NOAA Teacher at Sea
Caitlin Thompson Aboard NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada August 1 — 14, 2011
Mission: Pacific Hake Survey Geographical Area: Pacific Ocean, Off the U.S. West Coast Date: July 24, 2011
NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada
This Sunday, I’m headed off to sea! The mission of my cruise is to survey Pacific hake (also called Pacific whiting) populations. Hake is a species of fish that supports a huge fishery off the West Coast. As it states on NOAA’s Fishwatch website, “The Pacific whiting (hake) fishery is one of the largest in the United States. Pacific whiting is primarily made into surimi, a minced fish product used to make imitation crab and other products. Some whiting is also sold as fillets.” I’ll leave from Newport, Oregon, and arrive two weeks later in Port Angeles, Washington. The ship, the Bell M. Shimada, belongs to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). I get to go on the Shimada because of NOAA’s program Teacher at Sea (TAS), which sends teachers aboard research vessels so that we can increase our scientific literacy and bring our new knowledge back to the classroom. I can’t wait. I’ve never even spent a night aboard a ship, so this whole journey will be new for me.
I teach seventh and eighth grade integrated science at Floyd Light Middle School, in the David Douglas School District, in Portland, Oregon. I earned my Master’s in Education at Portland State University and my Bachelor’s of Art in Environmental Science at Mills College, in Oakland, California. In between, I taught English at a public elementary school in Curico, Chile. I love science and I love teaching. As soon as I decided to become a teacher, I made up my mind to participate in TAS, because it will help me teach my students the importance and fun of science.
At a dragon boat race
When I’m not teaching, I paddle with a dragon boat team, spend time with friends and family, and ride my bicycle. I’m always looking for new projects and new things to learn. I’m lucky to live in a city as great as Portland, where there are always interesting events going on around town.
NOAA Teacher at Sea: Karen Matsumoto Onboard NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette April 19 – May 4, 2010
NOAA Ship: Oscar Elton Sette Mission: Transit/Acoustic Cetacean Survey Geographical Area: North Pacific Ocean; transit from Guam to Oahu, Hawaii, including Wake Is. Date: Friday, April 25, 2010
Science and Technology Log
The Oscar Elton Sette is making its way to Wake Island, and we hope to be there by tonight. One of the research operations is to recover a HARP (High-frequency Acoustic Recording Package) that is in place on Wake Island and replace it with a new HARP unit.
This morning, I was on “CTD duty” at 4:30 a.m. A CTD (conductivity-temperature-depth) station is deployed prior to the start of the visual survey effort, right at sunrise. The CTD data is collected using the ship’s SeaBird CTD shown below. The CTD is deployed to a depth of 1000 meters (depending on depth where we are) with a descent rate of about 30 meters per minute for the first 100 meters of the cast, then at 60 meters per minute after that. It takes three people, plus a winch driver to deploy the CTD, as well as the expert operation from the bridge to keep the ship steady and in one place during the entire operation!
Checking the CTD unit prior to launch.Launching the CTD unit.
Background on CTDs
The CTD is a device that can reach 1,000 meters or more in depth, taking up to five water samples at different depths, and making other measurements on a continuous basis during its descent and ascent. Temperature and pressure are measured directly. Salinity is measured indirectly by measuring the conductivity of water to electricity.
Chlorophyll, a green photosynthetic pigment, is measured indirectly by a fluorometer that emits purple light and measures fluorescence in response to that light. These measurements are made continuously, providing a profile of temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll as a function of depth. The CTD unit is torpedo-shaped and is part of a larger metal water sampling array known as a rosette. Multiple water sampling bottles are often attached to the rosette to collect water at different depths. Information is sent back to the ship along a wire while the instrument is lowered to the depth specified by the scientist and then brought back to the surface.
Monitoring the CTD in the ship’s E-lab.Data gathered from the CTD during its descent.
By analyzing information about the water’s physical parameters, scientists can make inferences about the occurrence of certain biological processes, such as the growth of algae. Knowledge like this can, in turn, lead scientists to a better understanding of such factors as species distribution and abundance in particular areas of the ocean.
I am continuing my acoustic work with the sonobuoys. Today I heard a Minke whale BOING! Below is what a Minke whale boing looks like on the computer. It sounds very much like someone blowing a low tonal whistle or a cell phone vibrating on the desk!
To hear an Atlantic minke whale call (which is different from those found here in the North Pacific, but really cool!) go to this website:
I am making so many great friends among the Sette crew and the science team! I am getting spoiled from all the fantastic meals put together by Randy our cook, and no one ever wants to miss a meal! Our wonderful Doc Tran makes incredible Vietnamese dishes and delicious desserts. Today we had cream puffs for dinnertime dessert! Who would have ever guessed!
Marie Hill, our Chief Scientist and fearless leader was awarded the prestigious NOAA Team Member Award! We surprised her with balloons and decorations in her cabin, and Doc Tran and Lisa made a yummy cake in celebration! Congratulations Marie!!!
Marie Hill, Chief Scientist finding her cabin wildly decorated to congratulate her on her award.
We had a visitor today on the flying bridge-an exhausted juvenile red-footed booby! He sat on the mast, finding a place to rest in the middle of the ocean! It felt great to feel the warm wind hit my face and watch the sapphire blue water crash against the bow of the ship! What a great feeling!
Juvenile red-footed booby on the bridgeDeep blue Pacific ocean water!
Question of the Day: How can you figure out how much food to bring on a 2-week cruise? How do you keep the food fresh? What do you do with leftovers?
This is the situation that the Chief steward has to deal with on every cruise! How would you figure this out? Can you do the math?
New Term/Phrase/Word of the Day: Beaufort Sea State is an empirical measure for describing wind speed based mainly on observed sea conditions. It is also called the Beaufort Wind Force Scale. We stop conducting our visual observations when wind/sea conditions reach Beaufort 7, as wind and sea conditions are too rough to accurately make observations (and its windy out there!).
Something to Think About:
This part of the North Pacific is often described as an ocean desert. We have not seen any whales, and have had only a couple sightings of dolphins since we left Guam. We have also seen migrating sea birds, but not in huge numbers. What do you think may account for the lack of sea life in this expanse of tropical waters?
Animals Seen Today:
Sooty tern
Red-footed booby (juvenile)
Did you know?
That the team of whale visual observers never discuss the numbers of animals they see among themselves. Some people consistently count high, others count low, others are spot on! By not discussing how many animals they observed, they don’t influence each others’ observations. Back at the lab, researchers compare each observer’s counts from their written observations, and can tell which observers tend to under or overestimate numbers of animals they see. They can then make adjustments to total numbers based on everyone’s observations! This is similar to calibrating thermometers or other scientific equipment!
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Mary Anne Pella-Donnelly
Onboard NOAA Ship David Jordan Starr September 8-22, 2008
Mission: Leatherback Use of Temperate Habitats (LUTH) Survey Geographical Area: Pacific Ocean –San Francisco to San Diego Date: September 19, 2008
Weather Data from the Bridge
Latitude: 3624.8888 N Longitude: 12243.8013 W
Wind Direction: 261 (compass reading) SW
Wind Speed: 8.0 knots
Surface Temperature: 16.385
Figure indicating migration of different genetic stocks of Pacific leatherback turtles.
Science and Technology Log
Turtle Genetics
Peter Dutton is the turtle specialist on board, having studied sea turtles for 30 years. His research has taken him all over the tropical Pacific to collect samples, study behaviors and learn more about Dermochelys coriacea, the leatherback turtle. Mitochondrial DNA (is clonal=only one copy) is only inherited maternally (from the mother), so represents mother’s genetic information (DNA), while nuclear DNA has two copies, one inherited from the mother and the other from the father .By looking at the genetic fingerprint encoded in nuclear DNA it is possible to compare hatchling “DNA fingerprints”, with their mother’s and figure out what the father’s genetic contribution was. This paternity (father’s identifying DNA) analysis has produced some intriguing results.
Peter Dutton looking for turtles with the ‘big eyes’.
An analysis of chick embryos or hatchling DNA indicates all eggs were fertilized throughout the season from the same dad. It is thought that the female must store sperm in her reproductive system. Successively, throughout the nesting season, a female will lay several clutches, one clutch at a time. Females come in to the beach for a brief period (leatherbacks – approx 1.5 hrs) every 9-10 days to lay eggs for the 3 or 4 month nesting season (they lay up to 12). Sometimes it is the same beach; sometimes it is a beach nearby. Research done on other sea turtles is showing some species have actually produced offspring with other species of sea turtle. One example is of a hawksbill turtle with a loggerhead turtle in Brazil. In this case, the phenotype appeared to indicate one species, while the DNA analysis indicates the animal was a hybrid, with a copy of DNA from each of the two different species. At some point geneticists may need to re-define what constitutes a “species”.
The last few eggs most of the leatherback turtles lay are infertile, yolkless eggs. No one is certain about the function of these eggs, although several theories have been suggested. Many unknowns exist about these turtles. Scientists have not yet found a means to determine the age of individual sea turtles, so no one knows how long-lived they are. The early genetic research on leatherbacks showed some information that surprised the scientists. It had been thought that all leatherbacks foraging off the northwestern coast of USA originated in the eastern tropical Pacific, from nesting beaches in Mexico. Careful DNA analysis, however, found that animals at California foraging grounds are part of the western Pacific genetic stock recently identified by Dutton and colleagues. Both Peter and Scott have emphasized that there is still much to learn, and they have just begun, however, much has also been learned during the past six years, including the origin of leatherbacks that utilize California waters.
Personal Log
Yesterday the sun came out and it was a glorious evening. A group of us watched the sunset from the flying bridge, and then later watched the moon rise. It was spectacular, and with the ‘big eyes’, it was possible to see many of the moon’s craters. The stars were also magnificent! Today has been cloudy with a layer of fog eventually drenching the boat. This weather has made yesterdays blue skies all the sweeter.
Words of the Day
Mitochondrial DNA: DNA found within the mitochondria – originates from the mother; Clonal: identical to the original; Clutch: a single batch of eggs, laid together; Hybrid: one gene from one species and the second gene from a second species; Species: an organism that can mate with another of its own kind and produce fertile offspring.
Geneticists are beginning to obtain new tools to figure out how similar animals are related to each other. What are some questions you have related to leatherback turtle genetics?
Scott’s turtle map shows that leatherbacks nesting in the Western Pacific migrate across the Pacific to the coast of North America, while leatherbacks that nest in Costa Rica only migrate to waters off the South American coast. Why might some populations stay in the same region, while others cross the Pacific Ocean?
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Mary Anne Pella-Donnelly
Onboard NOAA Ship David Jordan Starr September 8-22, 2008
Mission: Leatherback Use of Temperate Habitats (LUTH) Survey Geographical Area: Pacific Ocean –San Francisco to San Diego Date: September 18, 2008
Weather Data from the Bridge
Latitude: 3543.3896 N Longitude: 12408.3432 W
Wind Direction: 129 (compass reading) SE
Wind Speed: 7.8 knots
Surface Temperature: 17.545
Blue shark seen on 9/18
Science and Technology Log
Today was an exciting one scientifically. The team has been examining all of the oceanographic data so far in order to pinpoint frontal edges for further data collection. They selected a point last night that might contain a biologically rich layer and hopefully, with jellies. After closely looking over every thing they have learned on this trip so far and plotting a destination to sample, we traveled to that station. We found an ocean water ‘river’ full of kelp, moon jellies, sea nettles and pelagic birds! It was exactly where the team predicted there might be a biotic stream!! This confirmed that offshore habitats can be found using oceanographic data and satellite imaging. There certainly were offshore areas that would give leatherbacks a chance to eat their fill. And through that period, the sun came up! With only a slight breeze, the flying deck was warm and relaxing. It put us all into excellent spirits.
Personal Log
Ray Capati shows off his Turtle Cake.
A few days ago, the chief steward made a cake- there are daily baked goods offered in the mess hall. This cake, however, was decorated for the LUTH Survey with turtles, kelp and jellyfish! Today would have been another good day for that treat. It is also time to get some pictures with C.J. our school mascot. He was pretty happy to get out and see the ship. He even tried to help up on the flying bridge, but without thumbs, it was hard for him to enter in observation comments.
Animals Seen Today
Moon jellies Aurelia labiata, Sea nettle jellies Chrysaora fuscescens, Salps Salpida spp., Sea gooseberries Pleurobrachia bachei, Red phalaropes Phalaropus fulicaria, Cuvier’s beaked whales Ziphius cavirostris, Common dolphins Delphinus delphis, Blue sharks Prionace glauca, and Arctic terns Sterna paradisaea.
C.J. helps out on the flying bridge.
Questions of the Day
What might be some oceanographic conditions that would create a water mass filled with kelp and jellyfish?
What other organisms (than we observed) might be attracted to such a water mass?
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Mary Anne Pella-Donnelly
Onboard NOAA Ship David Jordan Starr September 8-22, 2008
Mission: Leatherback Use of Temperate Habitats (LUTH) Survey Geographical Area: Pacific Ocean –San Francisco to San Diego Date: September 17, 2008
Weather Data from the Bridge
Latitude: 3614.8661 W Longitude: 12402.7415 N
Wind Direction: 190 (compass reading) SW
Wind Speed: 2.1 knots
Surface Temperature: 15.230
Science and Technology Log
Above is a spreadsheet of some of the Chrysaora fuscescens data that was collected on September 15. The first trawl was at 4:48 pm, the second at 6:39 pm and the third at 8:20 pm. A fourth trawl was deployed at 10:49 pm. A total of 204 jellies were sorted and measured. Of these, the first 7jellies measured from trawl numbers’ 46, 47 and 48 are recorded above. All of the species in this data set are Chrysaora fuscescens. Using the spreadsheet, create a graph that compares mass to length for these 21 animals. When you believe you have completed this, answer the questions listed below.
Questions:
Is your graph complete?
Check to see if you have included; all units-mass in kilograms, length in millimeters; a legend that includes the code of the points; title for each axis(length of jelly in millimeters, mass of jelly in kilograms); title for graph.
Did you make a scatter plot, bar graph or line graph? The best choice would be a scatter plot, this may give an indication of patterns in the relationship between length and mass.
Can you see any pattern? Is there a relationship between mass and length? This would be indicated by a linear pattern in the points?
Do there appear to be any points that do not fit a general pattern? What might cause these points that do not fit the norm to exist?
Compare your graph with the one shown below, generated by the computer.
These Chrysaora fuscescens were caught in “jelly lane”, in the waters near Pacifica, CA that are known to have large jelly populations. It is also an area known for leatherback sightings because of this food source. A great deal of information is known about the oceanographic conditions in this near-shore habitat. The reason the LUTH survey is crisscrossing off the continental shelf, is that much less is known about deeper offshore waters as a potential food source for migrating leatherbacks. The routes they travel on must have some food available, so we are working to find out where that is, and gain information about relationships to oceanographic variables so that researchers will be able to eventually estimate where that food is using satellite images that will be translated into jellyfish habitat.
Chico Gomez and Scott Benson sorting jellies.
Personal Log
There was quite a bit of excitement today up on the flying bridge. Although we were traveling out beyond the continental shelf, we moved over a front of water that had an abundance of moon jellies. It was unexpected and the scientific team became very excited. New plans were made based on this observation and a decision was made to cross back across the front and collect temperature data within the water column every 10 minutes. Quantitative observations were made of all jellies seen port and starboard and a net trawl was deployed at one point along the zone of interest. It was quite a day. We also spotted blue sharks, ocean sunfish, and a swordfish jumping. It was a good day.
Animals Seen Today
Extracting stomach contents from large C. fuscescens
Sooty shearwater Puffinus griseus
Sea nettle jellies Chrysaora fuscescens
Moon jellies Aurelia aurita
Northern Fur seal Callorhinus ursinus
Elephant seal Mirounga angustirostris
Swordfish Xiphias gladius
Blue shark Prionace glauca
Buller’s shearwater Puffinus bulleri
Ocean sunfish Mola mola
Rhinoceros auklet Cererhinca monocerata
Black-footed Albatross
Phoebastria nigripes
Questions of the Day
What might be possible reasons the scientific team was excited at finding jellyfish out beyond the continental shelf?
The weather has been very calm and mostly overcast. One of the officers told me he would much rather have those conditions, than windy and sunny. What effect might wind have on a sturdy, ocean-going ship?
Ocean sunfish seen from flying bridge.Sunset seen from flying bridge, the first sunset we’ve seen on this leg.
