Commanding Officer – NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog

January 24, 2025January 24, 2025

Kiersten Newtoff: GO NOAA, BEAT ARMY, January 24, 2025

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Kiersten Newtoff
Aboard NOAA Ship Pisces
January 6 – January 29, 2025

Mission: Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (AMAPPS)
Geographic Area of Cruise: North Atlantic Coast
Date: January 24, 2025
Data from the Bridge: N38°17’0″, W70°54’0″. 19kn winds. It says it’s 38°F, but I’m pretty sure it has said that for every single post so I suspect the temperature probe isn’t working.

Did you know that the NOAA Corp is a uniformed service? There are 8 total uniformed services, and NOAA is the smallest (about 337 personnel) – even smaller than the Space Force! I also legit had no idea the Space Force was a real thing. Huh. The more you know.

The NOAA Corps supports missions in understanding our oceans and atmosphere and its impact on humans such as fisheries, hurricanes, flood prediction, and resource management. The Corps is essentially the officers that drive the boat, manage the people, and support the science missions. To join you need to have a bachelor’s degree in a STEM field. If you’re interested in more research-based roles, the NOAA Corps may not be a good fit, but other NOAA offices are. If accepted, then you go through military medical screening, then officer training at the NOAA Corps Training Center at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and then lots of courses and trainings. From there you can pick one of two paths: maritime or aviation. Most Corps members go the maritime route; if you choose to go with aviation you’ll go through additional training. We’ll go through the different positions on the maritime side of things since that’s who I’ve been working with!

Excerpt: Into the Oceans and the Air (NOAA Corps Official Service Song)
Into storms we love to fly. Buckle in, we’ll reach the eye.
We survey the mountain tops, predicting floods and saving crops.
From the peaks to the coasts, we do soar.
We are the NOAA Corps!

Balancing Sea and Shore Assignments

In earlier posts, you learned how many of the crew positions have 60 days on ship and 30 days on shore schedules. The NOAA Corps officers do something similar, but just longer: they spend two years at sea and three years on land. Sometimes the shore assignment still includes some sea time, but for much shorter stints. This five-year cycle coincides nicely with the positions on board. After completing training, your first boat assignment will be as a Junior Officer where you learn the ropes of your boat and learn from the other officers on board. The next sea duty will be as an Operations Officer, then Executive Officer (XO), and finally as a Commanding Officer (CO). Going through all these positions would get you to 20 years, when you are eligible for a pension.

Commanding Officer (CO)

The head honcho on the Pisces is Commanding Officer Colin Kliewer (pronounced like ‘cleaver’). He makes the ultimate decision as to what the ship’s activities or plans are for any given day as well as overall operations. All operations on Pisces are ultimately his responsibility. His day-to-day is a combination of administrative and operational tasks. He works alongside the Executive Officer (XO) on administrative work and with the Chief Engineer on boat systems. He will also work with the Operations Officers and Chief Scientist to come up with the daily operational plan with regards to weather and other conditions.

Commander Kliewer smiling for the camera in the wet lab — Commander Kliewer in the wet lab.

Like many of the scientists on board, Commander Kliewer got his undergraduate degree in Marine Biology. He always saw himself in public service; he applied to NOAA because he was able to serve and explore the country and the world. He started his journey in the NOAA Corps over 18 years ago, and he’s about to finish his CO position with the Pisces before heading to his next shore duty. Although he will be eligible for his pension in 2 years, he plans on staying in the Corps because there is a lot more he wants to experience and do. Commander Kliewer shares that the most crucial soft skill needed for the Corps is communication. He is a self-identified introvert (this surprises no one on board), but he recognizes how crucial good communication is to help improve operations and being aware of what’s is going on.

As I was working on this blog post, a small group of North Atlantic Right Whales hung out by the ship. These animals are critically endangered, with only about 360 or so left in the world. This is roughly around how many NOAA Corps members there are. Therefore, if we expand the NOAA Corps, then we will also have more right whales, because corps-elation = causation!
I’ll see myself out.

Executive Officer

If Commander Kliewer is the president of the Pisces, then Executive Officer Steve Moulton is the vice president. If the CO goes down, Steve’s #1 job is to take over his role. He will make sure he gets us home safe and sound. But a typical day is usually not the worst case scenario, so otherwise he is helping the CO administratively. He is the go-to guy for all personnel administration and logistics. As you’ve learned, people are switching between shore and ship duty often and he works with shore support to make sure that the Pisces has the appropriate personnel every cruise. Shoreside recruitment will also identify potential hires for open positions on the ship and the XO will conduct virtual interviews to make sure they are the right fit for the Pisces. Steve shares that being trustworthy and good-natured are crucial characteristics for this career. If you can work well with others, everything else can be taught (and NOAA provides lots of training!). His goal is to bring on someone who is willing to learn and works well with others.

Getting the right people is paramount. When you have the wrong type of person on a ship with 30-35 people per leg, things can get really difficult, really fast.
Steve

Steve is sitting at his desk, looking at the computer. His desk is a hodge podge of pieces to make it larger. — Steve getting his administrative duties on. I specifically wanted a picture of his desk, because he has engineered it to give him almost double the space.

Steve used to serve in the Coast Guard, primarily in the reserves and worked in industrial hygiene and OSHA compliance on job sites. When the Deepwater Horizon disaster happened, he worked a temporary, full-time position with the Coast Guard. There, he met quite a few people from NOAA and a Chief coast guard encouraged him to join the NOAA Corps. It was a great fit for him because he enjoyed science and education more than law enforcement and war. Steve will pass his XO reigns at the end of July and will start his 3ish years on shore duty in the DC area at headquarters. Since I’m local to the area I asked him about his commute. He will be taking the train, twice a day, for nearly 4 hours. Maybe he is trying to simulate being underway??

Operations Officers (Ops)

Nick and Ryan are the two operations officers on board. Their main job is to be the liaison between the ship and the science party. Ops know the capabilities of the ship and communicate with the science party to work within those parameters. This can include logistics in mobilization and demobilization, daily planning, and working with all departments to make sure equipment is ready for the project. They are also responsible for berthing, watch bills, fueling, course planning, and general reporting.

Ryan smiles for the camera out on deck. — The best picture of Ryan that’s ever been taken (his words, kinda).

Before NOAA, Ryan served in the Air Force as a medic for 6 years. After his tour, he used his GI bill to get a degree in meteorology with the plan to go to Officer Training School. He was accepted, but it would be another 3-4 years before he could start due to a bottleneck of people joining. He really liked the job security, pay, camaraderie, training style, and rigid framework, but he didn’t want to wait years before starting OTS. He decided to join NOAA to maintain the structure he wanted but on a timeline that was more reasonable. Ryan shares that having high emotional intelligence to assess situations and interactions with others is important for the service. While there are ranks and hierarchy, it’s more important to understand and appreciate the experience people have and to build good relationships with everyone, no matter their position. Nick adds that having initiative is also important. You can’t just wait to be given a task; you need to recognize what needs to be done and be proactive in your response.

Nick started in the NOAA Corps in 2017, but he had a lot of interesting adventures before then. In college he focused on biomechanics and locomotion research, played professional soccer in Germany (check out his college stats), and taught 7, 8, and 11^th grades. Then one day he was hiking in the woods and met a guy who was trying to make friends because he moved a lot because he was a NOAA Corps Officer. They got to talking and the rest is history. I asked what inspired a change in career, and his response:

I like being on boats.
Nick

Emerson and Nick behind the control panels on the bridge. Both are looking away from the camera but still smiling. — Emerson (left) and Nick (right) on the bridge. Credit: Commander Kliewer

Junior Officer

Fresh(ish) from training are Junior Officers Emerson and Christy. As Junior Officers, their primary responsibility is to navigate the ship and conduct underway watches on the bridge. Their collateral duties (as an aside – I’d never heard of the term ‘collateral duties’ and had no idea what it meant. Like, you have to offer up something you own for work?? But during the interview I never asked even though Emerson said it like 5 times because I didn’t want to interrupt, so I just sat there nodding. I’ve since googled it; it’s essentially duties that aren’t your primary duties. Why they aren’t called secondary duties…) include serving as damage control officers. They ensure that the ship complies with emergency policies that are in place and are responsible for planning drills, debriefing afterwards, and addressing any concerns to make improvements.

The things we get to do are pretty cool.
Emerson

Emerson also serves as the Medical Person in Charge to handle and treat common injuries on board and follow protocols for more serious injuries and communicating with shore. As he got closer to finishing his undergraduate degree in environmental service, he was considering joining a uniformed service. Emerson learned about the NOAA Corps through his good friend Google. It really appealed to him because he could serve and also apply his science background on missions. He thinks that being curious, and having the mentality for continuous learning, will make you successful in the NOAA Corps. Having a want to learn new things and develop new skillsets will get you far.

Christy smiling for the camera on the deck. — Christy on deck.

Some of the collateral duties that Christy does are serving as a navigation officer, environmental compliance officer (ECO), dive officer, and the manager of FUN. Because why do one thing when you can do many things? Her most important role (in my opinion) is leading the Morale, Wellness, and Recreation committee – we all live and work together for long periods of time, so keeping morale up is mission critical. Christy has both a bachelor’s and master’s in marine biology, but research wasn’t really scratching that itch. She studied abroad and did outdoor recreation programs but same thing – none of these really felt like the right fit. But there was a common thread – being on boats. And she liked boats. And boats liked her. A couple twists and turns later, and Christy joined the NOAA Corps. Christy is the epitome of adaptability – assignments and duties are constantly in flux, and you really need to be able to adjust so that you can function. You also have to be able to adapt to life at sea and maneuver how you approach friendships and relationships.

Does the NOAA Corps sound like something you want to pursue? Get started here!

Bonus!

So the picture below was the original picture of Steve. Notice how the light is glaring from the window? I don’t really do photo editing, so I don’t really know how to fix it. I know that Photoshop has some AI tools, so I tried that. I highlighted over the window and the glare and prompted “Remove Glare”.

Original picture of Steve in his office, with a noticeable glare from his window.

And the results were definitely not what I was expecting…

Results of Steve's picture using AI to remove the glare. AI added interesting backgrounds and changed Steve to have different hair styles and glasses.

At least he has some ideas of what looks good as far as hairstyles and glasses go!

August 6, 2018

Meredith Salmon: Who’s Who Aboard the Okeanos: Part III, July 27, 2018

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Meredith Salmon

Aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer

July 12 – 31, 2018

Mission: Mapping Deep-Water Areas Southeast of Bermuda in Support of the Galway Statement on Atlantic Ocean Cooperation

Date: July 27, 2018

Weather Data from the Okeanos Explorer Bridge

Latitude: 28.48°N

Longitude: 62.41°W

Air Temperature: 27.8°C

Wind Speed: 10.5 knots

Conditions: Partly Sunny

Depth: 5272.37 meters

Commanding Officer – Commander Eric Johnson, NOAA Corps

Hometown: Maryland but currently resides in D.C

Ever since Eric was young, he had been fascinated by the ocean. After reading about Eugenie Clark’s contributions to marine science and shark research, he was hooked on learning as much as he could about the sea. Eric began his studies at St. Mary’s College of Maryland; however, he made the decision to take a six year sabbatical and work in a variety of fields to gain practical experience. During this time, he found employment as an apprentice for a deep sea salvage company and completed electrical work on ROVs for the Navy. This job granted him the opportunity to go to sea and encouraged him to apply what he learned in the field.

After this six year period, Eric returned to college at the University of Maryland, majored in Marine Biology, and earned his scuba certification. Upon graduation, he was a manager at REI in College Park and volunteer diver at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. As an exhibit diver, Eric was responsible for feeding the animals by hand in the tanks, maintenance of tanks and scuba equipment, as well as educational outreach.

Although Eric learned a great deal about customer service and public speaking during his time at REI and the Baltimore Aquarium, he was interested in researching a more permanent marine science career. While researching potential employment opportunities on the NOAA website, he discovered the NOAA Corps. Eric was very interested in the mission of this Uniformed Service and decided to apply. Eric was not selected the first time since he did not have direct experience working in a related field; however, he was not discouraged. Instead, Eric secured a job working at a Biotech company, reapplied to the NOAA Corps, and was selected. Once he graduated from Basic Officer Training at the Coast Guard Academy, Eric began an extensive and impressive career with NOAA.

Eric’s first sea assignment was as navigation officer on the Oregon II. He was responsible for operations focused on diving, navigation, and safety aboard this vessel. After spending two years at sea, he began his first land rotation as the Executive Officer of the NOAA Dive Program before advancing to the NOAA ship Hi’ialakai. Eric kept track of scientific diving operations aboard the Hi’ialakai, which amounted to approximately 3,000 to 4,000 dives per year! Then, Eric served as the NOAA Recruiter for a year and a half before becoming Chief of the Recruiting Branch. He found the recruiting positions to be incredibly rewarding and enjoyed encouraging those who were looking to make a difference while serving their country to apply to NOAA. Eventually, Eric returned to his original ship, the Oregon II, as Executive Officer before beginning as Commanding Officer on the Okeanos Explorer. Although serving as the Commanding Officer is a major responsibility, Eric is dedicated to supporting NOAA’s mission in regards to science, service, and stewardship. He finds is assignment on the Okeanos very exciting since this ship’s main purpose is ocean exploration.

Throughout his career, Eric has learned that it is especially important to pursue your true interests and not be afraid to explore the unknown. Eric believes that stepping outside your comfort zone and learning how to adapt to new situations enables you to construct a skill set that will help you experience success in a variety of situations.

CDR Johnson and wife — CDR Johnson and his wife, Angela, at his Change of Command Ceremony last year

Fun Facts about CO Eric Johnson

–Eric continues to be an avid diver and has completed over 1,000 dives during his career.

– If you added up all of the hours Eric has spent diving, it would be about one month underwater!

– In Eric’s opinion, the best spot to dive is south of Hawaii at Palmyra Atoll.

May 12, 2017May 12, 2017

Cecelia Carroll: A Busy Day Off the Coast of New Hampshire and Massachusetts, May 11, 2017

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Cecelia Carroll

Aboard NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow

May 2 – 13, 2017

Mission: Spring Bottom Trawl

Geographic Area: Northeastern Atlantic

Date: May 11, 2017

Latitude: 42.45.719 N
Longitude: 282.18.6 W

Science and Technology

As soon as the day group’s shift started at noon we were right into sorting the catch and doing the work-up of weighing, measuring and taking samples.

It’s with a good bit of anticipation waiting to see what the net will reveal when its contents are emptied! There were some new fish for me to see today of which I was able to get some nice photos. I was asked today if I had a favorite fish. I enjoy seeing the variety of star fish that come down the conveyor belt as we sort through the catch even though they are not part of the survey. The Atlantic Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) are beautiful with their blue and black bands on their upper bodies and their shimmering scales. They are a schooling fish and today one catch consisted primarily of this species. I’m fascinated with the unusual looking fish such as the goosefish, the Atlantic wolffish (Anarchichas lupus) with its sharp protruding teeth, and some of the different crabs we have caught in the net. Another catch today, closer to land where the seafloor was more sandy, was full of Atlantic Scallops. Their shells consisted of a variety of interesting colors and patterns.

Today I also had a chance to have a conversation with the Commanding Officer of the Henry B. Bigelow, Commander Jeffrey Taylor. After serving as a medic in the air force, and with a degree in Biology with a concentration in marine zoology from the University of South Florida. What he enjoys about his job is teaching the younger NOAA officers in the operation of the ship. He is proud of his state-of-the-art ship with its advanced technology and engineering and its mission to protect, restore, and manage the marine, coastal and ocean resources. Some things that were touched upon in our conversation about the ship included the winch system for trawling. It is an advanced system that monitors the cable tension and adjusts to keep the net with its sensors open to specific measurements and to keep it on the bottom of the seafloor. This system also is more time efficient. The Hydrographic Winch System deploys the CTD’s before each trawl. CO Taylor also related how the quiet hull and the advanced SONAR systems help in their missions. What we discussed that I am most familiar with since I boarded the Henry B. Bigelow is the Wet Lab, which was especially engineered for the Henry B. Bigelow and its survey missions. This is where I spend a good bit of time during the survey. The ergonomically designed work stations interface with the computer system to record and store the data collected from the fish samples 100% digitally. I was pleased to hear what thought, skill and fine tuning had gone into designing this room as I had earlier on the trip mentally noted some of the interesting aspects of the layout of the room. Commanding Officer Taylor also had high praise for his dedicated NOAA Corps staff and the crew, engineers and scientists that work together as a team.

May 15, 2014August 20, 2021

David Murk: Do You Know Your ABCs? May 14, 2014

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Dave Murk
Aboard NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer
May 7 – 22, 2014

Mission: EX 14-03 – Exploration, East Coast Mapping
Geographical Area of Cruise: Off the Coast of Florida and Georgia – Western portion of the Blake Plateau (Stetson Mesa)
Date: May 14, 2014

Weather data from Bridge:

We are sailing south and are at 28.55 degrees North, 79.44 degrees West

Wind: 23 knots out of the southeast.
Visibility: 10 miles
Water Depth in feet: 653 feet
Temperature: 27 degrees Celsius – both sea and air temp. are 80 degrees!

Our location can also be found at: (http://shiptracker.noaa.gov/).

Science and Technolgy Log:

DO YOU KNOW YOUR ABCs?

Can you understand this sentence?

“During a watch change, the XO checked the AIS then handed control over to the CO. When contacted by the mapping room regarding the XBT launch and CTD termination check, the CO said,“Roger that”.

After reading this- you’ll have a better idea what some of these acronyms mean and how we use them on the Okeanos Explorer. In other words, you’ll be able to say- “roger that” to show you understand and agree.

Let’s start with the XO and CO – They are easy and make sense.

CO – The Commanding Officer – He or she is responsible for everything on the ship. (see Personal Log for more information on Commander Ramos of the Okeanos Explorer)

XO – The Executive Officer – Reports to the Commanding Officer and is second in command.

AIS –What is it and why do we need it?

Automatic Identification System. The Okeanos Explorer has an electronic chart display that includes a symbol for every ship within radio range. Each ship “symbol” tells Commander Ramos the name of the ship, the actual size of the ship, where that ship is going, how fast it’s going, when or if it will cross our path, and a lot of other information just by “clicking” on a ship symbol! Here is a link to get more information on AIS. I also took a picture of the Okeanos Explorer AIS screen and below that there’s the actual picture of our closest neighbor, the ship named “Joanna”(look closely on the horizon) . If the CO feels like the ship is going to need to change course, he will inform the scientists in the mapping room right away. Safety and science RULE!

Explanation of AIS

Our closest neighbor, the ship named “Joanna”(look closely on the horizon).

XBT- What is it and why do we need one?

Sam Grosenick, mapping intern, launches the XBT.

Every two or three hours the mapping team calls the bridge (the driver seat of the ship) and asks permission to launch an XBT – which is short for an eXpendable BathyThermograph. That’s a heavy weighted probe that is dropped from a ship and allows us to measure the temperature as it falls through the water. WHY do we need to measure the temperature of the water if we are using sonar? Sound waves travel at different speeds in different temperature water, just like they travel at different speeds in cold air than warm air. So they need to know the temperature of the water to help calculate how fast the sound or ping that the ship’s sonar sends out so they can map the bottom of the ocean. A very thin wire sends the temperature data to the ship where the mapping team records it. There is more information about XBT’s here:

explanation of XBT

NOAA’s network of XBT data

CTD – What is it and why do we need one?

Chief Electronics Technician Richard Conway and Chief Boatswain Tyler Sheff prepare for a dawn launch of the CTD

Many oceanographic missions use CTD’s. The Okeanos Explorer is no exception. CTD stands for conductivity, temperature, and depth, and refers to the electronic instruments that measure these properties. The grey cylinders are water sampling bottles and the big white frame protects everything. WHY do scientists need CTD’s? Scientists use a CTD to measure the chemistry of the Ocean from surface to bottom. The CTD can go down to near the bottom and the cylinders close when the scientist on board ship pushes a key on the computer and close so that a water sample is captured at that depth. It’s a lot easier than swimming down there and opening up a jar and closing it.

WHY do they want to know about conductivity? Why do they care how much electricity can go through the water? If the water can conduct more electricity, then it has a higher salinity, i.e. more salt. That helps the scientists know the density of the water at that depth and can help inform them of the biology and ocean currents of that area.

It’s a CTD, not a railing! (picture taken by Kalina Grabb)

More info on a CTD from NOAA

CTD vertical cast

Personal Log

As I mentioned in last blog, everyone plays a part on the Okeanos Explorer. The CO plays a big part in making sure the scientists achieve their goals. The man in charge- Commander Ricardo Ramos answered a few of my questions last night in his office in the forward part of the ship.

When I say Oregon Trail, fifth graders usually think of covered wagons. I doubt that they think of a family of immigrants from Mexico deciding to leave family and friends in sunny Los Angeles and hit the trail north to rainy Oregon. But the devastating riots in Watts in the 1960s caused Commander Ricardo Ramos’s parents to do exactly that. There were some adjustments to be made to life in tiny Klamath Falls, Oregon but his parents, 3 brothers and sister were up to the challenge of no family support and a new community. The family worked for Weyerhaeuser and Commander Ramos knew he did not want to work in the plant the rest of his life. It was never IF he’d go to college, but “WHERE”. He was the second of the five children to attend college, earning 2 Associates degrees and a degree in Electrical Engineering. After entering NOAA and gaining his masters from Averett University, he spent time on various NOAA ships and in other capacities. He is also a graduate of Harvard’s Senior Executive Fellows program.

He had a couple words of advice for elementary school students. First, take advantage of all learning opportunities, for you will never know when you might need the knowledge you will gain. Second, that communication, both written and oral, is probably the most important part of his job. He is not afraid of getting input and editing of his writing for the job. His greatest reward is realizing that he is charge of a tremendous asset of the United States that provides a platform for scientist to explore our vast oceans.

Did You Know?

My ship – The Okeanos Explorer is about 70 meters - the length of the top of the arch on the Eiffel Tower! — My ship – The Okeanos Explorer is about 70 meters – the length of the top of the arch on the Eiffel Tower!

Displacement – When you think displacement, you probably think of a quick definition like “moved aside” that we learned when we made aluminum foil boats. When you get in a kiddie pool, bathtub or any body of water, you move aside water. If you measure the weight or amount of water that you move aside, that is your displacement. The Okeanos Explorer moves aside a lot of water – more than 2,500 TONS of water. That’s about 700,000- gallons of water that gets displaced. The ship is 224 feet long and 43 feet wide in its widest part. Now, I don’t know about you – but I start thinking about the really big ships and tankers that we see passing by the Okeanos Explorer on the radar (their ‘deets’ are given to us by the AIS system – See the Section on ABC’s for an explanation of AIS) Well, there was a ship called “The Knock Nevis” and it was 1500 feet long! Did it displace water? You bet!. 650,000 tons of water when fully loaded! (use a ton of water = gallon converter on google to figure out how many gallons that is). Let’s just say that it’s a lot more than our little MUFFIN – the winner of the Coon Creek Boat Race.

MUFFIN, the boat race “WINNER” and Mr. Murk on the high seas. (picture taken by Sam Grosenick) — MUFFIN, the boat race “WINNER” and Mr. Murk on the high seas.
(picture taken by Sam Grosenick)

August 26, 2013August 20, 2021

Katie Sard: Happy Hydro from Start to Finish, August 25, 2013

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Katie Sard
Aboard NOAA Ship Rainier
July 29, 2013-August 15, 2013

Mission: Hydrographic Survey
Geographical Area of the Cruise: Shumagin Islands, AK
Date: August 25, 2013

Weather Data from Newport, OR:
GPS location: 44°38’12.63” N, 124°3’12.46”W
Sky condition: OVC
Air temperature: 10.6°C

The sun rising as we finished our transit back to Kodiak.

Science and Technology Log

During my final days aboard the NOAA Ship Rainier, I began to understand the big picture of all that goes in to hydrographic survey. While we were transiting from the Shumagin Islands back to the Coast Guard Base in Kodiak, the scientists invited me to sit in on a survey review meeting. During the meeting I listened as the Commanding Officer (CO), the Chief Survey Technician, the Field Operations Officer (FOO), the sheet manager, and others went over the Descriptive Report for a project that had been completed on a previous leg in Behm Canal. It was interesting to listen to the conversation and actually understand what these researchers were talking about! I felt as though it was appropriate for me to attend this meeting on my final day on the ship, as this truly is the last step for the scientists on board before the chart and attached data are sent off the ship to the Pacific Hydrographic Branch where the data is further processed in order to ensure accuracy of the data. As I have now participated in most parts of the survey process, allow me to show you a step-by-step explanation of hydrographic survey from start to finish.

Step One: Getting to the Survey Location

Several NOAA Corps Officers on the bridge while coming in to port in Kodiak.

It takes a dedicated and skilled team to safely navigate the ship to the correct survey location. It is also important that the FOO conducts a survey meeting to review the plan of the leg with the research crew. When I sat in on this survey meeting at the start of the leg the crew discussed what has been accomplished to date, which sheets we would be focusing on during this leg, and any technical issues that needed to be reviewed with the team.

Step Two: Setting up Vertical and Horizontal Control Stations

Brandy Geiger (left) and Bill Carrier (right) work on equipment that was set-up on Bird Island as a vertical and horizontal control station.

Before data can be collected, it is necessary to have a reference of where the data is being collected. As I discussed in a previous post, tidal gauges are set-up prior to survey in order to guarantee accurate water depths. The NOAA Ship Rainier is currently setting up a tidal gauge near Cold Bay, Alaska so that they may begin working in their upcoming survey location. You can track the Rainier at http://shiptracker.noaa.gov/

Step Three: Running Shoreline Verification

Before the launches (small boats) are able to get data close to the shore, it is important for the skiff to visually check the shoreline to make sure that there are no major hazards to navigation. The shoreline crew is responsible for marking any dangers, and getting close enough to shore to decide where the sheet limits should be set. These sheet limits dictate how close the shoreline and rock formations are that the launches need to survey.

Step Four: Data Collection on Ship and Launches

This is the time when the hydrographers and ship crew can begin “coloring in the lines” by filling in designated polygons with sonar data. The hydrographers are in charge of determining where the ship or launch needs to be driven in order to gather the required data using navigation software on the ship called HYPACK. They are also responsible for taking Conductivity Temperature Depth (CTD) measurements in order to apply accurate sound speed profiles to the data. The deck department and the NOAA Corps officers are responsible for following the plan laid out by the hydrographers in order to navigate the ship to gather data. This takes attention to detail, because if the ship goes off course, data is missed for a certain area creating a “holiday”, or a gap in the data. If a holiday is created it means that the crew has to go back and get the missing data later. Nobody likes a holiday as it costs time and money to fix. While data is being collected, the hydrographers are in charge of keeping an acquisition log that is a detailed record of everything that is taking place during a specific survey. The team uses a program called Seafloor Information Systems (SIS) in order to collect the sonar data on the ship. On the launches, HYPACK serves a dual function as the navigation software and the sonar software.

Randy (left) and Brandy (right) working on ship survey by monitoring the systems, drawing lines for navigation, and ensuring that good data is being collected.

Left - Releasing the CTD from one of the launches. Right - Controlling the CTD as it is dropped from the surface to the bottom. — Left – Releasing the CTD from one of the launches.
Right – Controlling the CTD as it is dropped from the surface to the bottom.

Step Five: Processing and Cleaning the Data

This was one of the most interesting parts of the process as you begin to see the data come to life. The “lines” of data that are collected using the Konsberg sonar unit are brought over to a program called CARIS. Certain correctors such as sound velocity and the predicted tides are added to the data in CARIS as well. While each processing step is being completed, the hydrographer is responsible for making notes in the acquisition log.

Here is an example of some lines of data that have been added into the processing software.

Next it is important to “clean” the data. This is done by moving carefully over each line of data to filter out any noise that shouldn’t be there. When the data has been cleaned it can then be added to the project file for the sheet manager. This way the hydrographer that is in charge of that specific sheet of data can see what progress has been made and what steps are still required for the work to be completed.

Here is an example of data that needs to be cleaned. Notice how the data jumps around rather than showing one continuous ocean floor.

Step Six: Writing the Descriptive Report (DR) and Conducting a Survey Review

The Descriptive Report (DR) seems to be the most tedious part of the process. This is the report that is included with the sheet when it is sent to the Pacific Hydrographic Branch for review and further processing. It thoroughly explains things like the area surveyed, how data was acquired, and results and recommendations. After a DR is thought to be complete, the ship conducts an internal review. This is what I got to sit in on during my last day on the ship. After it has met the expectations of the Chief Survey Technician, the FOO, and the CO, the project can then be sent off the ship to the Pacific Hydrographic Branch before being sent on to the Marine Chart Division (MCD) where the charts are finalized.

This is an image of all of the work that has been completed in the Shumagin Islands by the Rainier. The colored sections have been completed, and you can see the polygons that need to be finished. — This is an image of all of the work that has been completed in the Shumagin Islands by the Rainier during this field season. The colored sections have been completed, and you can see the polygons that need to be finished.

Like I said in my previous blog post, the scientific process is not easy. These scientists and crew work tirelessly to ensure that they are producing quality work that can be utilized for safe navigation. I appreciate their efforts, and I want to thank them for their long hours and their attention to detail.

Personal Log

I find myself unable to fully express my gratitude to the crew of the Rainier for my time with them. They allowed me to ask endless questions, they welcomed me into their close-knit community, and they provided me with an experience of a lifetime. I am extremely thankful for this opportunity, and I wanted to be sure to offer my appreciation.

It has been over a week since I’ve been back in Newport, Oregon, and I’ve had a great time reliving my Teacher at Sea (TAS) experience with family, friends, coworkers, and students. While we were transiting from the Shumigans, Christie Reiser, a Hydrographic Assistant Survey Technician on board gave me an awesome video that she had made with several crew members. The video gives a tour of the Rainier, and I thought it would be a nice to share it on my blog as a way to show people where I spent my 18 days at sea.

Here is the link for the video that Christie made: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=59OqG9tB1RU

Just Another Day at the Office

In this section I usually do a detailed interview with one crew member. As this is my last blog post, I wanted to be sure to include all of the other interviews that I had while on the ship. For each of these interviews I have included a snapshot of the conversation that I had with each person. While I wasn’t able to interview everyone on board, I can say for a fact that each person I met had a unique story. I was particularly fascinated by the various pathways that people have taken in order to become part of the Rainier crew. Enjoy!

Did You Know…

The NOAA Teacher at Sea community has created a Did You Know website. Click on the following link to check out an assortment of things you might not have known: http://teacheratsea.noaa.gov/dyk/#box23_text

Farewell

Thank you for following my blog and for sharing this experience with me. Thanks again to the crew of the Rainier for giving me this once in a lifetime opportunity. I’ve learned so much from this experience, and I plan to take the knowledge I’ve gained and pass it along to my students, friends, and community members.

The crew signed this flag and gave it to me as a departing gift.

Best wishes to the crew of the Rainier, good luck with the rest of your field season, and happy hydro!

TAS Katie Sard

NOAA Teacher at Sea Katie Sard Aboard NOAA Ship Rainier July 29, 2013-August 15, 2013

Science and Technology Log

Just Another Day at the Office

Did You Know…

Farewell

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Katie Sard
Aboard NOAA Ship Rainier
July 29, 2013-August 15, 2013