buoy deployment – Page 2 – NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog

March 20, 2006March 18, 2021

Vince Rosato and Kim Pratt, March 20, 2006

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Vince Rosato & Kim Pratt
Onboard NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown
March 9 – 28, 2006

Mission: Collect oceanographic and climate modeling data
Geographical Area: Bahamas, West Indies
Date: March 20, 2006

Science and Technology Log

On Saturday, we deployed two buoys. A buoy is a floating object that sends science information to scientists. They can have numbers, colors, lights, or whistles on them. The buoys we sent off are a drifting buoy and an ARGO buoy.

A drifting buoy is the size of a basketball and sends its position in the ocean to a satellite where scientists can measure current speed by using its location and by tracking it around. Because it has a sock on it, it’s a good measure of current and it is not affected by the wind. The buoys can last a long time unless they are damaged or destroyed by a ship, run into land, or are stolen by a pirate. There are currently 1,468 drifting buoys worldwide and they cost more than $1500 each. Cabello, Searles and Key Biscayne Community School jointly adopted two of the buoys deployed. Students signed stickers that were attached to the buoy and sent out to sea. To track the buoy, here.

The second buoy that was deployed was an ARGO buoy. The ARGO is interesting because it acts like a little submarine. The ARGO is launched off the ship, floats on the surface, then sinks to certain depth, gathering information on temperature, pressure, salinity, latitude and longitude. The ARGO, acting like a submarine, stays at a certain depth for a while, gathering information, then fills its bladder and rises to the surface, collecting information on the way up. At the surface, the ARGO sends all the information to a satellite for the scientists to use in their labs. To picture a bladder, think of “Professor” from Sponge Bob. Professor fills up with air and floats (like the bladder filling), exhales his air and sinks (like the bladder emptying). This ARGO was special because it had a large sticker from the New Haven Unified School District. So New Haven is literally traveling all over the ocean! To track the ARGO buoy go here.

Interview with Lieutenant Commander, Priscilla Rodriguez, US Public Health Service

On the RON BROWN you will find the Medical Officer, Lieutenant Commander (LCDR), Priscilla Rodriguez. Officer Rodriguez actually is a part of the United States Public Health Service that overlooks the public health system for the whole country and sets the standard for health care. LCDR Rodriguez is a Physician Assistant and her assignment onboard the RON BROWN will last for two years. The most common illness on board a ship is seasickness and LCDR Rodriguez is on the lookout for crew or scientists who are not showing up for meals or who look a little “green.” She explains that your brain and inner ear need to get used to the movement of the ship and once they do you’re okay. In the meantime you may feel nauseous or tired. LCDR Rodriguez has a lot of responsibility on board the ship. She’s responsible for the health care of everyone and if someone gets extremely ill, she has to advise the Captain on whether to go into shore, or get a Coast Guard helicopter to come out and pick him or her up, which is very expensive. LCDR Rodriguez was born in the Dominican Republic, grew up in New York City and presently calls New York City her home where she has just made a cooking video. When she’s not working on the ship, she enjoys playing the guitar or flute, drawing and making videos. She’s currently developing “podcasts” for the Internet and has been interviewing subjects on the ship. In the future, she would like to return to work with AIDS patients in underdeveloped countries and do everything she can to help the world.

Assignment: Draw a picture of what the ARGO buoy does. (How it acts like a submarine). Label each movement – sinks, stays at the same level, and rises. Draw a picture of what you think the ARGO buoy looks like. (Hint: Long, thin, black tube).

Personal Log – Kimberly Pratt

It’s good to be writing logs again. I’ve been having amazing conversations with all the scientists onboard. They’ve been very generous with their time. A special thanks to Dr. Molly for our “up top” chats. Today the scientists from the United Kingdom are working on recovering a sub-surface mooring, so we’ve got time to work on logs, interviews and answer e-mail. Last night I saw squid in the moonlight: one was approximately 1.5 ft, and another was approximately 2.5 ft. They were chasing and eating flying fish! Also fish that look like little swordfish were jumping around. It was a virtual circus! Hello to everyone! Students, keep writing! Make it a good day!

Personal Log – Vince Rosato

New Haven Unified School District, Searles 4th graders and Cabello 5th graders got some press recently. Thanks to fellow teachers for the article and to the Argus newspaper and Educational Service Center Information Officer, Rick LaPlante, for the favorable text. We’ll have another chance to thank ANG for newspapers in education and for the many businesses that sponsor Book Bucks. I’m glad so many in the class are participating in this reading reward program. I also heard the bus is confirmed for our “Reading is Cool” Sharkie field trip to the Hewlett Packard HP Pavilion, home of the Sharks hockey team. It’s always good hearing from you so keep those emails coming and good luck with Book Bucks! In my spare time I’m getting pictures with Juliet around the ship and reading John Climatus’, The Ladder of Divine Ascent.

October 18, 2005March 18, 2021

Eric Heltzel, October 18, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Eric Heltzel
Onboard NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown
September 25 – October 22, 2005

Mission: Climate Observation and Buoy Deployment
Geographical Area: Southeast Pacific
Date: October 18, 2005

Weather Data from Bridge

Temperature: 25.5 degrees C
Clouds cover: 6/8, stratus, altocumulus
Visibility: 12 nm
Wind direction: 245 degrees
Wind speed: 13kts.
Wave height: 3 – 5’
Swell wave height: 3 – 5’
Seawater Temperature: 28.7 degrees C
Sea level Atmospheric pressure: 1005 mb
Relative Humidity: 82%

Science and Technology Log

Rodrigo Castro and Carolina Cisternas are research technicians from the University of Concepcion in Concepcion, Chile. They joined the cruise at Panama City and have been taking ocean water samples every 60 nm. Their samples are run through 0.7 and 0.2 micron filters. They capture and freeze particulate organic mater by this process and take it back to the lab at the university. The samples are analyzed for the presence of stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen. These samples are then used as biomarkers to help determine the circulation of ocean water. A second analysis will be going on to locate the gene associated with nitrogen-fixing organisms. This is new ground for the scientists at the university.

Upwellings are areas where deep ocean water comes to the surface. According to Rodrigo and Carolina there are four significant areas of upwelling along the Chilean coast. The two most northerly are found at 20 degrees south and 24 degrees south. These are active year round and are slow and steady with no significant seasonal fluctuation. Another at 30 degrees south is moderate in nature with some seasonal variation, being more active during the summer. The most southerly is at 36 degrees south and is strong September to April. However it mostly disappears the rest of the year. Upwelling zones are recognizable because of their cooler water temperature. They also have increased nutrients that are brought up from the deep and a higher amount of chlorophyll due to increased photosynthetic activity. Some fish species are found in greater abundance in these zones due to increased nutrients extending into more food availability.

Personal Log

The RONALD H. BROWN is under way. We are steaming in an easterly heading on the leg of the cruise that will take us to Arica, Chile. It is a bit of a challenge for me, as we are no longer headed into the direction of the swells; instead, we are crossing them at a 30-degree angle, which makes for more oscillations in the movement of the ship. My tummy is being challenged.

October 14, 2005March 18, 2021

Eric Heltzel, October 14, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Eric Heltzel
Onboard NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown
September 25 – October 22, 2005

Mission: Climate Observation and Buoy Deployment
Geographical Area: Southeast Pacific
Date: October 14, 2005

Weather Data from Bridge
Temperature: 19 degrees C
Sea level Atmospheric pressure: 1016 mb
Relative Humidity: 70%
Clouds cover: 8/8, stratocumulus
Visibility: 12 nm
Wind direction: 120 degrees
Wind speed: 16kts.
Wave height: 3 – 4’
Swell wave height: 4 – 5’
Swell direction: 120 degrees
Seawater Temperature: 18.3 degrees C
Salinity: 35 parts per thousand
Ocean depth: 4364 meters

Science and Technology Log

A big day today! We managed to deploy the Stratus 5 buoy. It was basically the reverse of our retrieval. The buoy was tipped up 45 degrees and the top 35 meters of instruments were hooked together. Next the mooring was attached to the buoy and it was placed in the water with a crane. This phase was done off of the portside of the fantail. We held the wire that was attached to the buoy and let it swing out behind the ship. Then using a large winch we would play out more of the cable, stop, secure the line, and then attach the next instrument. Consider the fact that if we were to lose hold of the mooring we could lose the whole works into 4000 + meters of ocean water. It’s not like working on land where if you drop something, you say whoops and pick it up again. If that happens on the ship the thing you drop may well go over the side. Serious Whoops!

Once all of the instruments were attached we started paying out nylon and polypropylene line. This was accomplished by using an H-bit to run the line through. The line was in 4’ x 4’ x 4’ boxes and trailed out into the ocean as the ship moved forward at just over one knot. When we got to the end of the line it was time to attach the new acoustic releases so that this buoy can be recovered next year. Then it was time for the big splash. The mooring was attached to the anchor which was made up of three iron disks, twelve inches thick and three feet in diameter. The anchor’s weight is 9000 pounds. The anchor was sitting on a steel plate and the stern of the fantail. A crane picked up the forward edge of the plate and tipped the anchor into the ocean. The splash from the six-foot drop to the water went twenty feet in the air. The anchor started the trip to the bottom dragging all of the mooring and the buoy. The falling anchor pulled the buoy at about four knots towards the anchor location. Excited cheers went up on the fantail. The Stratus 5 buoy had been successfully deployed!

Instruments Deployed (top 450 meters)

Deployed on the mooring line beneath the buoy: MICRO CAT temperature, salinity SEA CAT temperature, salinity Brancker temperature, salinity VMCM direction, velocity of water flow NORTEK acoustic Doppler current profiler T-POD temperature logging device SONTEK acoustic Doppler current meter RDI ADCP acoustic Doppler current profiler (125 m) SDE 39 temperature logging device Acoustic release just above the anchor

On the buoy: (this information is transmitted 4 times a day) Atmospheric pressure, Air temperature, Wind speed and direction, Relative humidity, Precipitation, Long wave radiation, Short wave radiation, Sea surface temperature and salinity.

You may notice that many of the instruments on the mooring measure the same thing. This redundancy is intentional guaranteeing verifiable data. There are two complete meteorological systems on the buoy.

Response to Student Questions

Does the stratus layer extend to the land?

After questioning the senior scientists about this the answer is yes. We are at about 20 degrees south. Here there is a daily fluctuation in the cloud cover. It often dissipates during the afternoon as a result of warming by the sun. Apparently the coast of northern Chile often has a cloud layer that also dissipates during the day. This can be low-lying enough to be fog. As you travel a few miles inland and up in elevation you are no longer under the stratus layer.

Does the stratus layer affect El Nino?

Ocean and atmosphere constantly influence each other. I have to do more inquiry to give a solid answer to this question.

Note: There is some confusion about the labels being used for the buoy and the cruise. This is the sixth Stratus Project cruise which is deploying the fifth Stratus buoy. Hence, the Stratus 6 cruise is recovering the Straus 4 buoy and deploying the Stratus 5 buoy.

October 13, 2005March 18, 2021

Eric Heltzel, October 13, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Eric Heltzel
Onboard NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown
September 25 – October 22, 2005

Mission: Climate Observation and Buoy Deployment
Geographical Area: Southeast Pacific
Date: October 13, 2005

A small boat is launched in order to get to the stratus buoy — A small boat is launched in order to get to the Stratus buoy

Weather Data from Bridge

Science and Technology Log

We are holding on station today as the data from the Stratus 4 buoy is downloaded and analyzed. I helped out on the fantail for a couple of hours today. We were rearranging the positions of the Stratus 4 and 5 buoys. These are large, heavy devices that can only be moved by crane and winches. The buoy waiting for deployment is now on the portside of the fantail, is strapped down, activated, and awaiting deployment. The buoy we retrieved yesterday is tucked in next to the starboard side crane. This doesn’t sound like a big thing, but each buoy is very heavy and the deck is moving up and down six feet and rocking side to side every few seconds. We go slowly and are very deliberate.

Jeff Lord is setting up for deployment of the Stratus 5 buoy and its array of instruments. The buoy will be launched, followed by the mooring and its attached instruments, and lastly the 9000-pound anchor will be deployed over the stern of the ship. Before this a Sea Beam survey of the ocean floor has to be accomplished to help Dr. Weller choose the site of the Straus 5 deployment. I am continuously amazed by the thorough planning that has been done for this venture.

Personal Log

I’m sitting on the foredeck of the BROWN as I write this entry. It’s once again a partly sunny day and I am sitting out of the wind enjoying the sunshine. I realize that I haven’t seen a jet contrail since we crossed the equator. Yesterday I did see a whale spout at about of a quarter mile out and there was a fishing boat about four miles away. Except for a few birds the view is of ocean and sky. We had an abandon-ship drill Tuesday and the captain announced that the nearest land is some Argentine islands over 400 miles away. We are out there.

October 11, 2005March 18, 2021

Eric Heltzel, October 11, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Eric Heltzel
Onboard NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown
September 25 – October 22, 2005

Mission: Climate Observation and Buoy Deployment
Geographical Area: Southeast Pacific
Date: October 11, 2005

Weather Data from Bridge

Science and Technology Log

The throbbing heart of the RONALD H. BROWN is the engine room and the associated systems. Last night Assistant Engineer Wayne Smith gave me a tour. I was impressed with the complexity and effectiveness of the systems.

The core of the power is six Caterpillar diesel engines. These function as electric generators for the ship’s systems. The three largest of these are dedicated to the propulsion of the ship. The ship is propelled and maneuvered by two aft thrusters and one bow thruster. The thrusters are propellers that have the ability to be rotated 360 degrees. Each thruster is driven by and independent Z-Drive that is actuated by an electric motor and shaft. Under normal sailing only the two aft thrusters are in use. The bow thruster is engaged when the ship is maneuvering into dock or holding a position. As I write, we are holding position 0.25 nautical miles from the Stratus buoy. By engaging the Dynamic Positioning System a location for the ship is established via GPS and a computer controls the direction and rpm of the thrusters. This allows the BROWN to hold a position without having to drop anchor. I was surprised to learn that this ship has no rudder—it is steered via the Z-Drive of the thrusters.

Since the BROWN is a research vessel it has on board many sophisticated electronic instruments. The current running through its wires is like our household current, about 115 volts. Because of the sensitive nature of some of the equipment there are outlets labeled “clean power”. This current runs through a secondary motor which ensures that there will be no power spikes that could damage electronic equipment.

Ventilation is very important and there are several air conditioning systems that control the temperature in most of the ship. Different areas have independent thermostats so the ship is quite comfortable. The science labs are generally kept quite cool. Freshwater is supplied by using heat from the engines to evaporate seawater. The condensed steam is run through bromine filters to ensure no bacteria in the water tanks. The water is extremely soft, having no salts in it. Wayne chuckled at the idea of people buying bottled water to drink on ship because the water provided is as pure as water gets.

The NOAA research vessel RONALD H. BROWN was launched in 1997. It is the largest ship in the fleet and provides a state of the art research platform. The versatility and capabilities of this ship and expertise of the crew allow up to 59 people to sail for extended periods of time and perform sophisticated oceanographic and atmospheric research. I feel privileged to be along on the Stratus 6 cruise.

Personal Log

Wow! I can see my shadow. This is cause for staying out on deck. We have been sailing under overcast skies since we crossed the equator. I’m sitting out on the bench on the 03 deck beneath the Bridge. There’s a breeze blowing from the southeast but I’m comfortable in a light jacket and shorts. It has been a surprise to be traveling in tropical waters with overcast skies and cool temperatures. It makes me realize that we get a lot of sunny days in Wyoming.

At 1415 today we had a meeting outlining the program for tomorrow. Jeff Lord from WHOI is coordinating the buoy recovery program. He is very organized and has gone through step by step how it will be done. It will be a very interesting, very busy day tomorrow. It is very important to the success of this cruise that we recover all of the instruments and buoy safely. At 0640 the acoustic release will be activated and the floats attached to the mooring will be released from the anchor. The depth here is 4400 m and it will take the floats about 40 minutes to reach the surface. This will be a major operation involving everyone on the ship.