noaa ship albatross IV – Page 17 – NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog

July 29, 2005March 18, 2021

John Sammons, July 29, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
John Sammons
Onboard NOAA Ship Albatross IV
July 25 – August 4, 2005

Mission: Ecosystem Survey
Geographic Region: Northeast U.S.
Date: July 29, 2005

Weather Data from the bridge

Latitude: 41° 02’ N
Longitude: 69° 15’ W
Visibility: 0
Wind direction: NNW (230)
Wind speed: 15 knots
Sea wave height: unknown
Swell wave height: unknown
Sea water temperature: 11.4° C
Sea level pressure: 1012 millibars
Cloud cover: Dense Fog

Question of the Day:

What cloud types are shown in below in the photographs (cirrus, cumulus, stratus, cumulonimbus)? What kind of weather would the crew on the ALBATROSS IV be experiencing (fair, rainy, stormy)?

Yesterday’s Answer: The ALBATROSS IV is currently located northeast of Virginia.

Science and Technology Log

Weather has a big influence on the decisions made at sea. Using instruments like the ones described in the Day 1 Log, the crew can determine whether conditions are safe and whether to change course. However, decisions about where to go can be affected by the types of clouds that are observed. One cloud formation that influences these choices is the stratus cloud on the ground, more easily known as fog. If it were not for the RADAR and other navigation instruments, dense fog could put an end to the trip. Other cloud types like cirrus clouds could indicate the edge of an approaching storm. With such warning, the ship could navigate around cumulonimbus, or storm, clouds or ride it out. An observant person on watch can make life-saving decisions using weather and cloud types.

The Friday morning watch (midnight – six) consisted of relatively uniform samples, because the tow moved through a restricted closed area of Georges Bank. It seems like this practice is working, since the scallop counts in the restricted and nonrestricted areas vary greatly.

The seas have settled a bit and are lower than two feet by the noon – six watch. The sky is almost clear with only a few distance clouds on the horizon. The water is a beautiful marine blue color, unlike the murky brown water near the coast.

Personal Log

Zig-Zagging

Let me stop and ponder now about the time I’ve spent,
It seems like days and nights have passed, they’ve come, they’ve gone, they went!
Zigging left and zagging right, we have sailed right out to sea,
It seems so wide and open, such an awesome sight for me.
There’s so much to learn from everyone who works upon this ship,
It’s hard to think that soon we’ll be halfway through our trip.

July 28, 2005March 18, 2021

Cary Atwood, July 28, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Cary Atwood
Onboard NOAA Ship Albatross IV
July 25 – August 5, 2005

Mission: Sea scallop survey
Geographical Area: New England
Date: July 28, 2005

Weather from the Bridge
Visibility: undetermined
Wind direction: SSW (217 degrees)
Wind speed: 11 knots
Sea wave height: 0.4’
Swell wave height: 1.4’
Seawater temperature: 18°C
Sea level pressure: 1013.3 millibars
Cloud cover: Obscure, Fog, Haze, Dust

Question of the Day:

Lesser Shearwaters are common pelagic birds we often sea in great numbers near our ship. What does pelagic mean?

Answer to yesterday’s question: Astropectin species (sea stars) prey primarily on young scallops. Asteria vulgaris, another kind of sea star will prey upon adult scallops by wrapping themselves around the bivalves and tiring out their muscle. Once that is done, they will use their mouth to suck out and make a tasty meal of the scallop’s soft, fleshy parts. Other scallop predators include crabs, lobsters, and some flounder species that eat small scallops. Wolf fish eat scallops as well.

Science and Technology Log

I am so pleased to have Dr. Dvora Hart on our cruise. She has given me a great deal of context regarding the scallop survey conducted aboard the Albatross IV. As an official operations research analyst, Dr. Hart is responsible for taking the raw data from the yearly scallop surveys and creating mathematical models of past and current surveys and projecting those numbers for future management decisions of the scallop fishery. Because the fishery is worth about $300 million annually to fishermen, and more than a billion dollars in retail, it is as valuable a fishery resource as the lobster industry. Together they represent the two most valuable fisheries on the New England coast.

Dr. Hart has worked for the Northeast Fisheries Science Center for over six years now. Having a strong math and statistics background has put her in a unique position to develop tools and models that help biologists understand the distribution of surf invertebrates. Every three years, stock assessments are reported to local and regional fishery boards with recommendations for the management of scallops. Needless to say, the messenger is not always a popular person, especially when areas show diminishing populations and should be closed. However, armed with so much longitudinal data can be a benefit, too, in that areas in the past that have been overfished, if left alone, can, over the course of time, recover. In order to make the scallop fishery a sustainable industry for all who depend on it for their livelihood, a person like Dvora has pioneered the mathematical modeling on scallops’ fishery management. Her devotion and passion to this endeavor is clear, and one hopes that these management recommendations will enable fishermen to sustain their livelihood for years to come.

July 28, 2005March 18, 2021

John Sammons, July 28, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
John Sammons
Onboard NOAA Ship Albatross IV
July 25 – August 4, 2005

Mission: Ecosystem Survey
Geographic Region: Northeast U.S.
Date: July 28, 2005

Weather Data from the Bridge

Latitude: 40° 58’ N
Longitude: 67° 13’ W
Visibility: undetermined
Wind direction: SSW (217 degrees)
Wind speed: 11 knots
Sea wave height: 0.4’
Swell wave height: 1.4’
Sea water temperature: 18°C
Sea level pressure: 1013.3 millibars
Cloud cover: Obscure, Fog, Haze, Dust

Question of the Day: In which direction is the ALBATROSS IV relative to Virginia (north, south, east, west, northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest)? Use the latitude and longitude points in today’s log or refer to the “Location” link shown on the webpage.

Yesterday’s Answer: Some scallops use camouflage and countershading to help protect themselves from their predators by blending into the ocean bottom (light to dark brown as seen from above) and blending into the sky (white as seen from below). Because there are two different colors, this is called countershading, which is a form of camouflage and is a physical adaptation.

Science and Technology Log

Proper navigation is an important component of the ALBATROSS IV’s ability to correctly manage the station locations. Without it, the ship would be lost, and there would be no way to accurately measure station samples over time. First, an electronic course map is generated that has the predetermined route and survey station. Course adjustments are made as the ship approaches a station so that it passes within one mile of the station and over it on its way to the next station. Since the dredge stays in the water for fifteen minutes, it requires accurate course and ship positioning. Second, RADAR is used to keep track of other ship traffic. Radios and an automated tracking system are used to keep a safe distance from other ships like freighters and container ships. Third, visual observations from the bridge enable the watch person to determine visibility and weather conditions that may effect navigating the ship. Of course, when there is dense fog like the ship has experienced on the present cruise, the other two components become critical. While it may seem like a glorious job to be up on the bridge of the ship, it certainly requires a person who is able to perform several operations at once and take the blame for things that go wrong.

Thursday has been spent sorting and sampling the catch, which has included flounder (flat and slimy), goosefish (mean and toothy), hake (slender and colorful), crab (determined and crusty), skate (mysterious and smooth) and of course, scallops (graceful and tough). As we sample each station’s catch, we have to check over a list provided by land-based scientists in order to save what they need for their research. Two of those scientists are traveling with us and are very knowledgeable about scallops. Dvora Hart is quantifying the abundance of calico scallops, aging sea scallops, and assessing meat quality in certain areas. Avis Sosa is making a reference collection of shells commonly caught during the clam and scallop surveys, including clappers. Clappers are scallops that are still hinged or connected, but contain no internal organs.

The seas at 40°N and 66°W are affected by Tropical Storm Franklin in the distance. The swells are estimated to be 8 – 10 feet and are rocking the boat constantly. It is difficult to walk straight or stand still, but it is still safe to be here.

You have to also make sure everything is attached, or it will slide right unto the floor.

Personal Log

Sort, Sort, Sort

Time to muster and be alert for another shift begins,
Shells and starfish wait for us, along with things with fins.
Pull up a bucket and a pad to sample and to sort,
It’s been three days since ALBATROSS steamed from the distant port.
Ouch! I bellowed as a scallop clamped onto my finger,
Upon the deck you sort and scoop, no time to stand and linger.

July 27, 2005March 18, 2021

Cary Atwood, July 27, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Cary Atwood
Onboard NOAA Ship Albatross IV
July 25 – August 5, 2005

Mission: Sea scallop survey
Geographical Area: New England
Date: July 27, 2005

Weather from the Bridge
Visibility: Clear
Wind direction: NNW (230)
Wind speed: 15 knots
Sea wave height: unknown
Swell wave height: unknown
Seawater temperature: 11.4° C
Sea level pressure: 1012 millibars
Cloud cover: Dense Fog

Question of the Day: What might be the major predators of Atlantic scallops?

Yesterday’s Answer

According to Dr. Dvora Hart, probably the world’s expert on Atlantic scallops, who just happens to be on our cruise and is a part of my watch crew, the elements listed below are essential to the survival of these scallops:

Water temperatures in the range of 0 degrees Celsius –17 Celsius. Above this point they will die.
Firm sand or pebbly gravel needed for attachment as it grows
A good supply of phytoplankton and similar sized micro and protozoa and diatoms and detritus to feed upon

Science and Technology Log

This morning after my watch, I interviewed Captain Michael Abbott who is captaining the ALBATROSS during this cruise. We stood up on the bridge while he demonstrated some of the navigation equipment. I like spending time on the bridge because the open view from the bow is fabulous, and there are rarely any people up there. I’ll write about navigation in another entry.

I talked with him about his career in the NOAA officer corps. He joined the Corp about 21 years ago making it a career when he heard about it on his college campus. At that time he was completing a degree in geology and hydrology at the University of New Hampshire. After a three month officer training at the Merchant Marine Academy in King’s Point, New York he became a uniformed officer in the NOAA Corps. It is the smallest branch of the uniformed non-military service, with less than 300 officers operating ships and aircraft for scientific research purposes.

According to Captain Abbott, his major responsibilities aboard the ALBATROSS IV are the safety of the crew, a successful completion of the scallop survey mission and making the cruise enjoyable for all on board. The crew includes 5 uniformed NOAA officers, scientists and ship crew–all together, about 25 people. Being at sea gives Mike great pleasure in that he is able to contribute to NOAA’s mission and play an active part in stewardship towards the environment.

Personal Log

A poem today…

Ocean water Glassy smooth
Rippling velvet
Sunset shimmering
Fog rainbows dancing
Ship rocking
Sun glimmering
Shearwaters circling
Teacher adjusting
To daily rhythms
Of the cruise

July 27, 2005March 18, 2021

John Sammons, July 27, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
John Sammons
Onboard NOAA Ship Albatross IV
July 25 – August 4, 2005

Mission: Ecosystem Survey
Geographic Region: Northeast U.S.
Date: July 27, 2005

Weather Data from the Bridge

Latitude: 40° 31’ N Longitude: 68° 49’ W
Visibility: undetermined
Wind direction: SSW
Wind speed: 16 knots
Sea wave height: 0
Swell wave height: 0
Sea water temperature: 18°C
Sea level pressure: 1012.6 millibars
Cloud cover: Clear

Question of the Day: How do scallops use camouflage and countershading to help protect themselves from their predators? (See pictures 5 and 6.) Is this a physical or behavioral adaptation?

Yesterday’s Answer:

1. pulley         2. inclined plane   3. lever
4. pulley         5. pulley                6. inclined plane
7. lever           8. pulley                9. wheel and axle.
Answers will vary on the second part of the question.

Science and Technology Log

The purpose of this scallop survey is to study the “basic biology and distribution of “ scallops and to study the “population dynamics of the species.” Historically, scallop populations have increased and decreased at alarming rates. Overfishing and natural predators have lead to a significant decline of scallops in the Atlantic Ocean. Conversely, scallop populations have flourished in areas that are closed to fishing, thus allowing scallops to mature more. While this is by far the most important reason why there are fewer scallops, scallops have natural adaptations that also help them survive.

One structural adaptation is their color. Notice in the pictures above that some scallops are dark on top and lighter on the bottom. This allows the scallop to blend into the sandy bottom as seen from above and the bright surface as seen from below. A behavioral adaptation that the scallop has is to shoot water as a way to propel itself from a predator. However, these adaptations are not always strong enough to protect themselves from predators and humans.

On Wednesday, we continued to collect scallops. The shells will be used for determining the age of the scallops. In addition, the meat and gonad weights will be used to estimate shell height/meat weight relationships and annual mating cycles. Some other sea life that is coming up in the dredge are different species of flounder, hake, crabs, skate, goosefish, hermit crabs, and starfish. There are many knowledgeable people on board who have provided mini-lessons for me on fish identification, scallop shucking, data entry, and population dynamics.

Personal Log

Sleepless on the Atlantic

Steaming forward to the station that is just right up ahead,
Six hours is up, and our shift will end, so it is time to go to bed.
Before I rest and take a nap, some chow I would like to eat,
It will be good to rest a little while and get off of my feet.
The food is great, so many choices that we are able to choose,
Just fill ‘er up and head to bed and settle for a snooze.