NOAA Teacher at Sea Mechelle Shoemake Onboard NOAA Ship Oregon II June 19 – 30, 2010
Mission: SEAMAP Groundfish Survey Geographical Area of Cruise: Northwestern Gulf of Mexico Date: Friday, June 25, 2010
Weather Data from the Bridge Time: 1300 hours (1:00pm) Position: Latitude = 30.22.02 N; Longitude = 088.33.80 W Present Weather: partly cloudy Visibility: 8-10 nautical miles Wind Speed: 6 knots Wave Height: 1-2 feet Sea Water Temp: 30.9 degrees Celsius Air Temperature: Dry bulb = 32.7 degrees Celsius; Wet bulb = 23.2 degrees Celsius
Science and Technology Log
Hello everyone! I am Mechelle Shoemake from Laurel, MS. I am a teacher at South Jones Elementary school. I was chosen by NOAA to participate in their TAS (Teacher at Sea) program. I was chosen to sail aboard NOAA Ship Oregon II.
Here I am aboard the Oregon II, ready to sail!
The Oregon II conducts a groundfish cruise in the summer and fall across the northern Gulf of Mexico from Alabama to the Mexican Border in depths between 5 and 60 fathoms. The Oregon II conducts strong bottom trawling. This is a type of fishing where you drag a net along the sea floor. The primary sampling objective in the summer is to determine the abundance and distribution of shrimp by depth. Since shrimp are animals that live near the sea floor, bottom trawling is the best way to catch them. Due to the recent Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill, we will be gathering samples of oiled shrimp and fish for further testing to be done.
We will be studying three types of shrimp: white, pink and brown shrimp. For more information about these shrimp, go to http://www.dnr.sc.gov. This website explains how to identify the different species.
The bow (front) of the Oregon II, as she sits tied to the dock in Pascagoula.
We have had a slow start on the Oregon II due to repairs being made to the vessel that were necessary to keep her in service for the next 6-8 years. Our date of departure changed many times. We finally set sail on Wednesday, June 23, 2010. Before we reached our destination, we started having some small problems with the vessel. We turned around and we are now sailing back home to Pascagoula so repairs can be made. Although we had to come back to port, we did sail for many hours. During that time I had a lesson in line tying. Line is the word used for rope when you’re on a ship. This is task that many skilled and experienced sailors learn. Believe me, it is harder than it looks.
Learning to tie line knots is harder than it looks!
I also had a lesson on how to read nautical charts and how to chart the longitude and latitude of a certain point. My first morning on the ship was breathtaking. The sunrise was beautiful, as you can see in the picture below. Personal Log My first few hours at sea were not the greatest in the world. I came prepared for sea sickness…maybe a little TOO prepared. I was beginning to wonder if I would make it on the Oregon II. But, thanks to Lindsey, our XO, she suggested that I remove my “sea patch” from behind my ear. Wow, what a miracle! I was no longer sick! Lesson to the wise: don’t overdose with the medicine. Question of the Day How many feet are in a fathom?
NOAA Teacher at Sea Nicolle von der Heyde Onboard NOAA Ship Pisces June 14 – July 2, 2010
Nicolle von der Heyde NOAA Ship Pisces Mission: SEAMAP Reef Fish Survey Geographical Area of Cruise: Gulf of Mexico Dates: Wednesday, June 23
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.
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.
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.
Looking at the video footage
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 grouper“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!Diagram of video footage
Personal Log
Each day the camera array and CTD (conductivity, temperature, and depth) are lowered 7 or 8 times at different stations within an area about 10 X 10 nautical miles. (A nautical mile is slightly larger than a standard mile). This is handled by the deckhands and scientists who operate the cranes and position the instruments. Since we cannot participate in this task, we make sure to help out as much as possible with the fish trap, bandit reel, and taking measurements of the fish we catch.
It was exciting when we caught the marbled grouper on the bandit reel because it was so big! It weighed around 21 pounds and fell off the hook a second after the photo on the right was taken, scaring me half to death as it flopped around on the deck! I was sure it would flop itself right back into the water and there would go our impressive catch. Fortunately a deckhand was nearby to lift it back into the basket. This grouper was not on the list of fish that we needed to save for the NSIL, so after taking its measurements, it was sent to the galley and provided lunch one day for everyone on board the ship.
Me and a Grouper
It has been great to see such a variety of fish on this trip. The Chief Scientist said we are pretty lucky with the fish we have caught, especially the yellowmouth grouper shown in the science log above. The tiny Reef Butterflyfish was one of my favorites with its small mouth and bright yellow tail. I’m sure the Flower Garden Banks Marine Sanctuary will continue to impress as we watch the footage from the cameras and wait in anticipation to see what the bandit reel brings up from the depths of the seafloor.
NOAA Teacher at Sea Melinda Storey Onboard NOAA Ship Pisces June 14 – July 2, 2010
NOAA Teacher at Sea: Melinda Storey NOAA Ship Pisces Mission: SEAMAP Reef Fish Survey Geographical Area of Cruise: Gulf of Mexico Date: June 21, 2010
Weather Data from the Bridge Time: 0800 hours (8 am) Position: Latitude: 28º 09.6 minutes N Longitude: 094º 18.2 min. W Visibility: 10 nautical miles Wind Direction: variable Water Temperature: 30.6 degrees Celsius Air Temperature: 27.5 degrees Celsius Ship’s Speed: 5 knots
Science Technology Log
Atlantic Spotted dolphins are the graceful ballerinas of the sea. They are just incredible! The Gulf of Mexico is one of the habitats of the dolphin because they live in warm tropical waters. The body of a spotted dolphin is covered with spots and as they get older their spots become greater in number.
Because Dolphins are mammals they breathe air through a single blowhole much like whales. Dolphins live together in pods and can grow to be 8 feet long and weigh 200-255 pounds. Like whales, dolphins swim by moving their tails (flukes) up and down. The dolphin’s beak is long and slim and its lips and the tip of its beak are white. They eat a variety of fish and squid found at the surface of the water. Since dolphins like to swim with yellow fin tuna, some dolphins die by getting tangled in the nets of tuna fishermen.
Newborn calves are grey with white bellies. They do not have spots. Calves mature around the age of 6-8 years or when the dolphin reaches a length of 6.5 feet. Calving takes place every two years. Gestation (or pregnancy) lasts for 11 1/2 months and babies are nursed for 11 months.
While watching the dolphins ride the bow wave, Nicolle and I wondered, “How do dolphins sleep and not drown?” Actually, we found that there are two basic methods of sleeping: they float and rest vertically or horizontally at the surface of the water. The other method is sleeping while swimming slowly next to another dolphin. Dolphins shut down half of their brains and close the opposite eye. That lets the other half of the brain stay “awake.” This way they can rest and also watch for predators. After two hours they reverse this process. This pattern of sleep is called “cat-napping.”
Dolphins maintain a deeper sleep at night and usually only sleep for two hours at a time. This method is called “logging” because in this state dolphins look like a log floating in the ocean.
The 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) prohibits the hunting, capturing, killing or collecting of marine mammals without a proper permit. Permits are granted for the Spotted Dolphins to be taken if it is for scientific research, public display, conservation, or in the case of a dolphin stranding. The maximum fine for violating the MMPA is $20,000 and one year in jail.
Personal Log
Watching the dolphins playfully swim below us at the bow is like watching water nymphs. I can almost see them smiling. They spring out of the water just ahead of the ship and then peel off at a ninety degree angle. FAST doesn’t even begin to describe their movement. I especially enjoy watching some of them swim upside down, their white bellies gleaming. The CO is really good at spotting them far away. The dolphins swim straight toward the ship lickity-split as if someone just let kids out for recess and they run straight for the playground. We’ve seen some babies with their mothers as well as some older spotted dolphins. It is totally amazing to look straight down into their blowholes! You can even hear them “snort” when they come up for air. Never in my life did I think I would ever have an up-close and personal relationship with a dolphin!
SunsetSunset
The sunsets here are so spectacular. Check out the middle of the cloud on the left. If you look carefully you can see that the cloud has a heart-shaped opening. Last night’s sunset was purple and orange and just looked like a painting by one of the Masters. Our scientists have told us to watch for the “green flash.” If conditions are right and there aren’t many clouds, you can see a flash of neon green just as the sun plops below the horizon. We keep watching but so far no green flash.
The night is also spectacular. I’ve never seen so many stars in my life. One night I went out to the bow about 12:00am and it was pitch black. Then when I looked up, it was if God had thrown diamonds into the night sky. The half moon glistened against the ocean and the lapping of the water against the bow made it just so peaceful. You don’t see that many stars at home because of all the city lights. This is almost indescribable.
One evening the ship’s crew was fishing with fishing poles off the stern (back) of the ship when one guy said his hook had gotten stuck on something. I find that amazing since they were fishing 60 feet deep. He yanked and pulled and yanked again and finally pulled up what you see here.
Crinoids
The orange mass that you see here is a lot of animals called crinoids. They’ve wrapped themselves around a wire coral, which you can see here at the left side and the top right hand corner. The wire coral is green. The cool thing is all of this was alive and moving. Holding it felt surreal. It was somewhat like holding a big batch of worms.
New Term/Vocabulary
Pod – a group of dolphins
Slipstream – the wake created by the dolphins as they swim
Echelon – the dragging of the babies in the slipstream
Logging – a type of dolphin sleep where they are floating and they look like a log
Cat-napping – a light stage of sleeping
Fluke – the tail of the dolphins
“Something to Think About”
Dolphins are “social animals,” which means they travel together. What would be the benefits for traveling in pods?
“Did You Know?”
Did you know that a mama dolphin doesn’t stop swimming for the first several weeks after the birth of its young? This is because a baby needs to sleep and rest and can only do that by sleeping beside its mother. The baby sleeps while its mother swims, towing the baby along in her slipstream, the drag behind the mom. This is called echelon swimming. If the mother stops swimming, the sleeping baby will sink below the surface and drown.
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 21st, 2010
Weather Data from the Bridge
Position: northeast of Dutch Harbor, Bering Sea Time: 1100 hours Latitude: N 54 45.610 Longitude: W 167 06.540 Cloud Cover: cloudy Wind: 35 knots Temperature: 6.2 C Barometric Pressure: 1000.8 mbar
Science and Technology Log
Throughout this cruise I have been continually impressed with the engineering of the NOAA ship Oscar Dyson both in terms of modernization and capacity. State of the art technology can be found throughout the ship from the bridge to the engine room. Computer touch screens are used to control such operations as navigation on the bridge, power management in the engine room, and data entry in the wet lab. Junior engineer Walter Daniel summed up the advanced look and feel of the ship well; in comparison to the many vessels he has encountered in his career, he likened the Dyson to the Starship Enterprise of the science fiction franchise Star Trek. Even though the Dyson is one of the most technologically advanced fisheries vessels in the world, the engineers still get their fingers dirty from time to time. Although most of the equipment in the engine room can be adjusted with the simple touch of a button, flip of a switch, or turn of a knob, the Dyson’s veteran engineers still carry a screwdriver and wrench in their back pocket. Fred Ogden, first assistant engineer, told me he always likes to be prepared to bypass the computers and be able to make an adjustment by hand if needed, and you need to have the right tools for the job at hand. Recognizing that sometimes a person needs to get back to basics and that one should always be prepared, Fred says he never goes fishing without packing his sextant. Tracing its origins to the days of Sir Isaac Newton, the sextant is a tool used for navigation that only needs a clear view of the sky and horizon to work!
Diesel fuel centrifuges
At full power, the Dyson can reach 15.0 knots or a little more than 17 miles per hour. A knot is a unit measurement of speed roughly equal to 1.151 miles per hour. Four diesel generators capable of 3,017 horse power turn the Dyson’s shaft and prop. Horse power is a unit of measurement of power. To give you some perspective, modern cars typically only have 125 to 200 horsepower. To ensure these generators operate as efficiently and cleanly as possible, diesel is first cleaned using powerful centrifuges (machines that rotate very quickly to separate oil from the fuel). Fuel is also filtered twice more in each engine using filters. By burning clean fuel, the Dyson reduces pollution output and increases the life of the generators. Most of the oil and dirty water can be filtered on board to remove the impurities and reused.
Two of the Dyson’s powerful diesel generators
The Dyson also has two desalinization machines. What is desalinization and why is it important? ‘Desalinization’ is easy to subdivide and define to reveal its meaning. ‘De-’ is a prefix that means removal or reversal. ‘Salin’ is a French root word that means salt. ‘-zation’ is a noun suffix meaning an action, process, or result of making. If you put the parts together, desalinization means the process of removing salt. Desalinization machines produce fresh water by removing the salt from seawater. The importance of fresh water on a ship at sea cannot be overstated. Fresh water is essential to the crew of the Dyson for drinking, food preparation, waste management, and washing. Fresh water is also used to remove the heat from the generators in the engine room and to cool living spaces throughout the ship. The generators give off so heat much in fact there is never a shortage of hot water for the crew!
The desalinization machine
After touring the engineering spaces of the Dyson, I was surprised to see several work stations comprising of work benches and many hand tools dedicated to servicing equipment and fabricating new parts while at sea. Any one of these machine shops would satisfy any suburban Mr. Fix-it! In addition to these work stations, the Dyson also has numerous storage cabinets and cubby holes located throughout the ship storing everything from screws and zip ties to transistors and electronic circuit boards. The extent to which technology has permeated the Dyson is revealed by the maze of wires found overhead in every room and passageway. The many wires and pipes snaking from one room to another remind me of a giant circulatory system. The Dyson has two rotating Electronic Technicians, Vincent Welton and Stephen Macri, and an Engineering Electronics Technician, Terry Miles, whose job is to keep all these technologically advanced electronics in good working order.
Personal Log
Amber and Sarah keeping a sharp lookout on the bridgeCO Hoshlyk at the helm during 2pt anchoring in Three Saints Bay
One of my favorite places on the Dyson is the bridge. The bridge of the Dyson is the command and control center for the entire ship. The bridge not only allows the NOAA Corps officers to safely navigate the Dyson but allows communication with the entire ship, nearby boat traffic, and the shore. Utilizing radar, electronic charts, magnetic compasses, GPS, sonar, advanced radio and communication equipment, and various weather instruments, the bridge provides a wealth of information at one’s fingertips. The OOD (Officer of the Deck) carefully monitors the numerous screens and readouts on the bridge control panels and keeps a sharp eye on the surrounding seas. While I have become familiar with several of the main systems on the bridge and can deduce a great deal about the Dyson’s current location and movement, I recognize there is much to learn to safely navigate and operate the ship. I am comforted when resting in my rack knowing there are skilled and experienced hands on the bridge 24 hours a day!
Ensign Payne maneuvering from starboard control station
Located five stories above the water, the bridge has a fantastic view. The bridge is wide and open and has windows in every direction. The bridge provides a great view of the operation of the ship and the surrounding seas. I am most impressed with the layout of the bridge. The ship can be controlled from any one of four stations located around the bridge. The bridge is laid out like a capital T: a central control station located in the middle of the bridge, a station positioned on both the port (left) and starboard (right) sides of the bridge, and a station located aft (back) facing the rear of the ship. This allows the OOD to pilot the vessel while keeping a close eye on deployments/operations being conducted anywhere on the Dyson. For example, when conducting an Aleutian wing trawl off the stern (back) of the vessel, the OOD can transfer control to the aft station and pilot the Dyson while facing backwards!
In addition to the view, the bridge is also fun to visit as there is always someone to talk to and usually fun music playing quietly in the background. Recently, I have enjoyed watching the bow crash through 15-20 foot waves as we continue running each transect of our acoustic trawl survey.
Richard holding a sea star, better known as a starfish
While the weather continues to make deployments challenging, we have still managed to fish a few times. Interesting bycatch from these trawls includes seastars and brittle stars from the Tucker trawl and Pacific cod and sturgeon poacher from the Aleutian wing trawl.
A Pacific cod
Did you know?
The summer solstice marks the longest day and the shortest night of the year. The word solstice comes from the Latin word ‘sol’ meaning ‘sun’ and the word ‘stice’ meaning ‘to stand still’. As summer days lengthen (meaning the sun rises earlier and sets later each day), the sun’s path through the sky takes the sun higher and higher above the horizon forming a greater and greater arc. At a certain point, the sun reaches its highest point. At this point the sun seems to stand still before slowly falling back to the horizon with each passing day. This point when the sun reaches its highest arc in the sky is called the summer solstice. The earth’s tilt on its axis causes the sun to travel slightly different paths through the sky each day and causes the sun’s rays to fall with varying intensity on different regions of the earth. Over the period of one year (one orbit of the sun by the earth), this variation in sunlight explains why the earth has four seasons: summer receives the most direct rays, winter receives the least direct rays, and spring and fall are times of transition between these two extremes. The summer solstice always falls around June 21st in the northern hemisphere (above the equator). With the Dyson surveying southeast of Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea, the sun will rise at 6:30 AM and will set at 11:50 PM on June 21st. If you were standing at the North Pole during the summer solstice, you would experience 24 hours of sunlight (the sun would never dip below the horizon!) while 24 hours of darkness would be observed at the South Pole.
NOAA Teacher at Sea Log:Deborah Moraga NOAA Ship: Fulmar Cruise Dates: 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 21, 2010
The R/V Fulmar
Overview
The R/V Fulmar sets out from the dock early each morning. This ACCESS cruise has 5 members of the scientific team and myself (the NOAA Teacher at Sea.) There are two crew members for a total 8 people onboard.
The three central California National Marine Sanctuaries and the ports where the R/V Fulmar docksApplied California Current Ecosystem StudiesNational Marine Sanctuaries
ACCESS is an acronym for Applied California Current Ecosystem Studies. This is a partnership between PRBO Conservation Science, Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary and the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. These groups of conservation scientists are working together to better understand the impacts that different organisms have on the marine ecosystem off the coast of central California.
Immersion suit for safety
They do this so that policy makers (government groups) have the most accurate data to help them make informed decisions on how the productive waters off the coast can be a resource for us and still protect the wildlife. You can read a more in depth explanation at http://www.accessoceans.org
Flying Bridge
The R/V Fulmar is a 67 foot Marine Grade Aluminum catamaran (a multi hulled vessel.) This vessel can travel 400 miles before refueling and can reach 27 knots (30 miles per hour) with a cruising speed of 22 knots (25.3 miles per hour.) Although that may sound slow compared to the cars we drive… you have to take into account that there can be 10 foot waves to go over out on the ocean.
The Fulmar’s homeport (where the boat ties up to dock most of the time) is in Monterey Bay, CA. For this cruise we will come into port (dock) in Bodega Bay, Sausalito, and Half Moon Bay. Each morning the crew wakes up an hour before the time we start out for the day. They check the oil and look over the engines, start the engines, disconnect the shore power and get the boat ready to sail out for a ten hour day.
Today (July 23, 2010) we left at 0700 (7:00 a.m.) out of Bodega Bay. Bodega Bay is on the coast of Sonoma county, California. It is from Bodega Bay that we will travel offshore to the “lines” that we will be surveying. Today we will survey lines one and two.
Then after the day’s work is done, we will sail into port, tie up to the dock and have dinner. The scientists and crew members sleep on the boat in the berths (bunks) that are located in the hulls of the boat.
Surveys
“Okay, take a survey of the types of pets your classmates have at home. Then create a graph.” How many times have math teachers assigned that assignment and expected that students knew how to survey? Today I received firsthand knowledge of how a survey takes place.
Marine scientist scanning for wildlife
Up on the flying bridge (about 5.5 meters from the surface of the ocean) scientists are surveying birds and marine mammals. There is a protocol that each follows. Here, the protocol is basically a list of agreed upon rules on how to count the marine life seen on the ocean. One researcher inputs the data into a waterproof laptop…imagine chilling at the pool and being able to surf the web! There are other researchers sitting alongside and calling out the types of birds and marine mammals they see. The researchers surveying the birds and mammals use not only their eyes but also binoculars.
Krill collected by the Trucker Trawl
After the researcher spots and identifies the birds or mammals, they call out their findings to the recording scientist in a code like fashion, doing this allows for the data to be inputted faster. The team can travel miles without Krill collected by the Trucker Trawl Researcher recording observations on the flying bridge Pacific White Sided dolphins bow riding seeing any organisms or there may be so many that the scientist at the laptop has a tough time keeping up. In this case the surveying scientist may have to write down their findings and report them when there is a break in the action.
Imagine that you are driving down the highway with your family. You have been asked to count the number humans, cows, horses, goats, dogs, cats, cars or trash on your trip. How would you make sure that your family members didn’t double count and still record all that you see? This is where protocols (instruction/rules) come in. So, let us say that you are behind the driver, and your brother or sister is in the backseat next to the window. There is also a family member in the passenger seat up front (yeah they called ‘shot gun’ before you did.) This is much like the seating arrangement on the flying bridge of the R/V Fulmar.
Researcher recording observations on the flying bridge
So how could you split up the road and area around the road so that you do not count something twice? You could split the area that you see into two parts. Take your left arm and stick it straight out the window. Have your sister/brother stick their right arm out their side window. If we drew an arc from your arm to your sibling’s arm it would be 180 degrees. Of the 180 degree arc, you are responsible for counting everything from your arm to the middle of the windshield. So, you are responsible for 90 degrees and your sibling has the other 90 degrees from the middle of the windshield to their arm.
Pacific White Sided dolphins bow riding
Once you start counting you need to record the data you are collecting. Can you write and count at the same time? Not very well, so we need someone to record the data. There are actually a lot of points of data that you need to enter.
You need to tell the recorder…
• Cue: How did you see the item you are counting?
• Method: Were you searching by eye or using a pair of binoculars?
• Bearing: The angle that the item is from the car as related to the front of the car.
• Reticle: How far the item was from your car when you first observed it (you would use your binoculars for this measurement).
• Which side of the car are you on and who is dong the observing?
• Behavior: What was the organism doing when you spotted it? Was it traveling, feeding or milling (just hanging out)?
Deploying the CTD
You also have to determine the age and sex of the organism. You need to record the species of the organism and how many you observed.
Now that is all for the species above the ground… what would you do for the animals below the road surface? On the R/V Fulmar they collect species from below the surface of the ocean and data about the water. They do this several different ways…
Bringing in the Hoop Net
1. CTD: Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth. This is a tool that records the physical properties of the ocean. It records…
a. Salinity (amount of salt in the water)
b. Temperature (how hot or cold the water is)
c. Depth (how far the instrument travels below the surface)
d. How much chlorophyll is in the water
e. Turbidity (how murky or clear the water is)
f. How much oxygen is in the water
Deploying the Tucker Trawl
2. Hoop Net: Looks like a very heavy hula hoop. Except this hoop has a cone shaped cylinder made of fine mesh attached to it. At the apex of the cone, a small PVC container, called a cod end, is attached. Zooplankton (tiny swimming animals) and some phytoplankton (tiny marine plants) are funneled into the cod end of the net as it is towed behind the boat. When the net comes back to the boat, the researchers take off the cod end and use this sample of organisms.
Collecting data from the CTD
3. Tucker Trawl: Is like three hoop nets attached together. The cool thing about this big net is that the scientists can close each net at different depths. As Map of the transect lines Retrieving the Hoop Net Phytoplankton Net the net is towed behind the boat they “close” each net to capture zooplankton at different depths. The tucker trawl is used primarily to collect krill
Map of the transect lines
Transects
Have you ever lost something in your room? Perhaps it was your homework? The bus is coming and you have to find your binder. So you start tearing your room apart. By the time the bus is five minutes away… you room looks like a disaster and you can’t remember where exactly you have looked and yet, still no binder.
Imagine a group of scientists 30 miles offshore, doing that same type of “looking” for organisms, with the captain piloting (driving) the boat any which way. Just like your binder that was missed when you were looking for it, number and location of organisms in parts of the ocean would be missing from the data set.
Retrieving the Hoop Net
So if you wanted a systematic way to look for your homework that is lost in your room, you would imagine a grid. You would have lines running from one wall to another. These lines would be parallel to each other. You would walk along the line looking for you binder. When you came to the end of the line (at your wall) you would then start on another line. By walking back and forth in your room in this systematic way, you will not miss any part of your room.
Phytoplankton Net
You have just traveled along a transect line. A transect is a path you travel and as you do you are counting and recording data. On the R/V Fulmar, scientists are counting birds, marine mammals, and collecting krill. By counting how many and what kinds of organisms are along the transect line, scientists will be able to calculate the density of organisms in a given area. There are several different types on lines that we survey. There are the near shore transects…which extend 12 kilometers from the shore (that is as long as running back a forth a football field 131 times). Offshore lines are 50 to 60 kilometers from the coast. Imagine how many football fields that would be!
Bow of R/V Fulmar
Density… Take your right hand and put it in your right front pocket of your pants and pull out all the coins you have in your pocket. Looking down at your hand you count 10 dimes. Now do the same for your left hand. You found you have two dimes. The “area” those coins were located is equal… meaning your pockets are the same size. The density of coins in your pockets is greater in your right pocket because there are more coins per square inch than in your left pocket.
Humpback Whale
The researchers on the ACCESS cruise use the data they have collected out in the field (in this case the field is the three central California National Marine Sanctuaries) to calculate the density of the organisms they are researching. They are counting and recording the number of organisms and their location so they can create graphs and maps that show the distribution of those organisms in the waters off the coast.
Taking a surface water sample
Why do they need this information? The data starts to paint a picture of the health of the ecosystem in this part of the world. With that information, they can make suggestions as to how resources are used and how to protect the waters off the California coast. By using data that has been collected over many years, suggestions can be made on how the ocean can still be utilized (used) today while insuring that future generations of humans, marine mammals, birds and krill have the same opportunities.
