NOAA Teacher at Sea Jennifer Fry Onboard NOAA Ship, Oscar Elton Sette March 12 – March 26, 2012
Mission: Fisheries Study Geographical area of cruise: American Samoa Date: March 19, 2012
CTD data collection graphs
These charts show levels of salinity, temperature, density of the waters of American Samoa.
The ocean’s depth is always checked prior to a C.T.D. operation to know how deep the unit can be deployed.
The C.D.T. unit is safely back on the deck. Scientists collect an array of data including density, temperature, and conductivity using the C.D.T. unit.
Deck of Oscar Elton Sette
The C.D.T. is ready to be deployed into the ocean. Using a team of scientists, a crane, and crane operator the heavy unit is carefully guided into the water.
Once the C.D.T. unit has collected the needed data, scientists retreive it. The crane lifts it out of the water and the unit is hooked as part of the retreival process.
Once is determined safe, the doors on the side of the ship are opened to deploy the C.D.T. unit into the water.
Once the crane operator lifts the unit out of the water, scientists guide the C.D.T. onto the deck.
CTD on deck
Teacher at Sea, Jennifer Fry, Survey Tech, Scott Allen, and NOAA scientists Evan Howell, Megan Duncan, Aimee Hoover enjoy learning how to safely operate the CTD unit.
This chart shows percentages of data collected in different parts of the waters of American Samoa while on board the NOAA ship Sette.
These graphs show data collected from the C.T.D. including: temperature, salinity, and oxygen levels.
These charts show levels of salinity, temperature, density of the waters of American Samoa.
Teacher at Sea, Jennifer Fry, Survey tech, Scott Allen, NOAA scientists, Evan Howell, Megan Duncan, Aimee Hoover work on the CTD operations performing 8 casts in the day.
5.Once the crane operator lifts the unit out of the water, scientists guide the C.T.D. onto the deck.
6. The C.T.D. unit is safely back on the deck. Scientists collect an array of data including density, temperature, and conductivity using the C.D.T. unit.4. Using a crane to lift and a hook to grab, the C.T.D. unit is guided onto the deck.
2. The C.T.D. is ready to be deployed into the ocean. Using a team of scientists, a crane, and crane operator the heavy unit is carefully guided into the water.
3. Once is determined safe, the doors on the side of the ship are opened to deploy the C.T.D. unit into the water.1. The ocean’s depth is always checked prior to a C.T.D. operation to know how deep the unit can be deployed.
CTD Operations: Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth
The CTD Operations onboard the Sette are conducted by Evan Howell, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Megan Duncan, Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research at the University of Hawaii, and Scott Allen, NOAA survey tech. The CTD platform, which resembles a giant wedding cake constructed of painted steel, contains multiple instruments that can measure water characteristics including pressure, temperature, salinity, oxygen levels, and chlorophyll concentration.
Jennifer Fry, Scott Allen, Evan Howell, Megan Duncan, and Aimee Hoover stand behind the CTD.
It takes 30 readings per second as it sinks towards the seafloor.
The CTD records data as it sinks and ascends, but only data from the downcast is used, insuring the instruments are recording data in an uninterrupted “profile” of the water column. All data collected helps capture ocean characteristics. The acquired data will be shared with the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources scientists and compared with the data they have collected previously.
Using prior data, current CTD data, and acoustic Doppler current profiler, a type of sonar detecting water currents, scientists can determine patterns in the oceans of American Samoa and compare them.
