NOAA Teacher at Sea Lynn M. Kurth Aboard NOAA Ship Oregon II July 25 – August 9, 2014
Mission: Shark/Red Snapper Longline Survey Geographical area of cruise: Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Date:July 31, 2014
Lat: 30 11.454 N Long: 80 49.66 W
Weather Data from the Bridge: Wind: 17 knots
Barometric Pressure: 1014.93 mb
Temperature: 29.9 Degrees Celsius
Science and Technology Log: It would be easy for me to focus only on the sharks that I’ve encountered but there is so much more science and natural phenomena to share with you! I have spent as much time on the bow of the boat as I can in between working on my blogs and my work shift. There’s no denying it, I LOVE THE BOW OF THE BOAT!!! When standing in the bow it feels as if you’re flying over the water and the view is splendid.
My Perch!
From my prized bird’s eye view from the bow I’ve noticed countless areas of water with yellowish clumps of seaweed. This particular seaweed is called sargassum which is a type of macroalgae found in tropical waters. Sargassum has tiny chambers which hold air and allow it to float on or near the water’s surface in order to gather light for photosynthesis. Sargassum can be considered to be a nuisance because it frequently washes up on beaches and smells as it decomposes. And, in some areas it can become so thick that it reduces the amount of light that other plant species need to grow and thrive. However, the floating clumps of sargassum provide a great habitat for young fish because it offers them food and shelter.
Sargassum as seen from “my perch”
Sargassum (notice the small air bladders that it uses to stay afloat)We have hauled in a variety of sharks and fish over the past few days. One of the more interesting species was the remora/sharksucker. The sharksucker attaches itself to rays, sharks, ships, dolphins and sea turtles by latching on with its suction cup like dorsal fin. When we brought a sharksucker on board the ship it continued to attach itself to the deck of the boat and would even latch on to our arm when we gave it the chance.
The shark sucker attaches to my arm immediately!The largest species of sharks that we have hauled in are Sandbar sharks which are one of the largest coastal sharks in the world. Sandbar sharks have much larger fins compared to their body size which made them attractive to fisherman for sale in the shark fin trade. Therefore, this species has more protection than some of the other coastal shark species because they have been over harvested in the past due to their large fins.
Thankfully finning is now banned in US waters, however despite the ban sandbar sharks have continued protection due to the fact that like many other species of sharks they are not able to quickly replace numbers lost to high fishing pressure. Conservationists remain concerned about the future of the Sandbar shark because of this ongoing threat and the fact that they reproduce very few young.
The first Sandbar shark that I was able to tagDid you Know?
Sargassum is used in/as:
fertilizer for crops
food for people
medicines
insect repellant
Personal Log: I continue to learn a lot each day and can’t wait to see what the next day of this great adventure brings! The folks who I’m working with have such interesting tales to share and have been very helpful as I learn the ropes here on the Oregon II. One of the friendly folks who I’ve been working with is a second year student at the University of Tampa named Kevin Travis. Kevin volunteered for the survey after a family friend working for NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) recommended him as a volunteer. Kevin enjoys his time on the boat because he values meeting new people and knows how beneficial it is to have a broad range of experiences.
Mission: SEAMAP Summer Groundfish Survey Gulf of Mexico
June 8, 2014
Science and Technology Log
The Oregon IIset sail on June 6th and will reach the first station sometime Monday, June 9th, in the evening.
While on the way there the scientists and crew are preparing the equipment and testing everything to make sure it is ready to use when we arrive. One item tested was the CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) item. The white round frame protects the delicate, expensive piece of gear that you can see at the bottom of the frame. It allows the equipment to safely travel down without hitting the side of the ship nor the bottom of the ocean. Near the top you see the water sampling tubes.
Kim and Andre prepare the CTD.
These tubes are opened up and when they enter the water they are triggered to close and collect water from the depth that the science team has predetermined.
The deck crew uses a crane to help lift it over the side of the ship and then it drops down and collects water. This was a test to make sure everything was working and the CTD was dropped down and collected water in three tubes.
When it came back on deck, Kim Johnson, the Lead Scientist, took three containers of water from one tube. In the lab she used the Winkler Test, to determine the concentration of dissolved oxygen in the water samples. This is called doing titrations and they will be conducted once a day or more often if something goes wrong.
Can you think of why scientists would need to test this? They are trying to determine the level of oxygen in the water to see if it is high or low. If it is low or not there at all, scientist call it a “Dead Zone” because everything needs oxygen to live.
Kim Johnson took the three samples to the lab and added chemicals to test the water. It took some time to conduct the test, but Kim explained everything to Robin Gropp (he is an intern on the ship) and to me.
The results that were done by hand were compared to the results collected by the computer and they matched! The oxygen level in the first test were good. This means the equipment will be ready to use!
Photo I took from the ship
In the Gulf of Mexico there is a lot of floating seaweed called Sargassum. To learn more about this, go to the attached url. In short, this seaweed is brown and floats on top of the water. It has been used as a herb in some areas. It is interesting to see the brown seaweed floating by the ship. http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/sargassosea.html
Do you notice how blue the water is? What makes the water look so blue? According to the NOAA Ocean Facts:
“The ocean is blue because water absorbs colors in the red part of the light spectrum. Like a filter, this leaves behind colors in the blue part of the light spectrum for us to see.
The ocean may also take on green, red, or other hues as light bounces off of floating sediments and particles in the water.
Most of the ocean, however, is completely dark. Hardly any light penetrates deeper than 200 meters (656 feet), and no light penetrates deeper than 1,000 meters (3,280 feet ).”
Pretty neat to see how light and color work together!
Personal Log
The water went from murky brown when we left Mississippi due to the boat activity and the rivers that drain down into the Gulf, to this blue that is hard to describe. I am trying to absorb everything that the scientist are discussing and hoping that when we start working everything will make more sense to me! There is so much to learn!
Today we had safety drills; a fire drill (yes, we practice fire drills even on the ship, you can’t call 911 at sea after all) and abandon ship drill. During the abandon ship drill everyone had to bring long pants, long-sleeve shirt, hat, life preserver and immersion suit. Here is a picture of me in my immersion suit. This suit will float and keep me warm if we need to leave the ship.
Wearing my immersion suit! Photo taken by Kim Johnson
Today the ships’ divers went into the water to check the hulll of the ship and the water temperature was 82 degrees. It would have been refreshing to be in the water, but this is a working ship and safety comes first!
The food onboard the ship is delicious and I am sure I will need to walk many steps after this trip. The cooks offer two or three choices at every meal and the snack area is open 24 hours…not a good thing for me!
While on deck I saw my first flying fish today. I thought it was a bird flying close to the water, but it was not! Amazing how far they can fly over the water.
When I look out from the front of the ship, I see water, water, and more water. There are a few oil rigs in the distance and once in a while a ship passes by, but mostly beautiful blue water!
Last night I saw my first sea sunset and since I will be working the midnight to noon shift starting soon, it maybe the last sunset…but I will get to see some AWESOME sunrises!
The floating mats of Sargassum stay afloat due to a series of small air bladders. The floating brown algae provides habitat for a diverse assortment of sea life.
It has been the subject of many ocean myths and legends: ships becoming trapped in mats of thick, unrelenting seaweed. Of course, such stories are not true, but the giant mats of seaweed that inspired such fear in sailors hundreds of years ago are very real and are an important component of the Gulf of Mexico’s ecosystem. The Carthaginians and later the Romans first described a portion of the Atlantic covered in seaweed. By the 15th century, the Portuguese had named the area the Sargasso Sea after the sargaco rock rose that grew in their water wells back home, which appeared to be similar to the seaweed that grew on the surface of the water in stagnant parts of the Atlantic. From this comes the genus name Sargassum or as it is commonly referred to along the Gulf coast as gulfweed.
In the Gulf of Mexico, Sargassum can form large mats acres in size. These large mats of brown algae provide a floating micro-ecosystem in the Gulf. Sargassum is a food source for many marine organisms. The mats also serve as a nursery for fish and invertebrate eggs and developing young. The thick mats provide structure and cover in an ocean environment that may be lacking in the necessary cover to support the development of their young and to keep them hid from potential predators. Within the mats many types of marine herbivores can be found. The presence of various herbivores draws in fish to feed on those organisms grazing on the Sargassum. In fact, some organisms have evolved to look like Sargassum for protection. One good example of this is a type of frogfish called the sargassum fish. The sargassum fish can appear to be brown, yellow, or olive depending on whatever color they need to be in order to blend in with the mat of algae.
Hardhat, life jacket, and work gloves are needed during operations on the weather deck. This is a picture of me placing a float on one of our bandit reel lines. Credit Kevin Rademacher for the photo.
Personal Log:
Safety is always a key concern when going on a survey aboard a research vessel such as the Pisces. This is especially true when a ship is moving and lifting the sensors and equipment to facilitate the science the Pisces is carrying out. Whenever we are launching or retrieving either the CTD or camera array, protective gear including a hardhat and a life jacket are required. Whenever we are using a bandit reel, the same equipment is needed as well. Losing someone overboard is a constant concern. That is why these precautions are taken whenever operations are occurring on a weather deck and is why we have drills for a man overboard situation to recover someone as fast as possible.
Water hoses along with other fire suppression equipment are tested during one of our mandatory fire drills.
As with any building, fire is a serious threat. On a ship fire is a threat that endangers everyone onboard. Everyone is given an assignment list on their bunk card. Each bunk card lists the person’s individual emergency billet assignments for a fire, abandon ship, and a man overboard. During a fire everyone may end up becoming a part of the fire suppression crew. People need to report to there assigned stations. During a drill a mock fire is assessed and contained, and fire suppression equipment is tested out. The Pisces is designed to contain fire wherever possible by having heavy fireproof doors throughout the ship making it more difficult for fire to spread to other decks.
If an emergency requires the ship to be abandoned, people are required to report to specific life raft stations with life jackets, a survival suit, and other items in order to leave the ship behind. Life jackets and survival suits are found in our staterooms and throughout the ship. This is an act of last resort once every attempt to save the ship has been made. The Pisces is specifically designed to prevent water from entering cabins and corridors by using water tight doors. This is designed to either prevent taking on water or at least slow the process down enough to abandon ship.
Survival suits are both water tight and thermally insulated keeping a person who needs to abandon ship dry and warm. A flotation device is wrapped around the neck, which inflates, keeping the floating person upright in the water. Credit Adam Pollack for the photo.
Other general precautions must be observed onboard. Passengers and crew are not allowed to run while onboard for several reasons. The watertight doors come up from the floor by nearly a foot in addition to many other obstacles. Places like any of the weather decks or the wet lab where we process fish specimens are often wet and slippery. Perhaps the most obvious reason one should be careful moving around onboard is the movement of the ship itself. Large waves and swells can send the ship into an unpredictable motion. This makes even walking or standing difficult at times and is certainly disorienting. The Pisces has several features to accommodate this problem. Handle bars and railings are found throughout the ship in order to stabilize yourself during swells. Having a handle bar in the shower may seem rather over the top, but when your morning shower starts to resemble a theme park ride that you may have been on before, then you will start to understand why that feature is there. Cabinet and drawers are self-locking; otherwise, they would constantly slide in and out, which is why we had to tape down many of the drawers in the dry lab that do not have this feature. When you are on a moving ship, everything takes a little longer to do than on land. It is just something you have to get used to.
Did You Know?
Even water temperatures as high as 80˚F can be a hypothermia risk if exposed to it for long periods of time. Water conducts heat away from your body 25 times faster than air of the same temperature.
“We’ll start the first plankton tow around 1:30 or 2,” said Chris Taylor (NOAA Fisheries scientist). Note to self – make sure I have sunscreen… Then Chris added – “a.m. not p.m.” – new note to self- forget sunscreen, instead buy travel mug at ship store.” Ever since our plankton tow net was damaged in Florida, Chris has been on his computer and conferring w/ his office, the CO and Derek Sowers, the Expedition Coordinator on how to get another net. Thanks to a lot of people’s flexibility, a net was found. So, like taking an early morning run to 7-11 for a gallon of milk, we took a run into Cape Canaveral and met a charter boat with net and frame.
After searching for samples on the west side of the Gulf Stream, we are now crossing it and going fishing on the east side of this “river” that moves more water per second than all the world’s rivers combined. (http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/gulfstreamspeed.html )
There are many different ways to do plankton tows, each for a different purpose. An underwater sled is hauled behind the boat called a “Continuous Plankton Recorder” that is like a conveyor belt and does what the name implies. Our method was to use a frame about the size of a hockey net (GO BLACKHAWKS!) attached to a fine screen net. The tapered net was about 18 feet (6 meters) long and was towed off the side of the ship. The trick is to have the net rise and fall at the surface and down to 60 feet below the surface. Tyler Sheff (Chief Boatswain) found every available weight to attach to the frame and cable that held the net. After a few trials and adding about 200 pounds to the net it worked like a charm.
Picture taken by LTJG Begun
By 4 a.m. we were pulling in our first haul. Amongst the Sargassum plants were FISH! Chris and I meticulously washed the net with salt water and then he separated out all the plankton (phytoplankton are the plants and zoo plankton are microscopic animals). He then put each tow’s sample in alcohol for preservation to send to the lab for genetic analysis to see if some of the many fish larvae and eggs were indeed Atlantic Bluefin Tuna.
Going Fishin’!
Taken by LTJG BegunChrisTaylor washing sargassum
Juvenile (and very healthy) pufferfish amongst plankton.
Did you know?
First – find the differences in these two pictures :
George S. Blake – courtesy of WikipediaOkeanos Explorer -photo courtesy of NOAA
We have spent a large amount of time on the Stetson Mesa on the Blake Plateau. Why the name “Blake Plateau”? Short answer is that it is named after a ship that was named after a man. The ships above both were ships designed to explore. The urge to explore and answer questions brought about from those explorations is timeless. NOAA’s origins were during President Thomas Jefferson’s administration. This branch of the country’s uniformed service will continue to evolve. America’s 21st century premier exploration ship, the Okeanos Explorer, is following in the footsteps of the 19th century’s premier exploratory ship – the George S. Blake. That ship was named after the man who saved the Constitution. (and you thought it was Nicholas Cage) But that’s a story for another time and can be found at:
And one loose end – speaking of finding the differences in photos- and kudos to TAS Denise Harrington & Kalina’s dad for finding the difference in my second blog’s mystery photo challenge of the fact that because of rough seas, the rails on the tables in the mess can be raised to prevent food from sliding to the floor.
Personal Log
Everyone’s nose has turned toward home. Some of the crew have been out to sea since February and the missing and euphoria for terra firma and the lap of family is thick. The same for me with Mollie, Sophie, Izzie and Owen, I miss them tremendously. I’m so anxious to see the best fifth graders ever and my other friends and family. We really don’t need a quote to send it home but Frank Herbert’s words hit the nail on the head.
“There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story.”
The Okeanos Explorer will get a facelift in North Kingston and head out in August.
I’ll come back for 3 glorious days with my class, forever changed by the privilege of getting a view into other people’s lives.
Saying thank you for this experience is a must.
I have to thank NOAA for selecting me for this opportunity. So many others more deserving, but I’m glad someone was asleep at the bridge last winter and allowed me to sneak in.
Expedition leader- Derek Sowers for his constant humor and patience at having to rewrite my drafts so as not to incur costly and lengthy litigation and Chris Taylor for not getting mad that I bungled the salinity #’s.
Commander Ramos and his Officers Pralgo, Rose, Begun, and Pawlenko for their tolerance with the interns and me constantly seeking permission to enter the bridge. They also shared with me a wealth of knowledge and career opportunities in NOAA for my students. Gracias to the other crew- TR, Pedro, and James and Head and Second Engineers Vinnie and Nancy, and Chief Boatswain Tyler for their willingess to answer questions and give me time and not complain when i was standing in exactly the wrong spot.
The mapping interns, Danielle, Kalina, and Sam for their appetite for hilarity, work and meals.
To Vanessa and Jackie for always being quick to laugh or answer my questions.
To my mom and sister for taking care of business and Lil’ Sebastian.
To Mrs. Steinman, Mrs. York, Mrs. Helminski, Dr. Scarpino, Char, Diane and my students for allowing me this time away.
And most of all to Mollie, Sophie, Izzie , Owen and Jacqui for going full sail during the windiest month of the year.
NOAA Teacher at Sea Emilisa Saunders Aboard NOAA Ship Oregon II May 14 2013 – May 30, 2013
Mission: SEAMAP Spring Plankton Survey Geographical Area of Cruise: Gulf of Mexico Date: Saturday, May 25 2013
Weather Data from the Bridge: Wind speed 15.7 knots; Surface water temperature 25.40 degrees Celsius; Air temperature 26.3 degrees Celsius; Relative humidity 85%; Barometric pressure 1017.3 mb
Holding the line as the MOCNESS goes in.
Science and Technology Log:
For the last couple of days, as the ship moves toward Texas, we’ve encountered lots of sargassum. Sargassum is a type of macroalgae, or seaweed. Some types of sargassum are benthic; as you remember, this means they live and grow on the bottom of the ocean. Out here on the Oregon II, we’re seeing planktonic sargassum – the drifting kind – and lots of it. This sargassum drifts around the surface of the Gulf, thanks to the tiny, air-filled float pods all throughout its leaves. When pieces of sargassum meet up, they become entangled and start to drift together. Before long, vast blankets or mats of sargassum form. We’ve seen some impressive mats in the past few days, some almost as long as the ship itself!
Blanket of sargassumSargassum City
These mats create a bit of a challenge when it comes to dropping the nets. The Bongo Net and the Subsurface Neuston stay below the surface, so typically they don’t catch much sargassum, unless some slips in just as the nets enter or leave the water. However, the regular Neuston net stays on the surface for the duration of the drop. This is a perfect opportunity for sargassum to slide right in. Ideally, we want this net submerged for 10 minutes, but when the sargassum is thick, we have to cut this down to five. Even then, we’ve had as much as 30 gallons of sargassum show up in one drop.
You can find so much life in one handful of sargassum
When we get sargassum, we have to spray it off with sea water and sort through it to collect any plankton that are tangled in the leaves. This is quite a bit of work when we get a lot of sargassum, but I have come to really enjoy it because of the amazing little creatures that we find. A piece of sargassum can be like a little city, teeming with life, with a large variety of species. Many of these are big enough that you can easily see them with the naked eye. These sargassum communities contain everything that their residents need to survive, including a food web and plenty of shelter. It’s also a great lesson in adaptation. The animals that live in sargassum blend in so well that we have to look very carefully to find them. Most of them are either transparent, or they exactly match the color of the seaweed, and there are tons of nooks and crannies for hiding.
Here are just a few of the delightful little animals that we’ve found in the sargassum:
Sargassum fish: These little guys are pretty amazing. They look fairly harmless, but they are actually ambush predators. They have two small foot-like fins on their undersides, which they use to move around and perch in one place in the seaweed. When a smaller animal comes close, the sargassum fish open their mouths wide and suck the unsuspecting prey in, just like a vacuum cleaner. They’ll even eat other, smaller sargassum fish! Some of them even have a piece of flesh called an esca that dangles from their head, which they use as a lure to attract prey.
A large sargassum fish from a Neuston net. See the little pectoral fin “feet?”This is the typical size for the sargassum fish that we’ve found (about one inch).
Sargassum swimming crabs: These tiny crabs are capable of walking on land, but they are also excellent swimmers, thanks to their paddle-shaped back legs. They are also ambush predators; they stalk smaller sargassum dwellers and give their prey a nasty jab to catch and kill them.
Sargassum swimming crab. See its paddle-shaped hind feet?
Sargassum nudibranch: Nudibranchs are a type of mollusk that have a shell in their juvenile stage, but lose the shell as they mature. Sargassum nudibranchs are so well camouflaged that we sometimes feel their soft bodies in the sargassum before we see them. They stay mainly in the sargassum, but if they happen to get washed out, they can flex their bodies back and forth to swim back to the seaweed. It’s really quite amazing to watch!
A little sargassum nudibranch. Looks like a blob here, but they are very graceful swimmers!
Challenge Yourself: Hey there, Nature Exchange traders! Can you think of an animal that blends into its environment in the Mojave Desert? What about a creature that is an ambush predator? Draw a picture or write down some facts and bring it in to the Nature Exchange for bonus points. Be sure to tell them that Emmi sent you!
Personal Log:
Yesterday, I saw some evidence of the impact that we have on our oceans. While sorting through some sargassum, I found a plastic ribbon with a balloon fragment attached wrapped around a piece of sargassum. We were hundreds of miles from shore when I found it. It was sad for me to see a piece of human trash tangled around this little sargassum community. I know it’s still pretty common for people to organize balloon releases to honor a special person or occasion, but I wonder if there might be another way to do so. Maybe instead of a balloon release, we can plant some trees, release ladybugs in a garden, organize a clean-up day at a local trail or park, etc. All of these things could impact the environment in a positive way. Just something to think about.
A piece of balloon and ribbon tangled up in the sargassum.
Now that I have adjusted to working the midnight to noon shift on the Oregon II, I am finding that I really enjoy it. In the past few days as we’ve approached a full moon, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing the moon reflect on the water, making it look like liquid mercury. For the first several days of this cruise, the sky was so dark that we could only see as far as the ship’s lights would allow, and maybe the distant lights from an oil rig or two. It was the darkest dark I’ve ever seen. Now, the moon lights up the sky enough that we can actually see the horizon. Then, a few hours into the shift, we get to watch the sun rise, which is spectacular every time. I’ve taken so many pictures of the sunrise, I can’t choose a favorite!
Sunrise on the Gulf of Mexico
We’re in the last few days of the survey, and we’ve taken the turn back east now. Until next time, be sure to track the Oregon II here: NOAA Ship Tracker
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