Tag: NOAA Ship Pisces

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Amber LaMonte: Real, Relevant & A Return to the Sea May 28th, 2026

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Amber LaMonte

Aboard NOAA Ship Pisces

May 31 – June 10, 2026

Introduction

My name is Amber LaMonte, and for the past 19 years, I have been teaching science at York High School in Yorktown, Virginia. During which time, I have taught Biology, Ecology, AP Environmental Science and Marine Science.

Amber and two students crouch near a pond lined with rocks, holding water sampling equipment. One student reaches into the pond to fill a bottle. We can see a brick school building in the background.
Testing dissolved oxygen (DO) in the native garden frog pond. Photo courtesy of York High School.

Over the years, I’ve always tried to help students recognize that science isn’t separate from their lives; it’s part of it. Now I’m trying to answer the question: How do I help students see that science is real, relevant, and within their reach? And the search for the answer is leading me back to the sea.

a selfie photo of Amber at the beach; she stands in front of a railing and a concrete plaque that we cannot read, and in the background we can see the sand and steady waves.
I live in Virginia Beach. This is me enjoying a “snow day” while my counterparts in Yorktown have icy roads. Just one reason to appreciate the heat-holding capacity of the ocean!

My story begins with an innate love for the natural world. As a young girl, much to my grandmother’s chagrin, you would rarely catch me with dolls, but you could always find me by the creek in the woods. I’ve always been drawn to the way every organism plays a role in something much larger.

Amber kneels in the surf at a rocky beach, looking down as she reaches both her hands toward the sand.
Collecting macroalgae samples in U.S.V.I

After attending Louisiana State University and the University of the Virgin Islands, I earned my B.S. in biology with a minor in marine biology. I studied macroalgae from the reefs of St. Thomas to the swamps of Louisiana and the Huangpu River of Shanghai. With this most recent opportunity, I will collect plankton samples and study microalgae, focusing on their role in the health of our ocean.

Amber and two family members take a selfie at night; the background is illuminated with lots of lights and fireworks
My family at the winter light show aboard the USS Wisconsin in Norfolk, VA

Over time, my curiosity became a desire to share my sense of wonder with students who may not yet realize how connected they are to the science happening around them in their local communities. My family and I moved from New Orleans to Virginia and I became certified as a high school science teacher. I have been on a continuous pursuit to illustrate the interconnectedness of our society and the planet.

In the classroom, I’ve learned that the most meaningful moments happen when students make those connections for themselves. Start with something familiar: a local habitat, a species they recognize, or something unexpected like macroalgae being used to feed cattle and build into something bigger. Suddenly, science isn’t just content. It’s a story they’re part of.  So, I build experiences with students. They participate in oyster aquaculture of our Chesapeake Bay, tag monarch butterflies in our student-built native garden and maintain saltwater aquariums in the classroom.

Over the years, that approach has grown beyond my classroom. With a desire to connect the purpose and relevance of science to students, I earned my M.S. in environmental science from Christopher Newport University. In recent years, those connections have been expanded through developing curriculum, leading initiatives with our Green Team and working on programs that connect students to career pathways.

Photos below courtesy of York High School.

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To support those efforts, I’ve felt a pull to do something even more authentic, something that connects my students directly to science as it is happening now.

And that’s where this next adventure begins.

This blog will follow my journey as I step out of my classroom and into the world of scientific research, experiencing what it means to live and work at sea. I’ll share what I learn and what it looks like behind the scenes of ocean science.

NOAA History

In 1807, Thomas Jefferson established the Coast Survey to ensure safe navigation along U.S. coasts. In 1870, the Weather Bureau was created, followed by the Fish and Fisheries Commission in 1871. Each of these, one focused on physical science, one on weather, and one on protecting natural resources, has led to the invaluable federal program known today as the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (2025, December 11). Our history. https://www.noaa.gov/our-history

Teacher At Sea

The Teacher at Sea program became a dream of mine several years ago when the ocean sounds went from a gentle whisper to screaming my name.

Amber in a wet suit (or perhaps a sunshirt) at the beach
two fingers grasp a bluish marble, reflecting what may be clouds and trees at a beach
Amber takes a selfie at the front of a canoe; we can see someone else paddling in the rear

Sometimes the ocean is strong; the crash of waves, the pull of the tide. Other times, it’s gentle; a salty breeze, a cool splash. It beckons blue minds for a lifetime and provides a life-support system for all. Even when we dwell as land animals, it always draws us back. For me, that call has been building for years. During this expedition I will be assisting with an ecosystem monitoring survey. While on board, I will not only be helping to process plankton samples that provide data on the health of the North Atlantic Ocean, but also resetting my blue mind.

Adopt A Drifter

In addition to the valuable data being collected and processed while on the ship, York High School has the opportunity to deploy global drifter buoys that will continue to provide valuable ocean data for over a year. I cannot wait to deploy not 1, not 2, but 3 drifters on my mission!

a drifter buoy sits folded up on the wooden deck of a ship. the top portion is a spherical blue and white float, with a white pipe containing instrumentation extending off the top. the float portion sits on top of coiled cable and a folded cloth "drogue," mounted on a ring of pvc.
Drifter buoy ready to be deployed.
Credit: Rayne Sabatello, NOAA AOML

These instruments are referred to as “drifters” because they are transported via near-surface currents. Sensors on the drifters collect measurements of sea surface temperature, location and various other parameters.

Stay tuned to see ours decked out with York spirit and the names students selected for their buoys……

Follow Along This Return to the Sea

The path to this opportunity involved a thorough application process and planning preparations. Having my students witness these steps has been a valuable way to demonstrate the multifaceted direction a career path can take. I am so appreciative of the students who have been genuine in their learning, resistant to learning in general and everything in between. They have both taught me and inspired me to continue on the journey of always staying relevant in science education. A big thank you to my work bestie and student travel partner for all the support in this process. And to my principal for encouraging authentic learning experiences. I hope you will all continue following the blog as I share with you the science and people of the ship!

Science isn’t meant to stay in a notebook.

It’s meant to be experienced.

And this time, I’m not going alone.

two women in rain gear pose - one arm around the other, one arm thrown open wide - in front of huge, icy blue waterfall
Goðafoss Waterfall, Iceland
for a student travel trip
three students and one adult gather around a lab table and gaze down at a white bucket filled with samples. there is a microscope on the table next to the white bucket. in the background, we can see aquarium tanks on lab shelves, and a large cardboard cutout of a shark's head
Students getting an up close of organisms in the critter cubes from their oyster aquaculture location in the York River
three students stand looking out over the railing at calm blue green seas on a whale watching vessel; one girl holds binoculars up to her face
Whale watching, is that a ……. no it’s a harbor seal!

All student photos courtesy of York High School.

P.S. Going to miss my best boy so much!

a serene-looking golden retriever sitting in an inflatable kayak out on the water in front of a bridge and blue skies

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Dorothy Holley: Fair Winds and Safe Sailing, August 15, 2025

Dorothy stands on the dock in front of the bow of NOAA Ship Pisces. we can see the NOAA logo, the letters N O A A, and the number (R) 226 on the hull. Dorothy wears a dark blue shirt with the NOAA logo on it. The sky is a solid bright blue.

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Dorothy Holley

Aboard NOAA Ship Pisces

July 31 – August 15, 2025

Blog Post #8

Mission: Northeast Ecosystem Monitoring Survey (EcoMon)

Geographic Area of Cruise: Northwest Atlantic Ocean

Date: August 15, 2025

Weather Data from Bridge:

First, Someone named Suzy asked if I am hopeful for the future of our oceans after seeing all the work that is done on my NOAA cruise. I am hopeful every day I get to go to school and see the brilliant young minds that are learning and developing so that they may work to solve our world’s problems. (Read more here). The dedicated people I’ve met through NOAA and on NOAA Ship Pisces remind me that we are using science in productive ways, like taking care of our oceans! Are you learning and doing your part? Thank you for reading and asking questions!

Dorothy, in her Teacher at Sea t shirt, life vest, and orange overalls, stands on deck, holding a sieve filled with sampled plankton. we see two small plankton nets stretched out on a small table behind her.
Dorothy and a plankton sieve

Second, the answers to the math problem from the previous BLOG: If we sorted through 1/8 of our Bongo net sample, and identified 20 krill, then we would estimate there to be 160 krill in the total sample. For part 2, the abundance is estimated as the number of krill expected per cubic meter. If the nets filtered through 5 cubic meters of water, we would expect to find 32 krill per cubic meter in this part of the ocean.  (Alert, we’ll soon be calculating energy density in Chemistry!)

two women sit in adjacent chairs on the flying deck, each looking through binoculars out toward the ocean. in front of them is table with a laptop and a large telephoto lens camera.
Observers Observing!

Science at Sea:  Purpose! On purpose! With purpose!

It is hard to believe that my two weeks onboard NOAA Ship Pisces have come to an end. In many ways, it seems like I have just started. But when I reflect on all that I have learned about the science being done at sea, I realize I have been here long enough for some important things to sink in! I’d like to share some of these things with you.

  1. Many of the Scientists I spoke with said that math wasn’t their thing. You don’t have to like math to do science, you do have to do some math, understand some math, check behind the computers on some math. There is a difference. We don’t live in a binomial world. You can’t say not liking math is a reason to not do math.
  2. Science is a process. It is not a list of boxes to check or things to do. Science is a way of looking at the world. Observe, analyze, reflect, repeat.
  3. Science can be used for good. NOAA Scientists are making our lives better.
  4. We need more scientists. Are you ready? I’m ready to start a new school year sharing the insights I’ve learned as a NOAA Teacher at Sea!
orange overalls scrunched down over two work boots await their next use. behind, there are more orange jackets and overalls hanging or resting on a surface.
Gear is ready for next time!

You do the Math: I’ve worked 12-hour shifts, 3pm-3am each day of the Summer2025 EcoMon meeting Scientists, doing science, seeing Science in action, and developing ways to connect my students with relative, real-world experiences. How many hours of professional development credit should I receive? OR Since a work day is considered to be 8-hours, how many days of “comp time” should I earn?  (Teachers in some schools can earn “compensatory time” for work done outside of the school day, to be used on teacher workdays, not on regular days with students.) Feel free to post a kind reply in the comments.

a small black sea horse sticks out amidst a mostly beige plankton sample on a sieve
a small seahorse floating in a shallow glass dish of water
a small seahorse floating in a shallow glass dish of water

Yes, that’s a sea horse!

Interesting Things: As a NOAA Teacher at Sea participant, I have had the privilege to work with an awesome Summer EcoMon 2025 crew. I have basked in the joy of focusing on science and ways to bring back some insights to my classroom in North Carolina. Some observations have come more organically than others. For example, on the Pisces, the mission is clear. Every department is working towards the goal of collecting our scientific data, but not in the same way. At school, our departments are also working, but sometimes our goals are in conflict… Increase test scores? Winning football season? Resume booster? Full stomachs? Social conduit? College acceptance? Understand the world? Develop skills? Create citizens? Workforce development? Avoid gun violence? Learn content?

group photo of seven NOAA Corps officers in blue uniforms lined up on the bridge of NOAA Ship Pisces
The Wardroom

NOAA Corps is responsible for operations, safety, and project completion (possibly like school administration) but they must rotate off the ship after 2 years and they don’t make decisions unilaterally. Their well-honed leadership comes in understanding the institutional knowledge of each department.

I wonder what would happen if our school systems invested in clear missions and departmental leadership. I would settle for “just” focusing on science! 😊

view through a round porthole window of ocean water that is mostly calm and pale blue, except for the wake of the ship. the sky reveals a pale sunset.
View from the Wet Lab

Teacher at Sea/ Career Spotlight:

As part of my Teacher at Sea work, I’ve created a game to help my students see many of the people and careers on the NOAA EcoMon cruises. In addition to the Science, NOAA Corps, Deck, and Engineering departments I’ve been able to highlight in my blog posts, the Stewards, Survey, and Electronic Technician departments are also mission critical.  Come to West Johnston to play my Career Exploration game.

I’ve also found ways to integrate real world skills and relevant examples into the content I teach. Next year specifically, we will be honing my “Death at Sea” Forensics Lesson and “Ocean Calorimetry” Chemistry lesson. Finally, I will be leading a session called “Come Sail with NOAA” at the NC Science Teacher’s Association PD conference in November. If you would like to learn more about applying to be a NOAA Teacher at Sea, or a Science Teacher in North Carolina, please come check us out. (read more here: NCSTA)

Dorothy takes a selfie on the deck of NOAA Ship Pisces. In the background, we see the ocean and the sky - though the sunset colors are pretty muted - and the bongo nets resting on a suface.
After our last data collection stop, we checked out the last sunset!

Personal Log: I am thankful for my community – those who have and continue to nurture, teach, and inspire me to observe, learn, enjoy, and be curious! This is going to be the best school year ever!!

moon and its reflection on calm blue waters. a large ship is visible on the horizon at a distance.
Fair winds and safe sailing!

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Dorothy Holley: It’s ALL Chemistry, August 14, 2025

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Dorothy Holley

Aboard NOAA Ship Pisces

July 31 – August 15, 2025

Blog Post #7

Mission: Northeast Ecosystem Monitoring Survey (EcoMon)

Geographic Area of Cruise: Northwest Atlantic Ocean

Date: August 14, 2025

Weather Data from Bridge:
Latitude: 4025.699
Longitude: 07321.16
Relative Wind speed: 4
Wind Direction: 66
Air Temperature: 23.5
Sea Surface Temperature:
Barometric Pressure: 1011.47
Speed Over Ground: 10.1
Water Conductivity: 4.69
Water Salinity: 31.21

First, Ferdinand asked about Sea Surface Temperature (SST) data the ship is collecting and how to access it. Storm Events, like the Hurricane Dexter and Tropical Storm Erin draw energy from warm ocean waters, which act as their primary fuel source. Warmer waters lead to increased evaporation and provide more latent heat to the storm, allowing it to strengthen. The National Weather Service (NWS) is a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and uses SST data in making forecasts. The data is available publicly here. Thank you for reading and asking good questions!

screenshot from the Windy app. it shows a map of the Atlantic Ocean, including the east coast of the United States, and small lines marking wind direction and speed. the ocean is color coded but the key is not visible.
Images from Windy App

Second, an answer to the math problem on the last BLOG: If each of the engines’ cylinders has a displacement of 51 liters, and the engine has 12 cylinders, so the total displacement of the engine is 612 liters. The displacement from a car engine could fit into the Pisces 204 times.

A woman wearing a pink sweatshirt and purple gloves holds a cable with two hands as it extends over the railing of NOAA Ship Pisces
a woman wearing a floppy hat and life vest stands at the railing near a piece of scientific equipment

Victoria (left) and Rowan (right) wrangle a radiometer

Science at Sea

How do we know that satellite information is valid? The satellites must be calibrated, just like the sensors in all other electronic devices. 

One ongoing project taking place on our NOAA Summer EcoMon cruise is a calibration validation of a NASA PACE satellite measuring plankton. (See more here.) Victoria and Rowan are Biological Oceanographers, studying how light interacts with the ocean. Once a day, when the PACE satellite crosses over our location, they throw out the radiometer, pull it to the surface from different depths, and ensure it is collecting radiation or light data as it sinks to about 1% light transmission.

Victoria and Rowan also test the water with radiometer casts, once per day during satellite overpass. If we are doing a CTD stop, they will use water from the Rosette, but if we aren’t doing a CTD stop they can use water from the flowthrough system in the chem lab sink. This is a special plumbing network that allows seawater from below the ship to be retrieved in the lab spaces. These tests must happen during daylight hours.

The water is filtered out for particulate matter (plankton and other stuff) and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM). These will eventually be used to characterize coloration through a spectrophotometer, although some of it will go directly to NASA. That’s right. They measure the wavelength of water, specifically how the light and color change throughout the water column.

The data are analyzed, triangulated, and compared with data being collected at other places. (Read about another validation team here.) Understanding light saturation might someday help fisheries measure water health in ways that will save money. If areas don’t have plankton, the bottom level of the food chain, then they won’t have higher levels either and fisheries should look elsewhere to fish.  

Dorothy, wearing her Teacher at Sea t-shirt and holding a notebook with a Teacher at Sea sticker on it, stands in a lab room with one hand resting on a spectrometer, smiling for the photo
Dorothy in the Pisces Chem Lab

Another member of the science crew is collecting dissolved oxygen and dissolved inorganic carbon data as we make our planned stops.  It seems like everything is tied to Chemistry in some way!

infographic about ocean acidification. How will changes in ocean chemistry affect marine life? Carbon dioxide plus water plus carbonate ion results in two bicarbonate ions. Consumption of carbonate ions impedes calcification.
NOAA Graphic showing the Chemistry of Ocean Acidification

You do the Math: If we sorted through 1/8 of our last sample from the Bongo nets, and identified 20 krill, how many krill would you estimate to be in the total sample. Then determine abundance if the nets filtered through 5 cubic meters of water. In other words, how many krill would you estimate we would find per cubic meter in this part of the ocean.  Check in the next blog post for both answers.

Career Spotlight: James Walker, Chief Boatswain.

portrait of man wearing a gray shirt and a gray bucket hat. he stands against the wall of a hallway and we can see a hatch door behind him.
Chief Boatswain James Walker

James Walker serves as Chief Boatswain on NOAA Ship Pisces where he manages a 7-person department. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources from Park University. Having retired from serving 20-years in the Navy and serving as the Upward Bound Activities Coordinator for the University of Tennessee, James joined NOAA 18 years ago.

He is responsible for running the gear for our science experiments – cranes, hydro wrenches, A-frames, net grills, bongo nets, and CTD rosettes – as well as watch, lookout, and security.  Without James and his crew, the experiments could not happen.

He loves playing all sports, especially bowling and baseball. His favorite tool is his computer because it keeps him informed of what is happening on the ship and in the world, but mainly because it keeps him in touch with his family. With his wife and nine children back home in Tennessee (ok, one child escaped to Mississippi), staying in touch is an important task!

photo of a wooden plaque with 25 engraved nameplates. the plaque is titled NOAA Ship Pisces (R 226) Plankowners. A line drawing of NOAA Ship Pisces is mounted toward the top of the plaque, above the nameplates.
Do you see James Walker’s name on the plaque?

Interesting Things: James Walker is also a NOAA Ship Pisces plank owner. That means he is a part of the original crew (since 2009) and has been responsible for establishing the operations. We don’t use that term in the Education-world, but if we did, we would say that Kris Bennet, Heather Earp, Chris Lee, Don Roncska, and Yvette Truman are West Johnston High School plank owners. These five teachers have been at West Johnston since 2003, the first year it was a four-year high school. Plank owners have a way of keeping things even-keeled. I think that every school should have a plank owner plaques!

Personal Log

When I was in high school, my Chemistry teacher Lavonda Ritchie showed me a styrofoam cup that had been sent to the bottom of the ocean and had shrunk. I thought that was the coolest thing ever. But now I have my own styrofoam cup. and bird. and ball. and another cup. I am SOOOOO excited to show my students! Thank you Mrs. Ritchie!!!

stryrofoam birds, decorated with marker to resemble specific species, lines up on a table top.
now shrunken stryrofoam birds, decorated with marker to resemble specific species, lines up on a table top. a plain white unshrunken bird foam sits nearby for comparison.

Before and after…. our styrofoam birdies shrunk! The picture on the left is before they were sent to the bottom of the ocean. The white, undecorated, styrofoam bird on the right is another way to see how big the birds were before the dive. Increased pressure from all the water molecules pushing down on them at the bottom of the ocean decreased the volume of gas trapped in the styrofoam. The cups and cones (below) were also part of the fun experiment!

line of styrofoam cups on a table; the first one is plain and regular size, and the others are decorated and shrunk
three styrofoam cones: the first is white and full size, the other two are decorated and shrunk

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Dorothy Holley: Moving Metal, August 11, 2025

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Dorothy Holley

Aboard NOAA Ship Pisces

July 31 – August 15, 2025

Blog Post #6

Mission: Northeast Ecosystem Monitoring Survey (EcoMon)

Geographic Area of Cruise: Northwest Atlantic Ocean

Date: August 11, 2025

Weather Data from Bridge:
Latitude: 3956.51 N
Longitude: 07043.5 W
Relative Wind speed: 17
Wind Direction: 336
Air Temperature: 23.6
Sea Surface Temperature: 24.965
Barometric Pressure: 1022.81
Speed Over Ground: 9.8
Water Conductivity: 5.326
Water Salinity: 35.03125

close-up of the buoy portion of the drifter; it is a white fiberglass ball covered in stickers and marker decorations
close-up of the buoy portion of the drifter; it is a white and blue fiberglass ball covered in stickers and marker decorations
Dorothy and Miles, wearing life vests, stand near the railing of NOAA Ship Pisces, and together hold up the drifter buoy and its folded up drogue
Dorothy and Miles, wearing life vests, stand at the rail just after deploying the drifting buoy. it is a lovely day, with some sunset colors and only a few clouds
view of the ocean with the drifting buoy perhaps barely visible in the distance

Miles and Dorothy launch the drifter!

First, Janice from NC is asking about the drifters! In my first blog I mentioned the Global Drifter Program. Since 1979 countries have been placing and monitoring drifters around the world to better understand and make better predictions . Amanda, Miles and I launched the last of our drifters yesterday.

Sam Ouertani, CIMAS (UMiami/NOAA) Research Associate, provided the following answers to Janice’s questions:
How long are the drifters collecting information? 
> Drifters typically collect data until the drifter runs aground, the batteries die, or the sensors die. Most drifters are able to collect data for 450 days, however they typically lose their drogue within a year. Without a drogue, data from drifters cannot be used to accurately estimate the surface current velocities, but drifters are still able to measure sea surface temperature and other parameters if equipped with additional sensors. 

Are there cameras on the drifters? 
> Unfortunately, Global Drifter Program drifters don’t have cameras but several programs in NOAA have started to add cameras. The National Data Buoy Center has added cameras to almost 100 buoys. I believe the Arctic Buoy Program has started adding cameras to observe sea ice conditions, but footage is not yet available.

Do they collect data about depth of the ocean? 
>Drifters only collect data at the surface of the ocean; therefore they don’t measure any parameters below the surface, and they do not measure sea floor depth. Another NOAA program, Argo, collects temperature, salinity, and pressure below the ocean surface, but Argo floats do not reach the bottom of the ocean. 

Where’s the deepest part?
>The deepest part of the ocean is the Challenger Deep, 35,876 feet deep or over 6.7 miles deep, located in the Mariana Trench. Humans measured this depth by lowering a rope from a submersible vehicle. 

Thank you Sam for such thorough answers, and thank you Janice for asking! You can find more information about the drifters we launched here.

Second, an answer to the math problem from the last BLOG: On the First Christmas Bird Count, 18,500 individual birds were logged by the 27 participants. On average, 685 birds were seen by each person. That’s a lot of birds! (The numbers 25, 89, and 1990 were not used to solve the problem.) How do you think that number compares to today’s counts?

three men pose for a photo in the engine room. Glen, in the middle, sports a gray NOAA logo hoodie with the number R 226 - NOAA Ship Pisces' hull ID number.
Engineers Drew, Glen, and Eric on NOAA Ship Pisces

Science at Sea: If steel is heavier than water, how does the 1840-metric ton Pisces stay afloat? Her density, that’s how! The total volume of water she displaces (including steel, people, parts, and air) must have less mass than that same volume of saltwater. Saltwater’s density is 1.025 g/mL, that’s more dense than freshwater, making it easier for you to float in the ocean. You might remember the Titanic sank when it hit an iceberg, ripping the hull and allowing water to enter and add more mass to the ship.

I recently was given a tour of Pisces hull space by the fabulous Engineering Department. They literally make everything run.

bright red door to the engine room, with a window showing equipment inside. Signs on the door read: DANGER - High Noise Level. Double Ear Protection Required. DANGER. Eye hazard area. Wear eye protection.
on a wall of the engine room, painted in red above a collection of hanging wrenches, are the words SAFETY FIRST
two fire extinguishers mounted on a railing

Safety is paramount

With ear plugs safely protecting my eardrums, we traveled down into the engine space. Safety is paramount. Fire stations can reach any point on the ship with 2 different hoses. There are 2 or 4 of everything – fire hoses, engines, generators, AC units, proportion motors, you name it – because EVERYTHING needs a backup. There are traditional CO2 fire extinguishers, but I’ve never been to a school that had a CO2 flooding system like the engine room has. Carbon-dioxide (CO2) breaks the oxygen side of the fire triangle by displacing oxygen in the combustion reaction, effectively stopping the reaction. If you were taught to “stop, drop, and roll,” you learned another way to smother the fire. The CO2 flooding system is so powerful that it cannot be used without doing a full body count of the people onboard to make sure no one is in the engine room.

a man stands in the engine room, his right hand resting on an unidentified piece of equipment
Engineer Eric
a man in a blue jumpsuit, with ear protection resting over his shoulder, stands in front of a narrow desk in the engine deck, posing a bit for the photo
Engineer Travis
Dorothy poses for a photo in the middle of an engine room with metal grated floors, many wires, unidentified equipment
Dorothy tours the engine room
oily water separator. close up view of a control panel and a warning plaque that reads: Discharge of Oil Prohibited
Oily water separator

Engineers Eric (left) and Travis (right) show Dorothy how water, electricity, and power are provided

Our first stop was the water maker unit. The water needed for cooking, bathing, and drinking can be distilled from ocean water or processed through reverse osmosis. Both options are available on Pisces. Past the expansion tanks and power distribution units Engineer Eric pointed out the refrigeration system for our Chemistry lab above. We freeze chlorophyll samples taken in one of our CTD projects in an ultra low freezer maintained at -75oC. I was looking at the equipment that was making the freezer work. Air compressors, generators, and motors make the 600-volt electricity on board, step it down to 480 volts for the major machinery, and down even farther to 110 volts for the outlet in my stateroom to charge my cellphone.

Dorothy stands in front of some equipment in the engine room.
Dorothy takes notes during her tour of the engine room

We continued inspecting the machinery that runs Pisces and enables our teams to fulfil our mission. Another piece of equipment that resembles an instrument from our chemistry lab is the centrifuge. It is used to purify the diesel fuel. These pull out the heavier impurities and store water, the lightest part of the mixture, underneath. You might have seen centrifuges at work in the dairy industry. Understanding the science of the engine room helps the science outside the engine room work even better!  

piece of metal equipment
equipment, painted bright blue.
close up view of a computer screen
view down a narrow hallway, lined with reflective tape, in the engine room

Schematic (bottom left) of the 2 generators and 2 propulsion motors (down walkway on right). Water maker unit (top left) and refrigeration system (middle left) .

More information on Pisces: The ship is 206 feet long, is capable of trawling up to 6,000 feet, and can lift 8,000 pounds. She also has a “quiet hull” which helps reduce underwater sound. Maybe that’s why the whales and dolphins get so close?!

view down at metal flooring in the engine room, interspersed with see-through metal grating. we see two sets of legs.
Feel the power!

You do the Math: If each of the engine’s cylinders displacement is 51 liters, and it has 12 cylinders, what is the total displacement of the engine? Compare this with a car engine which holds 2-3 liters.  Check in the next blog post for the answer.

To increase the speed of the ship requires an increase in power, but this is not a directly proportional relationship. Doubling the speed requires the power to be cubed. Engineer Eric described the importance of understanding fuel use on ships, math is money! Large container ships easily spend $300,000 a day on fuel. Saving 1% translates to $30,000 savings.

Decorated styrofoam shapes in a mesh bag on a table
view of the lower portion of the CTD rosette, showing a mesh bag filled with colored styrofoam pieces attached underneath the apparatus

Styrofoam science experiment…. submerged 500 meters…. inverse relationship between pressure and volume predicts the air pockets in the styrofoam will decrease when the pressure is increased. What do you think will happen?

Interesting Things: I am surprised by the ways I have been prepared for life on a boat by classroom life in a public school. At West Johnston High School, in Benson, NC, we have fire drills at least once a month. On a boat, we have safety drills at least once a week. The horn blows a series of long and/or short blasts to let us know if there is a fire, a “MAN OVERBOARD”, or if we need to “ABANDON SHIP!”

Dorothy stands on deck, wearing a fully zipped orange survival suit, holding her arms wide for the photo. the sky and water are bright blue in the background.
a fast rescue boat speeds across the water

Everyone must get into their Gumby suit in less than a minute during an emergency fire drill. The FRB (Fast Reserve Boat) practices the man overboard rescue!

group photo - taken by a camera set up on a table with a timer, we discern from the table in the foreground - of 10 people on the aft deck of NOAA Ship Pisces, seated around a picnic table underneath a canvas shade awning.
The Science team on NOAA Ship Pisces EcoMon Summer 2025

Career Spotlight: Meet NOAA Ship Pisces’ new CO! Commander Sinquefield.

a man in a NOAA Corps uniform stands on the bridge of NOAA Ship Pisces, facing a head, holding an intercom up to his ear and smiling.
Commander Sinquefield, NOAA Ship Pisces

Did you know there was a Change of Command last month? Our new CO brings a wealth of knowledge and a desire to be a good leader. He showed me around the bridge this week and shared some of his background (BTW, the view on the bridge is amazing!). CDR Sinquefield’s command philosophy is to respect yourself, respect your shipmates, and respect your ship. Likewise, take care of yourself, take care of your shipmates, and take care of your ship. He believes in personal communication and fresh air.

The things he likes about being CO? He likes seeing things you just can’t see on shore, the continuity of historical traditions (like the language, for instance the word “starboard,” has had meaning for 1000 years), training, the opportunity to put into action leadership skills that he was taught and learned through leaders he admired, and regulations. OK, regulations might be pushing it, but he did say he had great respect for the loss of life that has prompted many of the regulations in the shipping industry today.

Growing up in Mississippi, he joined the Coast Guard to complete the trifecta of working in cotton fields, chicken plants, and river tugboats. CDR Sinquefield worked on three different ships while in the Coast Guard, hauled more 80-lb batteries up Alaskan mountains to replenish navigation lights than he’d care to remember, and became familiar with NOAA projects that informed fisheries reports on the west coast. He left the Coast Guard as ship assignments became highly competitive as the service was taking older ships offline at a greater rate then they were being replaced.  He left the USCG and he joined NOAA as a civilian, later joining NOAA’s uniformed service, the NOAA Corps.

a hand points to a spot on a map displayed on a computer monitor.
a man in a blue NOAA Corps uniform and black NOAA sweatshirt stands on the bridge. He grasps a metal bar mounted along the ceiling with his right hand and smiles for a photo.
view through one window of the bridge over an outer deck. mounted on or in the window is a cylinder surrounded by a circle.

CO teaches the teacher about maps available for navigation. ENS Howsman (top right) stands watch on the bridge. The center of the circular device (bottom right) spins so fast during cold weather it keeps the area ice free.

CDR Sinquefield was able to earn his commercial shipping license, but doesn’t plan on driving a Mississippi tug boat anytime soon. He stands firm with NOAA’s of 10,000 people, 7 line offices, 15 research and survey ships, and 10 specialized environmental data collecting aircraft. The extraordinary mammals – we’re talking seals and blue whales here – affirm his career choice every. single. day.    

Personal Log

Life on is very different from life on land. We work 12-hour shifts. Everyone gets to walk to work – I take 53 steps (10 of them are down 1 staircase) from my cabin door to the door of the dry lab. I take 19 steps to the mess hall for lunch and dinner. There are 67 steps (up 3 staircases) from my door to the Flying Bridge where I see gulls, Mola mola, a full view of the sun in the day, and a sky load of stars at night. I am there now, working on this Blog post when I am not distracted by nature.

Dorothy takes a selfie from a chair on the deck of NOAA Ship Pisces. She is wearing a pink shirt with the outline of the state of North Carolina and the word "Teacher." Her laptop rests on her knees.
Dorothy “working” on this BLOG on the Flying Bridge

One thing that is the same on a boat is the need to wash clothes (probably more frequently since everything had to fit in a carry-on bag and I needed that fleece sleeping bag just in case!). Here is a picture of the laundry room. The ship has 3 washers, 3 dryers, and all the detergent you need.

Dorothy takes a selfie next to a stack of washing machines
close up view of label on dryer that reads: Clean lint trap after each use.

Dorothy checks out the washer and dryer on board. Detergent is provided. The most important rule when using is to clean out the dryer lint trap before AND after using. Extra Credit if you can tell me why!

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Dorothy Holley: Basking Sharks, Great Shearwaters, and Phronima Amphipods, Oh My! August 9, 2025

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Dorothy Holley

Aboard NOAA Ship Pisces

July 31 – August 15, 2025

Mission: Northeast Ecosystem Monitoring Survey (EcoMon)

Geographic Area of Cruise: Northwest Atlantic Ocean

Date: August 9, 2025

Weather Data from Bridge:
Latitude: 4118.447 N
Longitude: 06649.365 W
Relative Wind speed: 17
Wind Direction: 314
Air Temperature: 18.8
Sea Surface Temperature: 18.979
Barometric Pressure: 1022.28
Speed Over Ground: 8.7
Water Conductivity: 4.348
Water Salinity: 32.04

closer view of a great shearwater in flight, as seen from above. we can make out the dark head, white throat, patterned back. the water is rippled blue and white.
a great shearwater, visible only as a silhouette, swoops low over calm waters reflecting an orange sunset
a great shearwater swoops low over calm blue waters
side view of great shearwater in flight; we can see its white underside well. it flies above calm waters reflecting a blue and pink sunset.

Photos of Great Shearwaters in flight by Cameron Cox, NOAA Seabird and Marine Wildlife Observer

First, A blog-reader texted me to say that it looked like I was having fun! Yes, while NOTHING could be more fun than your birthday party, Teacher-At-Sea is at the top of the list of fun teacher-things to do! I hope that ALL teachers, especially those from North Carolina, will apply to be a NOAA Teacher at Sea as we continue to grow strong STEM ecosystems while helping our communities make informed decisions.  Thanks for reading Elaine!

Second, an answer to last BLOG’s math problem: If 1 knot = 1.15 mph, and the ship is traveling 8 knots, a stop 15 miles away will take us a little over 1 and a half hours (about 1.6 hours) to reach.

a woman sits in an observation chair on the flying bridge
Allison Black, NOAA Seabird and Marine Wildlife Observer

Science at Sea

Animal monitoring is an active part of our floating weather station. A dolphin sighting texted through WhatsApp brings lots of off duty folks up to see. The NOAA Corps on the bridge keep a constant vigil to make sure we don’t hit a whale. But the “Seabird and Marine Mammal Observers” are a functional part of our Science team. They spend their daylight hours on the Flying Bridge scanning the horizon and recording their findings. The species, group size, and photos are catalogued and stored for long term monitoring. This data can be used to estimate bird and mammal abundance in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean now as well as set baseline data through AMAPPS (Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species). NOAA Scientists are conducting surveys and developing abundance and distribution models to better understand how protected species such as whales, dolphins, and sea turtles use our waters. (Read more here)

illustration of a NOAA vessel in the ocean; nearby are silhouettes of birds in flight and marine mammals swimming
Diagram of an observer on the flying bridge a NOAA ship looking for seabirds and marine mammals.
Credit: Su Kim, NOAA Fisheries

Career Spotlight

Cameron Cox has been able to turn his love of birdwatching into a career. As a Seabird and Marine Mammal Observer Scientist on NOAA Ship Pisces, he can be found on the Flying Bridge during the daylight hours.

portrait of a man wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, banana around nectk, sitting at a wooden table on the deck of NOAA Ship Oregon II. a closed laptop and a fancy camera sit on the table.
Cameron Cox, NOAA Seabird and Marine Wildlife Observer

Cameron’s passion for birding kinda snuck up on him. He remembers hiking with a neighborhood friend who had started birdwatching for a hobby. At age 13, Cameron was hooked. Since he was homeschooled, Cameron was able to carve out time to pursue this new interest. He spent his 20’s traveling around the United States looking at birds. He had a 2-thousand-dollar car and 6-thousand dollars worth of optics – binoculars, camera, and spotting scope.  

Cameron explained to me that the long term monitoring projects are hard for Universities and non government organization (NGOs) to fund, which is why our NOAA work is so valuable. The data sets are free and readily available to everyone. Unfortunately, when the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill decimated the Gulf Coast, there wasn’t baseline data available for recovery and accountability. He was able to assist in creating possible baseline data by performing Seabird and Marine Observations off the coast of Florida, a similar ecosystem.

These days, Cameron leads birdwatching tours in what he calls “Environmental Entertainment.” He loves watching others connect with the importance of the natural world, and hopes to help them become conservationists. Cameron has also published two books, Terns of North American: a Photographic Guide, and a Peterson Reference Guide to Seawatching: Eastern Waterbirds in Flight, co-written with Ken Behrens. Writing at the rate of one book a decade, his ongoing projects will ensure he has a long life! This is Cameron’s first time being a Seabird and Marine Mammal observer with NOAA. We hope it is not his last!

the silhouette of a bird banks low above the water, reflecting a firey sunset
Wilson’s Storm Petrel. Photo by Cameron Cox.

Interesting Things: The Seabird and Marine Mammal Scientist Observers onboard are monitoring lots of animals specifically, but there are other animals we are studying or just find in our nets.

top down view of a blue crab resting in a white bucket containing a couple inches of water
a blue crab rests in the corner of a large red bin, filled with a few inches of water

Engineer Drew found this crab in our sea strainers (they strain the water used around the engines). ET Alex named her Crustacina (spelt like crustacean, but pronounced like Cristina). We will keep her on-board until we can get to more shallow waters for release.

NOAA Scientists are collaborating with a group in Miami to study ocean acidification on pteropods’ shells. The phronima amphipod (see video below) inspired the movie alien. They commandeer a salp, eat the flesh, and then lay eggs in the empty pouch.    

Phronima amphipod (left) and salp pouch (right)
For 50 years….. Basking Shark Videoed by ENS Keene-Connole
close-up view of a small fish on a petri dish
microscope set up, with petri dishes and pipettes nearby
a phronima amphipod in a petri dish

A microscope is always ready to check out the latest find!

Personal Log

Have you heard of or participated in the Christmas Bird Count (CBC)? Started in 1900 by 27 dedicated birders, this GOAT Citizen Science Project provides long term data sets that help conservation biologists of all forms study long term bird health and guide conservation actions. The CBC is one example of how good can win (Side Hunt, no link will be provided). Consider joining a Christmas Bird Count this year to learn more about Citizen Science and the importance of long term data sets (see CBC ).

You do the Math: The First Christmas Bird Count was held December 25, 1900. If 18,500 individual birds representing 89 different species were logged by the 27 participants, how many different birds were seen (on average) by each person? Check in the next blog post for the answer.

a line of styrofoam birds - all the same base shape, but decorated with marker to resemble specific species, including a puffin and a cardinal - sitting on a tabletop.
These styrofoam birdies are going to be a science experiment of their own…. stay tuned!