Tag: Hydrographic survey

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Leyf Peirce, July 14, 2004

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Leyf Peirce
Onboard NOAA Ship Rainier
July 6 – 15, 2004

Mission: Hydrographic Survey
Geographical Area: Eastern Aleutian Islands, Alaska
Date: July 14, 2004

Time: 10:00
Latitude: N 55°17.24
Longitude: W 160°32.17
Visibility: 6 nm

Wind direction: 060
Wind speed: 1 knots
Sea wave height: 0 – 1 foot
Swell wave height: —
Sea water temperature: 10.0 °C
Sea level pressure: 1009.3 mb
Air temperature: 11.7 °C
Cloud cover: 7/8

Science and Technology Log

This morning I went out on launch boat 1 to conduct shoreline hydrography. Shoreline research differs very much from the other research I have seen so far, for it does not require “mowing the lawn” lines. Instead, it is a technique that is used to check the data collected from the LIDAR (airplane) labs. As I learned earlier this week, the data collected using a laser from the airplane primarily focuses on the shoreline and depths up to 30 meters. Today, we went along the shoreline checking questionable data points such as rocks and shoals that may have been confused with kelp or other variances in data collection. In order to do this checking, the survey technicians and officers conducting the research look at the LIDAR chart the day before launching and determine where rocks might be misplaced or not including at all. During surveying, which is what we did today, the researchers take a boat with a single beam echo sounding system and go to the places of concern. With some one on the bow to look out for uncharted rocks, the captain then drives over the areas where there might or might not be a rock. Because all of this is done very close to shore, it is very important to drive slowly. There is also a lot of kelp that can get in the way. Once the boat has past over the area a few times, the true depth is recorded as well as the position and a note is made on the chart where any changes need to be made to the chart. A relatively simple procedure, this type of shoreline research is critical for anyone planning to go on shore on any of these islands. Once again I was able to see how important this work is!

Personal Log

My morning was spent on the launch boat doing shoreline surveying. While the technology used was fascinating, I still did not hesitate to wonder at the naturally beauty of these islands. Almost completely uninhabited, these islands host wildflowers, puffin, gulls, and an occasional seal basking on a sandy or rocky beach. The green slopes are sharply cut by dramatic cliffs, creating a feeling of comfort and adventure at the same time. With the clouds dancing across these islands, I almost felt like I was about to see a dinosaur emerge from one of the cliffs—this looks very much like Hollywood’s rendition of “Jurassic Park”! This afternoon I plan on working on more lesson plans as well as a possible journey on another shoreline survey boat.

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Leyf Peirce, July 13, 2004

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Leyf Peirce
Onboard NOAA Ship Rainier
July 6 – 15, 2004

Mission: Hydrographic Survey
Geographical Area: Eastern Aleutian Islands, Alaska
Date: July 13, 2004

Time: 15:00
Latitude: N 55°17.29
Longitude: W 160°32.14
Visibility: 4 nm

Wind direction: 140
Wind speed: 6 knots
Sea wave height: 0 – 1 foot
Swell wave height: —
Sea water temperature: 10.0 °C
Sea level pressure: 1007.8 mb
Air temperature: 12.2 °C
Cloud cover: 8/8

Science and Technology Log

I awoke today to an announcement over the ships intercom saying, “Attention all hands, attention all hands, divers are in the water, please make sure all equipment is stored and locked”. I first checked to make sure it wasn’t me in the water, as exciting as that would have been, and then I raced out of bed to see what was going on. Apparently, since we have been anchored off the coast of Egg Island, we have had a very small oil leak. It was believed to have fixed itself after the first few hours of anchoring; however, yesterday many of the crew noticed that there was still a slick on the water off the port stern. To investigate, three NOAA certified divers dove down about 15 feet and inspected the hull of the ship. They saw that the oil was in fact coming from the left propeller, yet they could not directly identify the source of the problem, but speculate that there is a small leak in one of the o-rings. The only way to truly fix this problem is to dry-dock the boat. The closest dry-dock is in Seward, but we are scheduled to go to Kodiak first. Therefore, the plan is to see if the problem takes care of itself and if it is not better by the end of the stay in Kodiak, then take the boat to Seward. The amount of oil that is leaving the ship is very small and is escaping at an extremely slow rate. However, if this problem persists, it could become very serious.

I talked with ENS Lominkey about his dive this morning and about other dives he has made recently. He informed me that once you are NOAA certified, the equivalent of becoming a PADI or NAUI dive master, you will be allowed to help with dives that involve ship repair, tide gauge installation, or wreck surveying. In fact, only two weeks ago the RAINIER was performing hydrographic research and identified the fishing boat CONQUEST which sunk in 1994. ENS Lominkey and other certified divers dove the wreck to gather information about the wreck including its minimum depth which happened to be about 90 feet. To do this, they used a very sensitive depth gauge that relies on pressure changes. They would place this gauge at different locations on the wreck and record the various readings. ENS Lominkey also told me that they found another fishing boat wreck near the CONQUEST, but were unable to identify it. As I have developed my passion for diving over the past few years, I become more amazed at the opportunity to dive and explore uncharted waters knowing that the research you are conducting is contributing greatly to society. And, as technological advancements are made for both safer diving and better navigational charting, I can’t help but wonder how these will be further combined in years to come—a very interesting engineering design problem!

Personal Log

Today was mostly spent writing more lesson plans for my 6th, 7th, and 8th grade science classes as well as planning my 8th grade pre-algebra course. I also spent a lot of time talking with several officers about the amazing act of diving and how wonderful it would be to be paid to do something so adventuresome everyday. When sharing experiences, I did notice that the excitement of diving somewhat parallels the excitement of teaching; you never know what you are going to see, there are some dangers, but overall the experience is extremely rewarding. In both, you not only learn about other animals, or students as the case may be, but you also learn a lot about yourself, your goals and dreams, and your limits. While I am greatly enjoying my experience aboard the RAINIER, the more I think about my different classes and the students that I will see in the fall, the more excited I get about returning to the classroom!

Question of the Day:

How much oil would have to be in the water before it drastically starts harming marine life?