NOAA Teacher at Sea
Karen Meyers & Alexa Carey
Onboard NOAA Ship Albatross IV August 15 – September 1, 2006
Mission: Ecosystem Monitoring Geographical Area: Northeast U.S. Date: August 26, 2006
Weather Data from Bridge
Visibility: 12 nautical miles
Wind direction: 3 o
Wind speed: 16 kts
Sea wave height: 1-2 ’
Swell wave height: 2 1/2’
Seawater temperature: 15.5 C
Sea Level Pressure: 1024 mb
Cloud cover: 1/8
Science and Technology Log
Today we sampled at the deepest station of the trip – 350 m. We had to do what they call a “double dipper” because the bongos are never lowered any deeper than 200 m since pretty much any organisms of interest to Fisheries are with 200 m of the surface. But the CTD is still lowered all the way to within 5-10 m of the bottom in order to get a complete hydrographic profile.
Karla Heidelberg is engaged in real cutting edge research in microbial genetics. Now at the University of Southern California, she has worked with the J. Craig Venter Institute which is in the midst of an ambitious program to provide a genomic survey of microbial life in the world’s oceans. This survey is producing the largest gene catalogue ever assembled and will provide scientists worldwide with an opportunity to better understand how ecosystems function and to discover new genes of ecological importance. The survey is based on collections made during a circumnavigation of the globe by the sailing yacht Sorcerer II between September 2003, and January 2006. But this expedition didn’t allow for sampling of the same areas over time. So, with the help of an NSF grant and NOAA ship time, Karla is sampling and resampling areas in the Gulf of Maine. When she takes samples, she pumps 200-400 L of water on board and filters it through a series of filters, first to eliminate the zooplankton and phytoplankton, and then to separate the various components of the microbial community. The filters are frozen while on board ship and then, back in the lab, they’re subjected to an enzyme treatment to remove everything but the DNA. The DNA is then nebulized to break it into small fragments and the fragments are cloned. The fragments are reassembled and sequenced. As poorly understood as the ocean in general is, the microbial life of the ocean is a true frontier!
Personal Log – Karen Meyers
I love sitting out on one of the decks gazing at the sea. Of course, I’m always hoping to see a whale or a Giant Ocean Sunfish but even though I’ve been pretty unsuccessful at spotting anything, I find it very calming to watch the ocean. I’m amazed when I look at it that there are painters who are skillful enough to recreate the complex patterns on a canvas.
Personal Log – Alexa Carey
Well our shift worked extremely hard today, hard enough that we all fell asleep within 10 minutes of a post-shift movie. We got hit with station after station during our 12 hour period. It’s fascinating, though, to be looking at the organisms that come up in the grab or bongo nets. I’m not very familiar with the different scientific classifications of animals, but I certainly have an appreciation for what the ocean holds. As Karla said, we’re seeing what 1% of the Earth has ever seen before. We’re truly in undiscovered territory.
Like the rainforest, there are many species that have yet to be discovered. At ISEF, my father and I went to an IMAX theatre to watch Deep Blue Sea in 3D. The VPR (Video Plankton Recorder) showed images just like what we saw on the big screen. I live on the coast, yet I had no idea what was in the ocean. In fact, people come from all over to whale watch in Gold Beach. Yet I have never seen a whale, nor have I seen a dolphin.
I go home in six days and head back to school in eight. I’m getting pretty fond of being out here now, and the idea of sitting in a classroom reading from textbooks isn’t as appealing. I do miss discussions with my teachers (i.e. Ms. Anthony (Calculus); Coach Swift (American Gov’t); Mr. Lee (Honors English II)) though. Anyway, we’re coming on shift now. So I’d best be off to work.
Weather Data from Bridge
Visibility: 10 nm
Wind direction: 177˚ true
Wind speed: 20 kts
Sea wave height: 0 – 1 ft
Seawater temperature: 8.9˚ C
Sea level pressure: 1007.2 mb
Cloud cover: Partly Cloudy
Science and Technology Log
Many of the islands off the Alaska Peninsula rise straight up out of the sea, looking barren and lonely. This is not the case, however, if you train your eyes to see. True, there are no human inhabitants, and few land mammals, but the shores and the water around them teem with life.
If you are fortunate enough to spend time in a kayak along the shoreline of the islands you will see some of the near-shore marine creatures. The bases of the cliffs on Nagai Island were covered by bands of Blue Mussels right at the tide line. On rare occasions, when the waves are small and the wind is calm, you can spot Leather Stars on the rocks with the barnacles, Dunce Cap Limpets, and a variety of winkles.
Gulls on the rocks at Nagai Island.
The cliffs of the islands provide nesting spots for shaggy-looking Tufted Puffins and their sleeker looking relatives, Horned Puffins. These funny little birds have very dense bones compared to others that spend most of their time in the air. They spend much of their lives in or on the water (they dive in and “fly” underwater…using their wings to swim after fish.) The heavy, stubby Puffins look awkward as they struggle to fly off the water, and on land they sometimes dive off rocks and cliffs to help launch themselves into the air. They spend much of their lives at sea, returning to land only for nesting and breeding. Other common birds on the cliffs and rocky shores are Double-crested Cormorants (snooty looking as they sit on the rocks with their beaks pointed straight up in the air), gulls of several types, Sooty Shearwaters, and Black Oystercatchers. When you spot a large group of birds diving and swooping at the water it is a pretty good signal that there is a “bait ball” of herring or other small fish near the surface and the birds are feeding on them while the fishing is easy.
Bald Eagles soaring over Olga Island.
If you are lucky enough to get ashore for a hike through the thick brush you will probably discover Water Pipits and Northern Waterthrush flitting from branch to branch, watching you curiously. There are the seeds of grasses and lots of berries for them to eat along with the many small creatures from the water’s edge. High on the cliffs of some islands we spotted Bald Eagles riding the thermal air currents. The only land mammal that I saw on any of the islands where we worked was an Arctic Ground Squirrel slipping into the grass above the beach. It was about 14 inches long and golden-brown. There are lots of grasses, roots, and berries for them to eat. They live in burrows in the thick mats of roots and shallow soil that cover large areas of the islands. At first it seemed strange that there were no larger mammals to see, but we were a long way from the mainland and the only way animals can get to the islands is by swimming. Bears, moose, foxes, sheep, goats and other larger animals have no reason to swim that far for a place to live.
Two Sea Otters looking at the ship curiously.
Sea Otters live mostly in the water. Their bodies are much better designed for life in the sea than on land. With their webbed feet and thick fur they are clever fishers, strong swimmers, and comical to watch. We often saw otters near the shoreline, floating on their backs among the kelp beds. They are very curious and would sometimes slowly move closer to give us a good looking-over before diving and finding a more private place to do their eating. By watching the water near the shoreline carefully, we sometimes spotted sea lions or seals. There has been a marked decrease in the number of sea lions seen in the last few years, but there are still some in these waters. Both seals and sea lions eat fish and like to find places to feed on salmon as they head inshore to spawn. They are curious just like the otters and sometimes get fairly close to the ships, survey boats, or kayaks to see what humans are doing.
Seals peeking at TAS Peterson near Mitrofania Island.
It was always a treat when someone spotted whales. This area is home to several kinds and, while fairly easy to spot, they are very hard to photograph. On our first night out we saw misty gray plumes above the water and spotted Sei Whales as they surfaced and dove. Two days later we watched Humpbacked Whales feeding among the diving birds near Nagai Island where we were surveying. Seeing those groups of birds is a signal to watch for whales feeding too. Another time we saw the dorsal fins of Orcas off in the distance, but they never got close enough to try for pictures. The crew on our ship took advantage of every opportunity to go fishing. An announcement would come over the PA system, “Fishing to commence in 5 minutes and continue for 15 minutes” and we would know we were right over a really good spot. Every fisherman who wasn’t on duty at that moment would quickly get a line over the side. Those of us who aren’t fishermen would be on hand to help land the monsters they hoped to catch! At the end of the prescribed time another announcement would signal lines in and the excitement would be over until the next time. (There were opportunities to fish on several evenings when we were anchored for a day or two of survey work in the same area. During the daytime, it is all business and the only fish I spotted were Moon Jellyfish in the water beside the ship.)
A large halibut caught by Lt. Ben Evans.
These waters are particularly good for halibut and I saw folks catch all sizes. They prefer fish about 30 to 40 pounds for the best eating, but love to hook a big one, 100 pounds or more, for the thrill of bringing it in. I helped ENS Evans land an 80 plus pound halibut, and it was a lot of work! I also got to help with filleting and freezing the fish, and that is a job too, but the taste of fresh halibut is worth it!We saw lots of other fish too. On our first night out we anchored in a small bay where the Pink salmon were jumping all around us. Two days later our survey boat was surrounded by Pink salmon and one of the crew caught one that evening. This is right at the start of the fall spawning time for the Pinks and the end of the Coho season, so there were plenty of fish around. When the fishermen had their lines down deep after halibut, they also caught Yelloweye Rockfish, Sea Bass, and Ling Cod. All of these are good eating so, if they are large enough to keep, they get cleaned and used. Most of the fishermen vacuum-pack their fish to take home, but we ate quite a bit of fresh fish too. Two other sea creatures that were caught while I have been aboard were a 4.5 foot Spiny Dogfish shark and a Big Skate. I saw one Kelp Greenling when we took a look at the bottom with a remote underwater camera. Every once in a while I would see a silver flash dangling from the beaks of gulls or puffins or jumping from the water as a school of herring swam past.
Although living and working aboard the RAINIER doesn’t leave lots of time for bird watching, whale watching, or fishing, everyone finds ways to make those activities parts of their everyday routine as often as possible. Their ability to spot the wildlife, and their eagerness to share it with me, has helped to make my time on the RAINIER an even better experience.
Tim Van Dyke with a Yelloweye Rockfish he caught on his birthday!
Weather Data from Bridge
Visibility: 8 nm
Wind direction: 300˚ true
Wind speed: 15 kts (gusts to 50 kts)
Sea wave height: 2 ft
Seawater temperature: 9.4˚C
Sea level pressure: 1003.5 mb
Cloud cover: Cloudy
Seaman Surveyor Erik Davis signals “Stop” with a closed fist while boat RA-3 is being lowered to the water.
Science and Technology Log
One very important aspect of working on the RAINIER is communication. To get the job done everyone needs to communicate clearly and effectively. This extends into every part of working and living on the ship. Communication is by voice, flags, and hand signals. People talk face-to-face, by radio, bells, Public Address system, posted notices, and by email. For every form of communication there are certain “right” ways to participate.
Voice communication is much more formal on the bridge where orders and responses have to do with running the ship. When a command is given by the Conning Officer or the Officer of the Deck, it is repeated by the person to whom it was given followed by the response, “aye.” That person then repeats the command again to indicate it has been accomplished, and the person who gave the order acknowledges that by saying “Very well.” Since there are often at least two people carrying out different commands on the bridge at the same time, it is very important that this procedure is followed so the person in charge knows that orders have been heard and followed.
When members of the Deck, Engine, Survey, or Galley crews address the NOAA Corps officers and department heads on the ship, they call them by rank and name, or just by rank. The Commanding Officer is always addressed as “Captain” or “CO,” and the Executive Officer is always addressed as “XO” or by rank and last name. Department heads should be addressed as “Chief.” This formality helps avoid confusion in following the chain of command, the organization that keeps the ship running smoothly.
Flags are used as signals to people off the ship about what is going on. At anchor a Union Jack is flown on the bow from the jack staff. A black “anchor ball” is raised on the forward bow stay (line), and the Stars and Stripes flies from the aft mast. The ship’s commission pennant always flies from the forward mast. When the ship is refueling, a red flag is flown from the forward mast on the port side. When the ship is under way, a smaller-sized Stars and Stripes and the NOAA service flag are flown. Our nation’s flag is always flown from the aft mast and the service flag is on the forward mast. Other special flags are flown when certain VIPs come on board and are taken down when they leave.
TAS Peterson (right) in her survival suit during an Abandon Ship drill. The wind was gusting up to 30 knots so we reported to our indoor donning stations.
The ship’s radios are used for important voice communication. The protocol is for the speaker to give the call sign (code) for the person to whom they are speaking, followed by their own identifying call sign. Communication via radio is very direct, in as clear language as possible, and never uses the civilian law-enforcement 10-code language. To indicate that a person has received and will comply with a message, the response is “Roger.” These radio communications are very important on the RAINIER during the day when survey boats are working away from the ship on hydrographic surveying. It is important for the boats and the ship to stay in touch for both safety and efficiency.
When survey boats are being lowered or raised to the ship or when the anchor is being raised crew members reinforce voice communication with specific hand signals as well. When launches (survey boats) are being raised and lowered a closed fist means “Stop!” The index finger on a closed hand pointing up or down shows the direction for winches to move the boat. Different signals are used for operating the cranes on the bow and stern of the ship, using the thumbs, and different motions of the hands with either the index finger, or the first two fingers extended. It is important for all crewmembers to understand the signals and watch for them because machinery is sometimes noisy, making it hard to clearly hear voice commands.
It is very important for everyone on the ship to learn the bell signals that are used. They are to alert the officers and crew to emergencies and they demand immediate responses. Upon coming aboard the ship, each person is given a safety briefing and assigned emergency muster stations for response during drills and emergencies. When the alarm bell rings (or the ship’s whistle sounds) 7 short and 1 long, followed by the announcement “Prepare to Abandon Ship” on the PA system, all personnel report immediately to their Abandon Ship stations wearing a jacket, long pants and a hat, and carrying their survival suit and whatever specific supplies have been put on the personal assignment. At least once each cruise there is a drill when everyone dons their survival suits and checks whistles, zippers and lights to be sure they are working.
The Fire/Emergency signal is a continuous sounding of the ship’s bell (or whistle) for at least 10 seconds, followed by an announcement about the specific emergency. All personnel must immediately report to their muster stations wearing their floatation (Mustang) coats. The person in charge at a muster station accounts for each person and reports that all are or are not accounted for. The radio is used to dispatch particular crews to their assigned Fire/Emergency responsibilities. Dismissal is by 3 short whistle blasts or bells followed by the announcement “Secure from fire/emergency.”
Three long bells or whistle blasts followed by the announcement “Man Overboard, port/starboard side!” is the signal for all personnel to report to Man Overboard muster stations immediately. This enables roll to be taken to identify who is missing and emergency recover procedures to be initiated. All of these signals, whether for drills or actual emergencies, are taken very seriously. Everyone practices the drills at least once per week so that the ship’s personnel can respond immediately with the least possible confusion.
The other two forms of communication used on the ship are posted notices and email messages. Each person on the ship has an email account with a NOAA address. The CO regularly posts bulletins of general interest such as the weather forecast, general orders, or information from fleet headquarters on policy and procedures. Officers and crew use the email for interpersonal communications and it is also available for limited personal use. There are notices posted regularly on the ship’s bulletin boards that all personnel are responsible for reading. These include the Plan of the Day (POD: work schedule and assignments) and more general schedules such as hours the store and the dispensary are open. The menus for meals are posted in the mess and the movies being shown are listed each evening.
Each of these forms of communication is very important to the people aboard the RAINIER. It is impressive to see how well they work. Nobody mumbles or takes shortcuts. I have not heard anyone answer “uhn-hunh” or “uhnt-unh” nor have I seen anyone respond to another person with headshakes or shrugs.
Personal Log
Today the weather was windy and wet as a low pressure system passed over us. The storm actually started last night and got pretty rough. We were anchored in a sheltered bay so we didn’t get the worst of the winds. Even so, there were gusts up to almost 60 knots. I woke up several times hearing the anchor chain rub loudly against the hull as the wind spun the ship around. The movement of the ship was pleasant to sleep to.
This seemed like a great morning to catch a nap as I had been up really late last night cleaning fish. I had just settled in to sleep when the Fire/Emergency bell sounded. (At first I thought recess was over!) I jumped off my bunk, grabbed my coat and hat, and was half-way outside when they announced we should disregard the bell, there was no emergency. About an hour later, the bell rang again and it was an F/E drill for real so I grabbed my Mustang coat and sped to my muster station on the fantail. We were outside in the very fresh air for about 20 minutes while they accounted for all personnel and completed the steps of drill.
Just after lunch there was an Abandon Ship drill and we were told to report to our “indoor donning” areas to put on survival suits and check that all parts worked properly. I struggled into my “Gumby” suit, stretched on my fleece hat, blew on my signaling whistle and flipped my strobe light on and off. Everything worked fine. Those suits are very warm when you are inside and I was really happy to take it off and repack it into its carrying bag.
Question of the Day
What is the temperature of the water in degrees Fahrenheit in the Gulf of Alaska if the daily log reports it at 9.4˚Celsius?
A lead weight is fastened to the end of the bottom sampler.
Science and Technology Log
The major reason for the hydrographic surveys that NOAA is doing is to produce very accurate charts so vessels can navigate safely in U.S. waters. To add to the usefulness of the water depth information, survey teams also take bottom samples at selected locations. The results of these samples allow mariners to know where they are most likely to find good bottom so their anchors will hold firmly when dropped.
Bottom sampling is much lower tech than the hydrographic surveys. It involves the computer only to record the information that is gathered. Actual samples are taken by lowering a sampling device on a nylon rope.
The device works like a clamshell with two bowl-shaped halves that are attached and hinged at the top and scoop together and then hold the sample as it is retrieved from the bottom. The halves are pried apart and set with a spring-loaded trigger that sticks down to the level of the edge of the open halves. When the sampler hits bottom, pressure against the trigger by the bottom surface makes the sides snap shut, hopefully scooping a sample of the bottom as they come together. To be sure that the sampler goes right to the bottom and is not dragged away from the target area by currents, there is a lead weight fastened to it just below wherethe rope is attached.
This looks and sounds simple, and usually it works every time. However some kinds of materials scoop and hold more easily than others. On some casts the sampler may not descend straight down so the trigger doesn’t strike hard enough to spring the sides closed. Other times the bottom surface may just not scoop: rock size may be too large or the surface may be too hard.
Analyzing the bottom sample.
After the operator thinks the sampler has struck bottom and sprung shut, it is raised, either by pulling up the line hand-over-hand, or by hooking the line into an electric winch. As the sampler reaches the side of the survey boat, the operator grabs it and brings it on deck to hold it over a bucket while it is emptied. Ideally, as the sampler is opened its contents rest firmly in the two halves. Sometimes the bottom material is runny mud or sand and gushes out through the operator’s hands as they open the sampler. The sampler is always opened slowly to get the best results possible.
Once the bottom sample is visible, it is evaluated according to a rating sheet and characterized by description. Examples might be: “green sticky mud,” or “coarse black sand and broken shell.” There is a chart that describes the texture of each particle type to help surveyors characterize them as uniformly as possible. For example, “pebbles” means specifically very small rocks (less than 5 mm) that have been smoothed by the action of water and sand. Later, these characterizations are “cleaned up” into more exact terms and coded into the information on the survey sheets for each particular area. As with depth measurements, each sample site is identified very accurately by GPS coordinates so that it will appear in exactly the right location on navigation charts.
Personal Log
This evening the XO and I got a ride on the skiff (small, light boat) over to the shoreline south of our anchorage. It was a “wet” landing…meaning we jumped out into the water and waded ashore because the beach had such a gentle slope that the boat couldn’t get in any closer.
Crowberry, Fireweed, and Lupine grow abundantly at Mist Harbor.
We left our life jackets by a log on the narrow, rock beach and climbed up a steep bank about 20 feet to a field of beautiful wildflowers. The whole area was covered with a heather-like plant called Crowberry that had lots of dark, purplish-blue berries. Sticking up through that were blooming spikes of Fireweed and Lupine. Mixed with those were the bright green of ferns, bright red bunchberries, and a shrub like our salal that I couldn’t find a name for.
Hiking across this “field” was much more difficult than it looked. The ground beneath the thick vegetation was full of lumps and channels. Root masses of the plants were raised a foot or more
from the rest of the surface so we had to pick our way carefully to avoid plunging into holes. The ground felt soft and spongy, but it was not slippery. We hiked across the narrow neck between our bay and Mist Harbor on the other side of the island.
Mist Harbor consists of a very sheltered body of water, protected from the open sea by a think finger of steep, rocky beach that almost totally walls it off. There is a lot of seaweed and rocks are covered by barnacles and mussels. Right above the rocky beaches there is very thick grass about 3 ••• to 4 feet tall that is very hard to get through. In many places the grass covers piles of old fishing nets, drift logs, ropes, floats, and other trash that has washed ashore over the years.
We hiked around the perimeter of the harbor as far as we could. There was an orange float out in the center that is supposed to be for a research project by the Fish and Wildlife Service out of Homer, Alaska. On the southwest side of the bay we found Salmonberries growing on the cliff. A little careful climbing earned us both a good handful to feast on. Yum! These salmon berries have a little different leaf than the ones I know back home and the ripe berries are dark red instead of orange. The flavor was the same.
As it started to get late, we hiked back and radioed to the ship for our skiff to come back and get us. On the way back across the land we spotted a small land mammal, probably a Pika. It was the first land mammal I have seen in these islands because they are so far from the mainland that most creatures would not deliberately swim to get to them. They look like they should be populated by bears, foxes, and goats, but actually they are havens for many kinds of birds.
I have now been out on the survey boats twice and am scheduled to go out again this afternoon. Each survey boat is set up a little differently and some work better in shallower depths than others. They use the same basic systems to create profiles of the ocean bottom. The survey technicians and NOAA Corps officers have been great at explaining how their equipment works. On the hull (bottom) of each survey boat is a transducer, a device that sends and receives pulses of sound waves. As the sound waves strike the seabed they bounce back to the receiver. Those that come back soonest are those that bounce off objects closest to the sonar device.
However, as the sound waves are transmitted straight down into the water, they spread out from the transducer in a cone shape. This means that waves on the outer edges of the cone normally travel farther before returning than do the ones that go straight down. The waves that come back to the receiver first show the tops of objects that are closer to the boat. This works fine for objects straight down, but remember, the waves that are on the outside of the cone travel a little farther and take a little longer to reach things. That means that they may strike against the tops of higher objects, but they will still take a little longer to return than echoes from objects of the same height that are directly under the receiver.
This is where the sophisticated software comes into translating the echoes that the transducer receives. When the survey boats begin work, and every four to six hours after that, the crew uses a device called a CTD to read the temperature and conductivity of the water all the way to the seabed under the boat. Both temperature and chemical make-up of the water affect how fast sound waves can travel through it. Knowing how fast the sound waves can be expected to travel helps the receiver understand whether echoes are coming back from the tops of rocks (or fish, whales, shipwrecks, etc.), from straight down under the boat, or from the edges of the cone.
There are other considerations to analyzing the echoes too. It is important to have information on the height of the waves and the swell of the water at the time readings are being made. (Remember the sound waves are sent out from the bottom of the boat and the boat is floating on the top of the water.) This way the echo patterns analysis can take into account whether the boat is leaning a little to the right or left as it goes up or down with the swell of the water. That lean affects the angle at which the beam is aimed to the seabed from the bottom of the boat. The level of the sea surface changes with the tides, so the software also figures in the lowest level that probably will occur due to changes of tide. This is all linked to the time that surveys are made, (because tides change with the time of day, month, and year) the date and the exact geographical position for each bit of information is very important. This depends upon satellite and GPS technology.
The transducers send out pings faster or slower (pulse rate) and with a stronger or weaker signal, depending upon how deep the water is in the main area of the survey. The power is set higher for deeper water. The cone of the beam spreads out wider in deeper water so the resolution, or focus, is not as great. This is acceptable because objects that are hazards to navigation are generally sticking up from the bottom in shallower water. (Something sticking up 2 meters from the bottom in water 50 meters deep would still be 48 meters below the surface at its highest point. That same object in 10 meter water would only allow 8 meters of clearance for ships on the surface.)
There are many other considerations to using the sonar information for making good charts. Every day I have the opportunity to ask a few more questions and learn a little more about this technology.
Personal Log
This evening I got to go out in a kayak with the XO. We paddled away from the ship and followed the shoreline north around the island until we entered the next bay. The waves were small, but sometimes there was a pretty good gust of wind so I really had to pay attention as I was getting used to the feel of the little boat. About 100 yards from the ship a sudden gust caught my hat and took it off into the water. We were not able to recover it. On the cliffs above the second bay we spotted Bald Eagles and gulls of several kinds. One of the eagles was really concerned about what we were doing and either circled over us or sat on the high bluff and watched us the whole time we were in the area. Its mate flew back and forth through the area calling to it as it watched us.
We were hoping to see a waterfall that we had heard came down the side into this bay, but we never did sight it. The shoreline was beautiful with steep rock walls or narrow rocky beaches and mountains rising right up from the edge. The hillsides look like they would be smooth and easy to walk on, but the vegetation is actually thick, deep, brush and provides very uneven footing.
Our return to ship was much faster than the trip out because the wind was at our back and pushing us all the way.
Question of the Day
How were most of the islands in the Aleutian Chain formed?
