Days at Sea: 18 Nautical Miles traveled: 3802.9 nm Location when we were farthest north and farthest west: 61 20.300N/176 05.250 W XBTs: 113 CTDs: 21 AWTs: 28 Methots: 7
Average Swell Height: 2- 3 ft Wind Speed Range: 3 – 22 knots Average temperature: 6° C/42.8°F
Beautiful Day on the Bering Sea
Types of cetaceans seen: 5 (fin whale, killer whale, Dall’s porpoise, sea lion, sperm whale) Types of birds seen: 7+ (including fulmar, murre, kittiwake, petrel, albatross, puffin, & bald eagle) Logs seen: 3 (unfortunately there was not an arborist who could identify them)
Average number of meals eaten per day: 5 (first breakfast, second breakfast, snack, elevenses, dinner)
Times I worked out in the aft gym for the “European Challenge”: 7
Times we fell out of our chairs laughing: too many to count!
Fork Fight
Top five things I am thankful for:
The willingness of all the scientists, officers and crew to answer my questions and explain what it is they are doing
The chance to try my hand at fish processing (I will get you otoliths), net operations (10 out!), bridge operations (this is a test), and survey tech skills (mark XBT 135!).
The delicious food – to quote Michele, it was like eating at my favorite restaurant every day thanks to Ray and Floyd!
Our amazing shift – Neal, Abby, Katie and Michele are fantastic and I am lucky to have gotten the chance to get to work with them (and laugh with them)
The weather – although we had no control over it, it was great to have such pleasant weather the whole trip. Yes, there were foggy days and high winds but they made the clear days that much more exciting.
Top five things for a TAS to bring on the Oscar Dyson
Flash drive (no need to rely on the Internet)
Fleece/wool cap (its cold in the fish lab)
Workout clothes (2 gyms, endless choices)
Slip-on shoes you can put through the wash (they will smell like fish!)
Digital Camera (keep it in your pocket at all times, you never know when you might spot a walrus)
(BONUS) A Coffee Mug — you won’t want to be without your peppermint hot chocolate or latte
As we have moved farther west, we have encountered more fish and are therefore completing more trawls. Yesterday was our biggest day so far and we completed two trawls for pollock (referred to as AWTs for Aleutian Wing Trawl) and one Methot during our 12 hour shift (with more fishing done in the next shift). Our first trawl started at the beginning of our shift and we hustled to finish processing before breakfast. To help keep our spirits up, Abby, Michele, Katie, Robert and I rocked out to some 80s tunes as we sorted and processed fish. Imagine the five of us bopping around the lab, in our foul weather gear, with scalpels in hand, while Rick Springfield wishes he had Jessie’s Girl, all before sunrise.
Even though we completed three hauls, I still had time to work on my “Run Across Germany” (for Chuck Norris Snuggle Muffin) and to spend time with the mammal observers. As I mentioned before, marine mammal observers have to be extremely patient. I spent about an hour and a half with them yesterday evening and saw two groups of whales through the big eyes (which was more than average). One was clearly a group of 2-3 fin whales while another was an unidentified blow.
Checking out the big eyes
The marine mammal observers mark all sightings in a data program with a mapping function that then predicts where the cetaceans might be moving so the observers can identify whether future sightings are the same or new animals. They might see two or three sets of blows before they spot any part of the body which could help them identify it. Fin whales come up to the surface once every 8-10 minutes and it took until the third set of blows before marine mammal observer Paula Olson was able to identify them (I got to see them on the fourth surface visit).
While we were waiting for the fin whales to come up again, Paula explained that in our part of the Bering Sea, there are five cetacean species that we are most likely to see. We determined that with the fin whale sighting I have already seen three (killer whales, Dall’s porpoises, and fin whales) leaving me with two species to scope out before we leave (minke whales and humpback whales (you know, like Humphrey)). Hopefully the weather will stay clear and I’ll be able to spend some more time on the flying bridge.
Animals Seen • Squid • Fin Whales • Pteropods • Ctenophores • Amphipods • Euphausiids • Pollock
Word of the day descry: to catch sight of something in the distance
NOAA Teacher at Sea Michele Brustolon Onboard NOAA Oscar Dyson June 28 – July, 2010
NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson Mission: Pollock Survey Geographical area of cruise: Eastern Bering Sea (Dutch Harbor) Date: June 30th, 2010
Weather Data from the Bridge
Time: 1600 hrs Latitude: 57.16 N Longitude: 169.09 W Cloud Cover: Dense fog Wind: 11.56 knots Air Temperature: 5.30 C/ 420 F Water Temperature: 5.090 C/ 410 F Barometric Pressure: 1005.02 mb
Science and Technology Log
Time with Birds and Mammals
Once we finally left Dutch Harbor behind, I spent some time on the bow with birder, Nate Jones.
As I know very little about birds, I quizzed him on every flying specimen we encountered and used his binoculars to observe the birds up close. After a few sightings, I was able to identify the Fulmar by its unique wing movement (quick quick quick soar). We also saw tufted puffins and a black footed albatross. There are two birders on this leg who are responsible for scanning the horizon and counting and identifying the sea birds they observe from the bridge. We were distracted from our bird watching by a call of orcas. I hustled up to the “flying bridge” to join the marine mammal observers. There are three “mammals” on this leg and they are constantly scanning the horizon with their “big eyes” to observe and identify cetaceans. I was able to observe two separate groups of orcas and heard that porpoises were also spotted.
Although I am technically on the fish shift, I hope to check in with the “birds” and “mammals” later in the cruise.
What’s in your water?
I began my shift this morning at 0400 and reported to the Acoustics Lab to meet with head scientist, Neal Williamson. In addition to Neal, my shift includes Abby McCarthy, a NOAA research fisheries biologist, Katie Wurtzell, awesome biologist and my fellow TAS Rebecca. We began the shift by observing our first CTD (Conductivity Temperature Depth) profiler which will be deployed approximately 10 times throughout our trip. The CTD measures conductivity, temperature, and depth (used to calculate salinity) and gathers samples to measure dissolved oxygen. In addition, fluorescence is measured to monitor chlorophyll up to a 100 m from the surface.
The CTD – measures Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth
After our first CTD, we completed our first Methot trawl. A Methot trawl is named after the scientist who designed the net used. A Methot grabs the creatures and collects them into a codend (to make it easier for us to process) at 30-40 m below the surface – our Methot collected jellies and euphausiids (also known as krill). My first duty was to sort through the “catch” to pick out jellies. Next, we measured the weight of the krill before counting a small sample. We also preserved a couple samples for use in larger studies.
Following our Methot, I observed the deployment of an XBT (eXpenable Bathymetric Thermograph). The XBT is used to measure quick temperature data from the surface to the sea floor. The data are graphed at depth vs. temperature to highlight the thermocline, which is where colder water meets water warmed by the sun. Here in the Bering Sea, the thermocline is not always noticeable as the water column is subject to mixing from heavy winds and shallow depths.
Methot – graphing temperature vs. depth – shift in graph shows thermocline.
Personal Log
As I approached Dutch Harbor, I began taking photos from the plane. It sounds crazy, but the landscape is like nothing I have ever seen. Once I was off the plane, my smile grew because of the crisp air and the smell of saltwater. After two days of travel I had finally made it to Dutch Harbor and my luggage made it with me! I was brought to the boat to drop off my bags and then into town to catch up with others on Leg 2. The Oscar Dyson was having work done on its large generator so we didn’t leave port until June 29 at 1430 hours. It actually gave me time to get to know a good portion of the people on this leg (the crew, scientists, “birders,” mammalian observers, and the stewards). I was also able to explore Dutch Harbor, Unalaska (we tried to find wild horses…no luck!), and take some walks from the Oscar Dyson. Some of the most common flowers and birds seen are the lupines, orchids, and bald eagles EVERYWHERE! They are incredibly loud too! They remind me of seagulls and squirrels back home because there are so many! Wednesday, June 30 was the first day of our 0400- 1600 work shift so we won’t see everyone until we are transiting back because of the different shifts. The Oscar Dyson has 40 bunks and we are occupying 39 of them-talk about a full ship! For information about what happens during our shift, take a look in the science and technology log. I am truly enjoying my time and there are plenty of people to make me laugh which is the best medicine when you are a tyro!
Dutch Harbor at low tide from the dock of the Oscar DysonDutch Harbor during a typical day
