Tag: plankton

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 31, 2005

Weather Data from the Bridge

Latitude: 41° 26’ N
Longitude: 66° 34’ W
Visibility: <1 mile
Wind direction: NW (306 degrees)
Wind speed: 7 knots
Sea wave height: 1’
Swell wave height: 1’
Sea water temperature: 15°C
Sea level pressure: 1023.3 millibars
Cloud cover: 90% fog, haze, dust

Question of the Day: Predict the mass and size of each scallop pictured above. Match them with the masses and lengths shown below.

Yesterday’s Answer: Answers may be different.

1. flat body allows it to lay camouflaged on the bottom
2. tail fin allows it to move through the water
3. spiny back and tail protect it from predators
4. long, slender body allows it to move faster through the water
5. strong muscle allows it to close the shell to keep out predators
6. strong arms allow it to pry open shells for food

Science and Technology Log

“Scallops are a family of bivalve mollusks; there are several hundred species of scallops, found in marine environments all over the world.  Like most other bivalves, they consume phytoplankton and other small particles by filter-feeding. Unlike many bivalves (e.g., clams, which bury in the sediments), they live on the bottom surface, and can move by swimming. Atlantic sea scallops (Placopecten magellanicus, also known giant scallops or deep sea scallops) live only in the northwest Atlantic from Cape Hatteras to Newfoundland and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Sea scallops usually spawn in late summer or early fall, though spring spawning may also occur. After hatching, larvae stay in the water column for 4-6 weeks. At settlement, they attach to a hard object by means of byssal threads produced by a gland at the end of their foot.”

*Thanks to Dvora Hart, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, for supplying the scallop information. 

On Sunday, I was able to operate the Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth instrument by myself. This instrument is lowered into the water at every third designated stations. Data is collected as the instrument descends to the bottom. This data includes salinity (saltiness), temperature, and depth of the water. This is important since various marine animals require ideal temperatures to survive. Today’s CTD went down to 80 meters (think 80 meter sticks deep) and recorded a temperature of about 5 °C. That ‘s cold!

Personal Log

Scallop Catch 

The heavy dredge is ready for another timely tow,
Expect to catch the scallops, to the surface they will go.
Dropping to the bottom where its 80 meters deep,
Spending fifteen minutes dragging and bringing in the keep.
Then they’re sorted on the surface while hiding in their shell,
The aging/growth ridges on their outside’s what they tell.

 

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 30, 2005

Weather Data from the Bridge

Latitude: 41° 26’ N
Longitude: 66° 34’ W
Visibility: <1 mile
Wind direction: NW (306 degrees)
Wind speed: 7 knots
Sea wave height: 1’
Swell wave height: 1’
Sea water temperature: 15°C
Sea level pressure: 1023.3 millibars
Cloud cover: 90% fog, haze, dust

Question of the Day: What physical adaptations help the animals pictured in numbers 1 – 6 above survive in their environment? Give at least three.

 

 

Yesterday’s Answer: The cloud types shown in yesterday’s pictures are: 1) cirrus and stratus 2) stratus (fog) 3) cirrus 4) cirrus 5) cumulus 6) cirrus and stratus 7) stratus (fog)  8) stratus 9) cumulus (alto-or cirro-cumulus) There were no cumulonimbus (thunderstorm) clouds (which is a good thing). The crew on the Albatross IV was experiencing FAIR weather.

Science and Technology Log

Animal adaptations fall into two general categories – behavioral and physical. The physical adaptations are the structures on the animal that help in survive, while the behavioral adaptations are the actions the animal takes in order to survive. The structures may include fins, body shape, beaks, mouth parts, legs, gills, etc. that are important to the animal’s ability to endure within the habitat. For example, scallops have a hard shell that helps them survive by keeping out predators. The actions that animals may take in order to survive include playing dead, showing teeth, and licking your face. For example, scallops squirt water in order to push themselves away from their predators.

On Saturday we moved into Canadian waters and are now operating in an open area. We essentially have the same tasks to perform at each station, including taking a picture of the catch before it is sorted, weighing and measuring selected species, tagging and bagging requested species, cleaning the workstations after each station, and operating the CTD. More information about the Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth instrument will be shared in tomorrow’s log. Several whales, dolphins, sharks, and porpoises have been spotted. They are difficult to photograph because I never have a camera ready, and they are breaking the surface at unpredictable time.

The table below shows the amount of some of the marine species collected since our survey began.

1. Can you tell which species was the most populated in the areas surveyed?
2. Which species was the least populated?
3. Are there any that have the same or close to the same amount?
4. What’s the difference between the number of the most and least populated totals?

Personal Log

Ocean Sunset 

Stand in awe as the sun begins to finally set,
Awash in orange and red and yellow, it is hard to forget.
What a lasting beauty as the sky begins to glow,
Its splendor in the many colors that it will show.
Waiting for its lasting blaze of light to end the day,
Now I lay me down to sleep. . ., I ask of Him, I pray.

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.