san francisco – Page 3 – NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog

June 6, 2015August 21, 2021

Sandra Camp: Aloha from San Francisco! June 5, 2015

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Sandra Camp
Soon to be aboard NOAA Ship Hi’ialakai
June 14 – 24, 2015

Mission: Main Hawaiian Islands Reef Fish Survey
Geographical area of cruise: Hawaiian Islands, North Pacific Ocean
Date: Friday, June 5, 2015

Personal Log

ocean and bay — The Golden Gate Bridge between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay

My name is Sandra Camp, and I teach math and science to 5^th graders at Robert Louis Stevenson Elementary School in the Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco in northern California. San Francisco is located on a peninsula, which means it is surrounded by water on three sides. On the eastern part of the city lies San Francisco Bay. The western side is bordered by the Pacific Ocean. The famous Golden Gate Bridge spans the divide between these two large and important bodies of water.

The Pacific is sometimes called the “Mother of all Oceans” because it is the largest ocean on our planet. Although we have many beautiful beaches here, in San Francisco the Pacific Ocean is much too cold for humans to swim in. Even though I can’t swim in it, I do love to go tide pooling along the Pacific Ocean, looking for tiny sea creatures when the tide goes out like sea stars, crabs, and anemones.

kelp forest — Kelp Forest – *photo courtesy of NOAA*

Being surrounded by so much water makes us care a great deal about the health of the world’s oceans and the plants and animals that live there. In our part of the Pacific Ocean, there are giant kelp forests. We are also home to many different kinds of marine animals, such as sea otters, harbor seals, elephant seals, crabs, sea lions, bat rays, and sharks. When there are healthy populations of these creatures living off the coast of northern California, it indicates that our part of the Pacific Ocean is healthy.

I am very excited, because in about a week I will be visiting a different part of the Pacific Ocean, a part where the ocean is warm enough to swim in! Hawaii is a chain of islands located in the northern Pacific Ocean. Unlike San Francisco, islands are surrounded on all sides by water, and because the ocean water there is warmer, it allows coral reefs to grow. I will be flying to Honolulu, Hawaii where I will board the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Ship Hi’ialakai at its home port in Pearl Harbor. Do any of you know what Pearl Harbor is famous for? If so, write your answer to me in the comments section of this blog. As a Teacher at Sea, I will spend 10 days aboard the ship while scientists conduct reef fish surveys around the main Hawaiian Islands. This means that they will be studying the fish that normally live in the coral reefs around the islands. If there are healthy populations of these fish in the reefs, then that means the coral reefs are healthy. If not, then that indicates the reefs are having problems. Here is a picture of the Hi’ialakai. Its name means “embracing pathways to the sea” in Hawaiian.

Hi'ialakai — The Hi’ialakai – *photo courtesy of NOAA*

It takes a lot of people to run a ship this big. Stay tuned, because in addition to the scientists, I will introduce some of the people who work aboard the ship to you in my upcoming blogs.

Science and Technology Log

coral polyps — Coral Polyps – *photo courtesy of NOAA*

What exactly is a coral reef, anyway? Coral reefs are ecosystems located in warm, shallow ocean water that are home to a very diverse amount of sea creatures, including fish, crabs, turtles, octopus, sharks, eels, and shrimp. Reefs are structures that are made from the skeletons of colonies of tiny animals called coral. The individual animals that make up the colonies are called polyps. Polyps usually have a cylindrical-shaped body with a mouth surrounded by tentacles at one end. The polyps use these tentacles to catch tiny animals that drift by called zooplankton, which they eat for food.

The coral polyps have a symbiotic relationship with algae. The algae help corals build their skeletons, and the corals provide the algae with protection and compounds they need for photosynthesis. Coral reefs are the largest structures built by animals on Earth! Sadly, coral reefs around the world are in danger because of human factors like pollution, over-fishing, and global warming.

diver — Scientist Diving – *photo courtesy of NOAA*

Most of the scientific work aboard the Hi’ialakai will be conducted by scientists who are scuba diving. While they are under the water, scientists can take pictures of the ocean floor and the coral reefs, as well as count the number of reef fish they find. The information they gather will help them determine if the reefs around Hawaii are healthy places for animals to live. I will be sharing a lot more about the work they do with you in the blogs I write while I am aboard the Hi’ialakai.

Did You Know?

The Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia is over 1400 miles long! Even though coral reefs are the largest structures built by animals and are home to so many diverse species, they cover less than one percent of the ocean floor.

Important Words

peninsula – a body of land surrounded on three sides by water

symbiotic – a relationship between two different species that benefits them both

polyp – the individual body of a coral animal, which is shaped like a cylinder, and has a mouth surrounded by tentacles at one end

zooplankton – tiny aquatic animals

May 22, 2013August 11, 2021

Patty McGinnis: San Francisco–Home to Alcatraz, Angel Island, and Sea Lions, May 22, 2013

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Patty McGinnis
Aboard R/V Ocean Starr
May 20 – 29, 2013

Mission: Juvenile Rockfish Survey
Geographical Area of Cruise: San Francisco
Date: May 22, 2013

Personal Log

Early Monday I flew out of Philadelphia and landed a few hours later on the west coast—a trip that would have taken the pioneer settlers a half a year or more to accomplish. The first leg of my flight landed in Los Angeles, followed by a short hop up north to San Francisco. The plane followed the California coastline nearly the entire time. I found myself mesmerized by the Pacific Ocean as it hugged the shoreline as if to embrace the homes that dotted the land. I had spent many years of my youth growing up in San Diego, and watching the water brought back many memories of lazy summer days complete with gritty sandwiches and sunburned skin.

My first night in San Francisco was spent in a hotel near the airport; yesterday morning I took an expensive (nearly $60!!!) taxi cab to my current accommodation. I was lucky—the hotel had a room free early in the morning so I dumped my bag and went exploring. It was only a short walk to Fisherman’s Wharf—the place where San Francisco fisherman have historically unloaded their catch—most notably the Dungeness crab. The crab gets its name from a town in Washington where it was first harvested (although I didn’t have an opportunity to taste the crab, I wondered how it compares to the Chesapeake Blue Crab).

Although the sun was out, I found it was a mere deception once I got close to the water. The air temperatures were in the 50’s and the wind was blustery at times. Up and down the waterfront are numbered piers; I walked down to Pier 33 in hopes of buying a ticket to Alcatraz Island. Alcatraz, or the “The Rock” is quite visible from the Fisherman’s Wharf area. Although many know it as a famous prison, it has also been a Civil War fort and was home to the first lighthouse on the west coast. The only way to get onto the island, which is managed by the National Park Service, is by purchasing a ticket through a ferry company. Despite it being midweek and not quite summer, all the tickets had been sold out for the entire day.

Alcatraz Island doesn’t seem that far away from San Francisco but cold, rough water means few prisoners escaped

Disappointed, I trudged down towards Pier 39—a famous tourist attraction. I settled for a tour of the bay, which included a good look at both the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Both are engineering marvels. The Bay Bridge, which opened in 1936, is actually a double-decker bridge that is part suspension bridge and part cantilever bridge. Originally the top deck was for cars and the bottom deck was for trains and trucks but now cars can travel on both levels. The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge that opened in 1937. It is possible to walk across the bridge and today was no exception. As our boat passed under the bridge, I could see people waving at us from high above. Our boat had a loud speaker that provided interesting information about the history of San Francisco, but the noise from the wind made it difficult to make out what was being said. Our boat was rocked around by the wind and swells, making me wonder what the water outside the relative shelter of the bay was doing. I do know that rough seas have changed the location where I’ll be boarding the Ocean Starr. Later today I’ll be picked up and driven to Santa Cruz, a town south of here that lies along the Monterey Bay.

On the water with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background

While on the tour of the San Francisco Bay, I learned about Angel Island—a quiet wildlife area that is a California state park only accessible by ferry. I found the lure of visiting a relatively uninhabited area after the hustle and bustle of Fisherman’s Wharf too strong to ignore. Interested in doing a little hiking, I grabbed an afternoon ferry over to the island and was delighted by the unusual plant life and the opportunity to listen to waves crashing against the shore (check out the Angelcam for a view from the Visitors center). During my walk, I spied numerous succulents, as well as some beautiful (and unidentifiable by me) trees with bark reminiscent of the sycamore.

The bark on this tree reminded me of the sycamore

Angel Island has a fascinating history. Although it is a California park today, at one time it served as an immigration point for nearly a million immigrants, most of whom were Chinese. Unlike European immigrants who passed through Ellis Island, however, the Chinese immigrants were detained until they could prove that they had family in the United States (a process that often took years). Angel Island was also at one time the home of a U.S. Army base called Fort McDawgell and served as a quarantine station to prevent the spread of illness to San Francisco.

It was late afternoon when I returned to Fisherman’s Wharf, where I spent quite a bit of time at Pier 39 observing the resident colony of California sea lions. The sea lions, the majority of which are male, reminded me of some middle school students I know. Although many napped in the sun, others jostled and pushed each other around and off the docks and some brayed loudly as if to say “look at me.” Sea lions have always been present in the bay, but using the docks as a haul out for sunning has only been occurring since 1989. Researchers aren’t sure what prompted the animals to begin using the dock as a habitat, but plentiful food and an absence of predators are two reasons that the animals stay around. Yesterday nearly all the dock space was packed with wall-to-wall sea lions who crowded near each other as they slept. This behavior of seeking out physical contact is known as positive thigmotaxis. The sea lion numbers evidently fluctuate in response to food availability and mating season as many of the “bachelors” head off in search of a girlfriend. You can check out their antics on the Sea Lion webcam.

These sea lions are displaying positive thigmotaxis when they lie on top of each other

As I finish my writing, I think about the adventure ahead. I’ll soon be picked up soon by two scientists and driven to Santa Cruz, where we will board the Ocean Starr. I worry a bit about the rough seas and the likelihood of seasickness. I also wonder what it will be like to conduct night trawling. I’ve been assigned to the 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. shift; why is it that trawling is done at night? Are fish feeding at that time and more likely to be caught? Does night trawling reduce by-catch (organisms that are caught unintentionally)? Or perhaps it is because you catch more at night? I guess I will soon find out. In the meantime, I better study the picture below so I can help identify the fish we catch!

Which fish would you buy at the supermarket?

August 11, 2009April 6, 2021

Justin Czarka, August 11, 2009

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Justin Czarka
Onboard NOAA Ship McArthur II (tracker)
August 10 – 19, 2009

Mission: Hydrographic and Plankton Survey
Geographical area of cruise: North Pacific Ocean from San Francisco, CA to Seattle, WA
Date: August 11, 2009

Weather data from the Bridge

Sunrise: 6:25 a.m.
Sunset: 20:03 (8:03 p.m.)
Weather: partly cloudy
Sky: patchy fog
Wind direction and speed: Northwest 5-10 knots
Visibility: unrestricted to less than 1 nautical mile (nm) due to fog
Waves: 5-7 feet
Air Temperature: 15° Celsius
Water Temperature: 12.92 °Celsius

Science and Technology Log

The McArthur II took about six hours from leaving port in San Francisco to reach our first station at Bodega Bay. We arrived at Bodega Bay around midnight. Bodega Bay, along with the next three stations, Point Arenas, Vizcaino Canyon, and Trinidad Head, California, will be sampled at only one station location each as we move up the coast to reach our first transect line of nine stations off Crescent City, California (Latitude: 41 deg 54 min). Due to leaving port later than expected, the science team has dropped some of the sampling sites at the southern end of the cruise. Still we are sampling as we head north in order to get an enhanced survey picture along a north-south line. At the stations, we are dropping the CTD into the water column, using the vertical net, and the bongo net.

Jennifer Menkel and Lacey O’Neal observe the CTD deployment. The left screen display depth sounds on three different frequencies, the middle screen creates graphs based on the CTD sensors, and the right screen shows live video feed of the CTD deployment on the fantail (back deck) of the McArthur II.

While I did not participate in the first sampling at Bodega Bay, my shift (read more about shifts below) began sampling at Point Arenas and then Vizcaino Canyon. Upon entering the dry lab, Jay Peterson and Jennifer Menkel, both of Oregon State University, Hatfield Marine Science Center (OSU/HMSC) in Newport, Oregon, were observing the data stream for the CTD on the computer monitors with McArthur II senior survey technician Lacey O’Neal. Communication is essential. The scientists are looking at the TV monitors for the CTD deployment outside, altimeter (measures the CTD’s height above the seafloor), depth below the surface, and communicating with both the ship’s officers on the bridge, who are navigating the boat, and crew who are working the winches. Everyone has to work together to ensure that the CTD is deployed and retrieved safely. Otherwise, it could potentially hit the ship, causing damage to the ship, crew, and/or CTD sensors. I am appreciating the emphasis on collaboration that occurs for the benefit and safety of the scientific research occurring on the ship.

I will discuss the sample collection technique for the chlorophyll. The main purpose for measuring the chlorophyll is to determine the chlorophyll composition and suitability for single celled algae to develop. These single celled organisms are the basis of the food chain. By determining the amount of chlorophyll, you can look at the probability of organisms to develop at that location, such as plankton. Plankton succeed where there is enough light to allow photosynthesis to occur. Deni Malouf, a marine science technician from the U.S. Coast Guard, and I put on waders, boots, life jackets, gloves and hardhats. We headed out to the CTD to collect water samples from specific depths. After filling up brown bottles (which prevent exposure to sunlight) with water, we transferred the bottles to the wet lab to pour 100 mL through a filter that collects chlorophyll on top while allowing the water to flow through by utilizing a vacuum. This procedure is done while ensuring that the equipment, filters, and water samples avoid contact with your hands, thus contaminating the sample. After the water has been filtered the filter is placed in a centrifuge tube (vial) with tweezers, covered to avoid exposure to light, and stored in the freezer for lab analysis at a later date. The sample is covered to prevent exposure to sunlight. If not, sunlight could cause more chlorophyll to develop, which would be an inaccurate reading for how much chlorophyll was actually collected at specific depths in the water column at a sampling station.

I am measuring a 100 mL water sample to collect chlorophyll on a filter inside the black cups in the wet lab. These containers have a filter that at the bottom. A vacuum draws the water through white tube, leaving the chlorophyll behind on the filter.

Personal Log

The work conducted aboard the McArthur II, as well as other ships in the NOAA fleet, revolves around a schedule of watches (a watch is a shift). Crewmembers work on the McArthur II in four or eight hour watches. The time of day and length vary for different crewmembers. As for the science team, Bill Peterson, our chief scientist (cruise leader) from NOAA/ Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWSC), Newport, Oregon, arranged us into 12-hour watches. There is a day watch and night watch. I am part of the day watch, which commences at 7:00 a.m. and ends at 7:00 p.m. You muster (show up) about a half hour before your watch begins so that the previous watch knows you are ready to begin work, and to assist as needed with the end of the previous watch. My watch is comprised of Jay Peterson, Jennifer Mendel, and myself. There is a lot of teamwork and cooperation within the watches. Even this morning, Deni Malouf, who had been working the night watch, stayed on for a portion of the day watch to assist me with the protocol for filling up the water samples from the CTD, for preparing chlorophyll samples, and for setting up the Niskin bottles on the CTD to be deployed at the next station.

Vocabulary

*Dry lab- in the back of the O-1 deck (one of the floors on the ship above the waterline) where the computer equipment is situated. Used to monitor CDT deployment.*

*Wet lab-an indoor lab in the back of the O-1 deck connected where water samples are tested. Contains sinks, freezers, refrigerators, and science equipment.*

*Vertical net- a net deployed vertically through the water column at one specific location. Has a weight on the bottom of it to maintain its shape on the way through the water column.*

Bongo net- a net for collecting organisms, that appears to look like a set of bongo drums. Attached to a cable and the J frame, deployed off the side of the boat, and collects samples as the boat trawls at a specific speed to maximize the collection.