire engineering and electronics departments for their hard work ensuring that the Dyson remained in fine working order throughout the cruise. Jerry, Fred, Jim, Bob, Walter, Dave, Terry, and Steve comprised the Dyson’s engineering and electronics departments. The deck crew deserves recognition for always being ready to fish anytime day or night and for keeping the Dyson in ship shape over the last three weeks. The deck crew included Willie, Dennis, Joel, Glen, Mike, and Buddy. Special thanks to the scientists for sharing their passion for maritime research and for welcoming me as a part of their team. Paul, Patrick, Darin, Rick, Misha, Bill, Liz, Patti, Yin, Paula, and Ernesto each demonstrated personal dedication to better understanding our world’s seas and oceans. Gathering data and assisting the deck crew during the Dyson’s many deployments, Kathy and Jonathan deserve recognition for their many efforts as members of the survey department. Finally, I wish to express a word of thanks to the Dyson’s two stewards, Rick and Floyd, for keeping the crew well fed.
LTjg Nathan Witherly working on a chart
I wish to say a final word of thanks to the NOAA Teacher At Sea staff whose many efforts on my behalf made this experience possible. NOAA’s TAS program director is Jennifer Hammond. Elizabeth McMahon is the deputy director, and Elizabeth Bullock is the program support specialist. Thank you for bringing this amazing experience to life for so many teachers and students around the country.
Richard holding a Chinook salmon
Kodiak and Dutch Harbor As my TAS experience draws to a close, I reflect on where our cruise began and will conclude. Kodiak and Dutch Harbor are regular stops for the Oscar Dyson as she conducts research in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. Each community has a unique history and serves as a vital link to the outside world for the crew of Dyson.
St Paul Harbor, Kodiak, AlaskaGray whale skeleton on display at Kodiak National Wildlife Refudge Visitor Center
Kodiak is the main city on Kodiak Island and is the home port of the Oscar Dyson. Carved by retreating glaciers during the last ice age, Kodiak’s most famous resident is the massive Kodiak brown bear. The Alutiiq called this area home for thousands of years before the Russian fur traders arrived in the early 1700s. Kodiak was the capital of Russian Alaska before becoming a US territory in 1867. In 1964, Kodiak suffered a devastating tsunami from the powerful 9.2 magnitude Good Friday Earthquake. Today Kodiak is a quaint commercial fishing community surrounded by beautiful untamed wilderness.
Priest Rock marking the entrance to Dutch HarborChurch of The Holy Ascension, Dutch Harbor
Located on the on the island of Amaknak in the Aleutian Islands, Dutch Harbor is an industrial fishing outpost on the outskirts of the city of Unalaska. Dutch Harbor is a major industrial seaport serving fishing vessels of every description. Dutch Harbor is steeped in history. Hunting, fishing, and gathering for many generations, the Aleuts lived here long before Russian fur traders arrived in the mid 1700s. The Church of the Holy Ascension was built Dutch Harbor in 1825 and is the oldest Russian Orthodox church in the United States. Japanese and American military forces fought over the Aleutian Islands during the early months of the United States entry into World War II. Many concrete pill boxes and gun emplacements can still be seen along the surrounding hillsides. Dutch Harbor is defined by fishing and at one time was the largest fishing port in the US. Most people today recognize Dutch Harbor as the home of the crab fishermen portrayed in the Discovery Channel’s popular show, The Deadliest Catch.
As my trip is now days or hours away rather than weeks away, I figured I should give a little overview by the numbers:
* Hours until I leave: 41
* Travel time to get to Dutch Harbor (including layovers): 14 1/2 hours
* Legs of Flight: 3
* Days at Sea: 20
* Current temperature in our port, Dutch Harbor: 47°F
* Current temperature in DC: 94°F
* Temperature difference between DC and Dutch Harbor: 47°F cooler in AK
* Hours of Daylight in Dutch Harbor today: almost 19
* Number of teachers on my trip: 2 (including me)
* Number of scientists: 15 (again, including me)
* Crew members: approximately 12-15 but I will have to update
* Number of posts per week, anticipated: Around 4
* Amount of extra credit my students will earn if they comment on a post: 1 Homework Assignment
* Number of people who have asked me to report when I can see Russia from our boat: 10
* Episodes of Deadliest Catch watched in preparation: 2
* Number of school-related items on my to-do list that have to get done before I leave: 6
* Number of items packed: Currently, none…but I do have a pile and a list…
NOAA Teacher at Sea Log:Deborah Moraga NOAA Ship: Fulmar Date: July 20‐28, 2010
Mission: ACCESS (Applied California Current Ecosystem Studies) Geographical area of cruise: Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries
Date: June 23,2010
Weather Data from the Bridge
Start time: 0705 (7:05am) End Time: 1708 (5:08 pm) Position:
Line 2 start on eastern end: Latitude = 38o 3.4080 N; Longitude = 123o 10.9800 W
Line 2 end on western end: Latitude = 38o 2.7660 N; Longitude = 123o 33.7800 W
Line 1 start on western end: Latitude = 38o 7.8240 N; Longitude = 123o 31.9200 W
Line 1 end on eastern end: Latitude = 38o 8.3940 N; Longitude = 123o 11.5200 W Present Weather: Cloud cover 100% Visibility: 3‐10 nautical miles Wind Speed: light, variable winds 5 knots or less Wave Height: 0.25 ‐ 1 meter Sea Water Temp: 11.5 C Air Temperature: Dry bulb = 12.1 C Barometric Pressure: 1013.5 mb
Science and Technology Log
From the flying bridge…It was noted that there are unusually high numbers of some animals from Alaska ‐ such as Northern Fulmars. There were also many sightings of humpback whales, one blue whale, numerous California sea lions and Dall’s porpoises. Today was the first sighting of a fin whale recorded on an ACCESS survey. the CTD
Krill
The seas were so calm… with a swell height of 0.25 meters, you could say the ocean looked as calm as a bathtub right before you get in.
With the seas being so calm it was great to work on the back deck (stern) of the boat. Today while working line 2 we deployed the CTD six times and took hoop net samples of zooplankton at 50 meters below the surface. The Tucker trawl was also deployed (put into the water and towed behind the boat) to 200 meters. In the jars of organisms that we sampled from line 2 we found adult and juvenile krill. We found some krill with chlorophyll still in their stomachs.
Sending out the CTD
Two small fish found their way into the hoop net. Myctophid ‐ these fish live deeper during the day and come up towards the surface at night. The scales on the myctophid looked like a colored mirror and are iridescent.
Myctophid
I had the chance to do the water samples today as the CTD was deployed. To do a water sample you throw a bucket over board (attached to the boat with a line). Pull the bucket out of the water and “clean it out” by swirling the water around. Drop the bucket back into the ocean and bring it up to the deck. You then take a small vial that is labeled with the sampling location and rinse it out several times before capping with a lid. It is then placed in the freezer to be analyzed for nutrients by another agency. I was just about to cap the sample and I heard this ‘poof’ sound. I looked over and two humpback whales surfaced just meters away from me. I knew they were humpbacks, a type of baleen whale, because their blow hole is actually two holes. They started to swim off and fluked (raised their tales above the water before diving) just as I was finishing the water sample, how lucky I am to be here!
Humpback Whale
Personal Log Getting My Sea Legs
Okay, I will admit I was seasick the first day. I mean really sick. The sea was rough… 9 foot swell and even with a patch on to combat seas sickness…breakfast came up. I have not been sick again! But tomorrow is another day out at sea!
