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 17, 2025 Data from the Bridge: Located at N37°23’0″, W75°5’0″, off the coast of Eastern Shore. A bit chilly at 38°F and very gusty at 21kt wind.
A modern take on Maslov’s Hierarchy of Needs. Credit: Tolu Aibana
Maslov’s Hierarchy of Needs outlines what humans need, arranged in a pyramid. The base of the pyramid starts with physiological needs, including things like food, water, shelter, and sleep. As a general rule, people can’t address needs that are higher in the pyramid until their needs are met lower in the pyramid. It’s been jested that a new level be added to the base of the pyramid: WiFi. Having WiFi or just internet in general can help attain the needs in the pyramid. It is an interesting theory that we have been putting to the test on the Pisces.
Here enters Alex, theChief Electronics Technician (ET). He handles all things related to electronic equipment, including WiFi. There have been some difficulties getting everyone connected to the internet and it’s been eye opening to see just how much we rely on it. I remember growing up that you had to be hard-lined in, using a phone line, and it was so incredibly slow. WiFi didn’t exist and using the internet was limited. Now 30 years later, our society can barely function without it (I say as I write this blog post, online).
Artist: Ian
To the crew, WiFi may seem to be the most important job, but Alex takes care of so much more. He starts every morning checking and testing the SOS system, because “I don’t know about y’all, but I don’t want to be going in that water.” Same Alex, same. After checking the SOS system, he checks in with the crew on the ship to see how they are doing and if they have anything that needs to be updated, changed, fixed, etc. The equipment on a ship takes a beating between wind, waves, and salt. He maintains office hours during the day so that anyone can stop on by and ask him for help with an issue.
This is Alex’s first solo NOAA cruise, but he has been working in the field for quite a long time. He was in the Navy for 4 years, went to community college, completed his bachelors in Neuroscience and Electrical Engineering, and worked in private sector electronics positions. He’s excited for this new role as he is passionate about science and how NOAA does research to benefit people and the environment.
How Can I Become an ET?
The most common pathway to this role is serving in the Navy as either an AET (Advanced Electronics Technician) or an EM (Electrician’s Mate), which is what Alex did as well as some private sector jobs. In these roles you gain valuable experience that directly transfers to the ET role at NOAA. If you don’t want to do military service, here’s some other things you can do to get your foot in the door:
Go to trade school for electrician training (make sure to pay attention to all the electrical theory!)
Go through certification pathways
Find an electrical apprenticeship
Join the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) union
Pursue IT positions
Take classes on Radio Frequency (RF) theory
Meckie = Meclizine, medicine for motion sickness. Artist: Ian
While Alex makes sure that everything is up and running, Ian the Survey Technician will use the equipment for water monitoring, ocean floor mapping, and helping to facilitate the science however he can. He works with a lot of different systems, such as the:
TSG (thermosalinograph): Water is pumped through the TSG which measures temperature and salinity. Using these variables, we can calculate how fast sound waves are traveling through water.
EK-80: This echosounder uses a single beam of sound and listens for the echo which provides information on how deep the water is and things that may be below the ship, such as fish.
EM2040: Similar to the EK-80, but instead uses multiple beams. This is used in mapping the seafloor since it has a wider swath and a higher resolution.
SIS: The Seafloor Information System visualizes what the EM2040 is gathering.
SCS: The Scientific Computing System allows for the real-time conveyance of oceanographic variables to the science team and other crews.
When the bioacoustics array is out, Ian puts many of the systems in passive mode so that they don’t emit any sound waves. Otherwise, the sound would make it difficult for the bioacoustics team to hear marine mammals through the hydrophones.
Ian’s other job on board is making memes. I’m not even joking. There is a screen in the galley that he updates every morning with information about the day plan, food menu, riddles, and memes. What is great about the memes though is that they reflect something that is going on with the ship and this applicability makes all of them so much funnier. He also helps manage the morale fund, which NOAA supplies for making t-shirts, organizing outings, and more. When you are on a ship with the same people for long periods of time, especially in rough weather, morale is mission critical.
Tips on Becoming a Survey Technician
Ian, Survey Technician aboard NOAA Ship Pisces
The military route isn’t as common for survey techs versus ET but can still be helpful getting sea time and experience in rough weather, particularly the Navy. (Ian served in the Marine Corps Reserve for 6 years).
Get an undergraduate degree in marine biology, hydrography, or geology
College of Charleston has a BEAMS program which teaches students nearly every aspect of a Survey Technician; this is where Ian went. There are also programs in Mississippi and New Hampshire.
Try out a lot of different positions and apply for everything
Make sure that you are okay being away from family and friends >8 months of the year. Develop good communication plans with your loved ones.
Be good at making memes.
Keeping the Crew Happy, a haiku
WiFi and good memes, Do we need anything else? Snopes, morale is high.
Geographic Area of Cruise:Southeast Alaska – West Prince of Wales Island Hydro Survey
Date: June 24, 2017
Weather Data
Wind: 20 knots
Visibility: 6 nautical miles
Barometer: 1016.0 hPa
Air temperature: 13.2C
Cloud cover: 100%
Location: Gulf of Alaska, 58°58.3N, 138° 49.7W
Science and Technology Log
In the last final week of this long three week leg, survey work on Fairweather has been varied. As data collection for this area has drawn to a close, it has been late nights for the sheet managers, who are making sure all of the holidays (the areas of missing data) are collected, crosslines are accomplished in all areas, and that they have what they need to do a complete report of the area.
Some of the Fairweather crew getting ready to launch small boats for the last data acquisition.
Earlier this week the ship completed an additional smaller project out in the Alaskan gulf. Fairweather was tasked with collecting hydrographic data on a subsurface mud volcano that has been discovered southwest of Ketchikan near the Queen Charlotte –Fairweather fault system. Sailing during the day to the location, the surveying began late evening. Rather than using the small launches, Fairweather’s sonar was used. The survey area was quite large and the boundary extended to the edge of Canadian waters. Just as with the small launches, casts had to be done to factor in the water’s salinity and temperature in order to get accurate data. The water column profiling measurement device for Fairweather is located on the stern and once launched can be operated electronically, by hydrographers.
Hydrographer Drew Leonard with the CTD cast
The winch needed to lower the cast in the water
Hydrographers were divided into shifts, working two four hour shifts, throughout the 24 hour data acquisition period. From 12am-4am, hydrographers Hannah Marshburn and Drew Leonard, and I, check on the quality of data acquisition and monitored the related software. As we sailed over the vent of the volcano hundreds of meters below the surface, the sonar picked up gas releases, probably methane, coming from the vent. This volcano is potentially part of a volcanic field in this area. I am excited to read and learn more about these mud volcanoes on the active fault in this area and to integrate it into my geology class at school. For more information about mud volcanos in this region, visit https://eos.org/articles/active-mud-volcano-field-discovered-off-southeast-alaska
Drew Leonard and Hannah Marshburn observe the sonar at work
The mud volcano (within the elevated red area; the white triangle is our ship
Possible methane plumes ‘caught’ by the sonar
Life and work on a ship requires the crew here to learn many things, both about the scientific mission and methodology but also about the ship itself and the safety protocols. NOAA provides training for crew in many different forms, some in situ, some electronically, and others during the non field-season in the form of land-based workshops. Here on Fairweather, workbooks are provided to prepare officers and survey techs to help qualify them as Hydrographers-In-Charge (HIC). Individuals work through these books and hand-on trainings to increase their understanding of the mission, the science content, their ability to work with survey systems, launches, field equipment and to serve as backup coxswains on the launches if necessary.
The work
In wrapping up the work in the area west of Prince of Wales Island, one last task was to dismantle the Base Station that the hydrographers had set up at the beginning of the project. The Base Station houses a GPS and receiver that transmits the data to the ship.
Bekah and Nick taking down the base station
Hannah taking down the base station
Sam, Steve and Brian on the way to the Base Station
Hydrographers, Hannah and Bekah on the ANWAR boat
The base station
Great views from the base station
Back on the ship, a route was planned by the NOAA Corps officers and charted both electronically and on the paper charts. It was time for Fairweather to say goodbye to this region of Alaska and to begin the journey north.
ENS Linda Junge plots the route to the Gulf of Alaska and beyond on the chart
While June 21 is a date associated with the solstice, it is also World Hydrography Day. In 2005, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution on oceans and law of the sea, and encouraged entities/nations to work with the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO). The idea is to increase knowledge of and promote safe marine navigation. As a result, World Hydrography Day was formed and is used as a method to increase knowledge and understanding of hydrography to the general public. Currently only about 10% of the world’s oceans and 50% of the coastal waterways have been directly measured. Much of the rest of the world is dependent on estimates from satellite gravity based measurements or has no data. Most people tend not to think about the role hydrography and knowledge of the seafloor plays in our day to day live. While there is the obvious correlation with safe navigation, seafloor knowledge is important for laying cables and pipelines, to develop maritime boundaries and to help make predictions of what tsunamis waves and hurricanes would do. World Hydrography Day 2017 celebrates the 96th anniversary of the IHO. To celebrate this day, other than continuing to acquire data for the project, the crew gathered together to watch a film from 1976 of Fairweather in Alaska conducting hydrography. While much of the technology has changed and the ship retrofitted, there was a lot of familiarity with the ship and with the job being done.
Personal Log
Being on a ship for weeks at a time, working everyday can take its toll. Over the last couple of days I can see in the faces of the survey crew that, just like the end of a school year, while there still a lot to do before ‘the end’ and people are tired, they are looking forward to a change of pace with their upcoming time in port. The ship is scheduled to be in Kodiak for over a week, allowing for mid-season repairs to be completed. Meanwhile the hydrographers will continue to work on data from this leg and look ahead to the upcoming ones; the deck crew will continue the multitude of tasks that always need to be done; the engineers will continue to fix, clean and monitor the launches, the engines and the myriad of equipment on the ship. The NOAA Corps officers will continue their rotation of duties. The stewards will continue to provide food for everyone. It’s the field season. Everyone is still busy, but there will be off-duty time on land and opportunities to explore the area.
The Finer Things Club for this leg: (L, clockwise) with LT Manda, ENS Junge, Coxswain/deck crew Nick Granazio, XO Gonsalves, Hydrographers Hannah Marshburn and Steve Eykelhoff
One important concept that is apparent on Fairweather is keeping an eye on everyone’s welfare and well being. Part of the XO’s (Executive Officer) role is to help with morale of all the crew, and to this end, the MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) group is key in regular small events. When the ship is in port, optional excursions are arranged and transportation is available to and from the town during evenings and weekend hours. On Sunday evenings, Sundae Sunday happens at 7pm where people come together to have ice cream; The Finer Things Club happens once per leg, and foods such as cheese and crackers, olives and chocolate are served; on World Hydrography Day, the MWR group arranged a ‘holiday hunt’ on the ship with prizes, and ‘hydrography/Fairweather charades’ was played that evening after we had watched the 1976 Fairweather film. Each evening the Fairweather ship’s store opens and folk can purchase their favorite soda or chocolate bar, or in my case, a Fairweather hoodie.
Tlevak Narrows on chart
Tlevak Narrows
One of the many small islands
It will take three days approximately to get to Kodiak. Rather than going directly across the Gulf of Alaska from Southeast Alaska, Fairweather moved north through Tlevak Strait, which includes a rather narrow section of water with islands and rocks close on both sides. Having had several weeks of cloud and rain, we were graced with clear blue skies and a warm evening as we headed north. Whales swam in the distance and small islands covered in vegetation rose vertically out of the water. On route we were able to stop for several hours in Warm Springs Bay on Baranof Island. Here the crew were able to explore on land for a while, hike to hot springs and a lake, and take in some more of the beauty of Alaska. It was an incredible blue sky morning (only the third so far this summer according to the locals) , snow was on the peaks around us and bald eagles sat in the nearby trees.
Sailing in to Warm Springs Bay, AK
A view of the lake
Look back towards the main strait
The river next to the hotsprings
Kayaking by the waterfall in Warm Spring Bay
Morale and wellness also come in the form of good food. During my time here on I have been fed excellent food three times a day by the stewards, Ava Speights, Ace Burke, Tyrone Baker and Rory Bacon. The other day I was able to sit down with Ava, acting Chief Steward, and ask her about her job and how the food is planned and prepared for. She was busy making a menu for the upcoming legs of Fairweather and ordering food that would be shipped to Kodiak, and later on, shipped to Nome. She discussed how the budget works and the lead time needed to get produce and supplies to these northern regions.
As my time on Fairweather is coming to an end, I realize that each day contains new normals, and that, after over three weeks here, there will be several transitions to go through such as being back on land and not on a rolling ship, not having food made for me and dishes washed for me, and leaving cloudy cool 50°F weather and cloudy skies to heat waves in New Mexico. I am taking back with me a large amount of new knowledge and ideas that I can integrate into my classroom and school. I am also taking back life-changing memories and hopefully long term connections with people from Fairweather and a desire to come back to Alaska. I know that once I get back to New Mexico more questions will come forth and the Fairweather crew should be prepared to be hearing from me as I figure out how best to use the science in the classroom and in my community. It’s a little bittersweet leaving, knowing that the crew have four months or more of the field season, and that by the time they head back to dry dock for the winter, that we will be over halfway through the first semester of the next school year. I am really thankful to everyone on board for teaching me so much and making this an incredible adventure for me.
Carly and I on Fairweather heading to the Gulf
Black bear on the shore
Quilegia canadensis (Canada columbine)
A calm evening west of Prince of Wales Island
A swarm of jellies
Word of the day: Turnover: Part of the nature of ship life, I have discovered is that crew come and go. The NOAA Corps officers have an approximate two year stint on a ship before a three year rotation on land. Deck crew, stewards and engineers are often on ships for multiple seasons, but can apply to move locations and transfer to other ships. ‘Augmenters’ are crew from all departments who come on to ships for one or two legs at a time to fill in when a ship is short-staffed or someone has taken vacation. At the end of each leg, people leave the ship and new people join the ship. The only certain thing here is that there is and always will be staffing changes.
Fact of the day: On our journey north of Tlevak Strait, Fairweather was using fuel at the rate of 0.15mpg. We’ve seen a couple of much larger cruise ships recently and an even larger container ship. Estimate their fuel consumption!
