Tag: seafloor mapping

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Richard Coburn, July 17, 2007

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Richard Coburn
Onboard NOAA Ship Rainier
July 17 – August 1, 2007

Mission: Hydrographic Survey
Geographic Region: Alaska
Date: July 17, 2007

Weather Data from the bridge

Temperature: 56 degrees
Wave height: negligible
Cloud: Cloudy and Fog
Visibility: ¼ mile or less

Science and Technology log

This morning the ship navigating in water that is very tricky, we were in a very narrow area and the crew had to make sure that not only we got through safely and other vessels did not run into us.  Because the fog was so thick, horns, bells and radar are all in use.  The technology is not enough one watch at the bow of the ship used to ensure we hit nothing and nothing hit us.   There are also folks in the bridge monitoring the situation.

The RAINIER navigating through the area. You can see through the fog there is a large rocky outcropping.
The RAINIER navigating through the area. You can see through the fog there is a large rocky outcropping.

The watch stands at the bow of the boat and if he looks for anything amiss he will notify the bridge via a low tech device (a tube with a lid on it is connected to the bridge and in the area he is standing) he lifts up the tube and can speak directly to the bridge.  The bridge is the command center where many of the officers and most of the navigation and communication are located.  This is where the ship is steered and managed.

Standing watch
Standing watch
The four black windows you can see in the picture are the bridge this is only a small portion of the bridge it is a large space.
The four black windows you can see in the picture are the bridge this is only a small portion of the bridge it is a large space.

I am in awe the way the entire crew goes about their daily business.  Back East, we go off to work our jobs for an eight hour day and then return home afterward. The men and women of the RAINIER don’t get this luxury.  They live aboard this ship and have to work at building and maintaining the community. Everyone is responsible for everyone else.

The remains of less successful vessel while navigating the area. I was told that this was once a tugboat.
The remains of less successful vessel while navigating the area. I was told that this was once a tugboat.

There is work that must be preformed twenty four hours a day seven days a week.  If there is a fire onboard help will be called but it may take hours or days for help to arrive.  Emergencies must be taken care of by the people on board the ship.  Safety is a major concern, and to that end the officers and crew work together to make sure that everyone onboard understand their job in the event of an emergency.  Training is constant here.  There is a good mixture between folks that have less than one year experience aboard ship and others that have almost thirty.  The more experienced people on board teach the less experienced how to do things safely and efficiently.

Gender bias does not appear to exist in the positions that individuals hold.  Women work both as deck hands right up to the second in command of the entire ship.  It is striking that both women and men hold positions in both the officer corps as well as throughout the operations of the vessel.  Much of the equipment that is aboard this ship weighs several tons.  When the ship is underway, (in operation) there are additional considerations that make this environment much different from being on land.  The ocean movement causes the ship to react and each reaction has a term.  The ship moves in many ways, the three main ones are pitch, roll and heave.  Pitch is when the ship moves from Forward to Aft (front to back).  Roll is when the ship moves from port to starboard (left to right or vice versa).  Heave is when the ship moves in an up and down motion.  This does not even begin to take into account the effects of tide, wind, drift or other ships or obstacles that are at play when underway.

Moving a launch requires careful communication as well as good rigging skills. A constant vigilance is also mandatory.
Moving a launch requires careful communication as well as good rigging skills. A constant vigilance is also mandatory.
Jodie operates the crane that is used to lower the launch into the water; she is signaled with both verbal and visual commands.
Jodie operates the crane that is used to lower the launch into the water; she is signaled with both verbal and visual commands.

There are hoist and davits that swing equipment overhead that could easily crush or kill a person or hopelessly destroy valuable equipment. Safety precautions are rigorously followed and training is in an ongoing evolution.   Simply put, if the entire crew did not keep a constant vigilance not only for themselves but for their shipmates and guests, disaster could strike at any time.  There is a pervasive attitude aboard the RAINIER involves everyone watching out for each other.

Personal log,

Women play an important role on board the ship.  They fill all sorts of positions that may not be considered traditional by some standards.  Many of the officers on board are women and even lots of the able bodied seamen are women.

Amy, a survey technician operates the radio on the launch to maintain communication with the RANIER while operating miles from the ship.
Amy, a survey technician operates the radio on the launch to maintain communication with the RANIER while operating miles from the ship.

On the bow of the launch, an able bodied seaman must first throw the line to a tender on board and then get hold of a lowering hook to attach the hook to the launch to hoist back on board the ship.  This all takes place in Open Ocean while the ship and launch are underway and the boats are reacting to the elements.

Ready to reattach to the Rainier
Ready to reattach to the Rainier
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Richard Coburn, July 16, 2007

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Richard Coburn
Onboard NOAA Ship Rainier
July 16 – August 1, 2007

Mission: Hydrographic Survey
Geographic Region: Alaska
Date: July 16, 2007

Weather Data from the bridge

Temperature: 56 degrees
Wave height: negligible
Cloud: Cloudy and Fog
Visibility: ¼ mile or less

Personal Log 

The commute from Hartford, Connecticut to Juneau, Alaska was very long. I began my journey by saying good bye to my wife and three young daughters; they understood for the next three weeks, I was starting an awesome adventure.  The plane took off from Bradley international airport at 12:10 p.m. and we headed to Detroit Michigan.  Laid over in Detroit for an hour and then transferred to another flight to Seattle, Washington. In Seattle I transferred to an entirely different airline to arrive in Ketchikan, Alaska from there we flew to Juneau, the time in Alaska was 1:35 am very dark yet comfortably warm. My travel plans were quite clear but a bit complicated.  I boarded a flight to Detroit, then to Seattle, next to Ketchikan, Alaska and finally Juneau, Alaska.

The ship is equipped with two General Motors EMD diesel engines that transmit 1,200 horse power each. These engines are forty years old and they still run reliably and are kept remarkably clean
The ship is equipped with two General Motors EMD diesel engines that transmit 1,200 horse power each. These engines are forty years old and they still run reliably and are kept remarkably clean

The first thing I learned was that while the tickets indicate the gate to arrive in, and where to board the next plane, these are only best guesses, often changes happen at airports so flexibility and vigilance is critical. Airports handle all sorts of air traffic with myriad of travel conditions.  If one flight is delayed it impacts others and causes shifts in the gates.  The gate often changes so it is wise to check the ticket (which was printed hours earlier) to ensure it still has valid information on it. Changes happen and it is better to be safe by checking (at the individual airport gate) rather than wait in the wrong area and miss a flight.

In Seattle, I discovered the information on the ticket was inaccurate I had to move via subway to the new gate.  The plane then was delayed due to weather conditions in Ketchikan; we boarded an hour and a half later than scheduled.  We touched down in Juneau at 12:05am but I was still operating on east coast time (it is four hours later on the east coast). Obviously I was very tired. When we arrived many of the passengers were surprised to discover that their luggage had not been placed on the plane.  I was among those without luggage.  Should this happen to you, I recommend the following.

First, do not panic, while I was getting upset, I had to keep my emotions in check.  There is much the clerk can do to help me but I first must provide the details, if I expressed my frustration and dissatisfaction with them (I noticed other passengers doing this) it would only make matters worse.  They collected my information and I headed to the motel.  I was trying to problem solve my situation by imaging different scenarios in the event that my luggage was not found.  One of my major concerns was could I find size fourteen boots in Juneau, Alaska on a Sunday afternoon.

Starboard Engine with one valve cover removed
Starboard Engine with one valve cover removed

Eureka!  My luggage was found and within a few hours it was delivered to me at the hotel intact. Now on to the ship! The ship is very large and stable. Here is a link to show you some of the particulars of the RAINER.

Science and Technology Log 

Ship Info 

  • The RAINER has a cruising Speed of 12.5 knots
  • Range is 5898 Nautical miles
  • Fuel capacity is 107,000 gallons
  • Fuel type #2 Diesel
  • Fuel consumption 120 gallons per hour

I have been given a tour of the engine room by my roommate Chris Zacharias; he works as an oiler in the engine room.

coburn_log1
Chris Zacharias, my bunkmate, gave me a tour of the engine room.

Chris works maintaining the equipment on the smaller launches as well as working primarily in the engine room but he has responsibilities located all around the ship.  Interestingly enough this is normal procedure for the entire crew.  While on land we have individual who specialize in only one thing.  Out on the open ocean it is not uncommon for the folks to do many different tasks; in fact everyone has to develop an intuition and recognition of the inter-dependence of the entire community.  Chris was kind enough to show me the engine room.  He did so with an obvious pride, he has pride in his work and he demonstrates this pride with his enthusiasm for his work aboard the RAINIER.

The first thing that struck me was how clean the engine room was. Everything was stowed away and neat.  The apparent care and planning as well as tremendous attention to detail was evident every where I looked. All the surfaces are painted and clearly marked. Even the piping has tags on them.  All the valves are labeled for easy recognition.  There is no visible grease or grime anywhere. Click the following link to get more info about the engine room.

http://www.moc.noaa.gov/ra/specs/engineer.htm 

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Beth Carter, July 10, 2007

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Beth Carter
Onboard NOAA Ship Rainier
June 25 – July 7, 2007

Mission: Hydrographic Survey
Geographical Area: Gulf of Esquibel, Alaska
Date: July 10, 2007

Weather Data from the Bridge
Visibility:  2 nautical miles
Wind direction:  125 degrees
Wind speed:  11 knots
Sea wave height: 0-1 feet
Swell wave height: none
Seawater temperature:  11.7 degrees C
Dry bulb temp: 12.8 degrees C; Wet bulb temp:  12.2 degrees C
Sea level pressure:  1021.0 mb
Cloud cover: 8/8, fog and drizzle

The NOAA ship RAINIER, also known as S221, at anchor in Alaska.
The NOAA ship RAINIER, also known as S221, at anchor.

Science and Technology Log

Yesterday, I went out on launch #6, which utilizes a sonar system called the “C3D,” that produces interferometric sonar, which is a combination of side scan and multibeam sonar, to produce bathymetry.  Interferometric sonar is the latest technological advance in hydrographic mapping. This is the third technology I’ve been able to observe at work. The RAINIER has two launches that use single beam technology ( June 29 log), three launches that use multibeam technology (June 28 log), and Launch 6 has the side scan sonar.  There are advantages and disadvantages to each. Erin Campbell, my Tarheel buddy who is a physical scientist from the Pacific Hydrographic Branch of NOAA, took the time to explain some of the features and limitations of side scan sonar. The greatest advantage to side scan is that it produces sound waves that can cover a much wider swath of ocean floor, with very good resolution. This means that NOAA can be more fuel-efficient with its launches and cover more floor in less time.  Side scan can form accurate 3-D images of rocks, wrecks, and features of concern and interest on the ocean floor.  Hydrographers say that the side beam enables them to “paint the ocean floor.”

Erin Campbell, physical scientist, and Beth Carter, Teacher at Sea…two Tarheels at a rainy beach party near Bushtop Island, Alaska.
Erin Campbell, physical scientist, and Beth Carter, Teacher at Sea…two Tarheels at a rainy beach party near Bushtop Island, Alaska.

The greatest disadvantage to side scan sonar is that it does not actually provide depths associated with those features.  In other words, the hydrographers can look at the side scan images and locate a downed plane accurately on the ocean floor, but not know the exact depth of the plane. Another disadvantage to use of side scan in Alaska is that the extreme angles of slope of the islands and landforms cause the sound waves to create shadows on the resulting data. This means that some features in the shadows are missed.  Side beam sonar is used with great success on the eastern coast of the U.S., where the sea floor is sandy, is more uniform, and has less slope than in Alaska. Therefore, NOAA uses side scan to cover wide areas of territory, and then examines the images collected.  If the technicians see rocks or other potential hindrances to navigation, they send out the multibeam sonar launches to collect more detailed information on the depths.  If the concern is in a really shallow area, they might send out the single beam launches, which can get into shoal areas more easily with less threat of damage to the sonar equipment.

The C3D sonar transducer on the hull of the launch
The C3D sonar transducer on the hull of the launch

Side scan sonar is still evolving as a technology. NOAA provides valuable feedback and information to the makers of this technology, which enables the manufacturers to fine-tune and improve the technology. As I prepare to leave the RAINIER, I am impressed with the depth of knowledge of the Commanding Officer, the survey crew, and officers on the ship. They take very seriously their work, which is to take information gathered utilizing sonar, and to produce the most accurate bathymetric products possible.  The resulting charts and hydrographic maps are critical aids to shipping companies and fishermen, whose lives and safety and economic livelihood depend on the accuracy of the maps. I’ve also learned that NOAA hydrographers are called in to assist after hurricanes.  Erin, for example, was called upon to join a NRT (Navigational Response Team) after Hurricane Katrina.  There were many container ships and other ships waiting in the Gulf of Mexico for the hydrographers to survey the waters in order to locate hazards (debris in the water, wrecks, storm damage) in the water that were blocking the port and docks. NOAA has six such teams that assist when there are oil spills, wrecks, storms, etc.

Erin Campbell operating the C3D sonar aboard the launch.
Erin Campbell operating the C3D sonar aboard the launch.

Terms Used

Bathymetry:  the science of measuring ocean depths.  It is the underwater equivalent to altimetry, or measuring altitude of land forms.  Bathymetry is utilized to create DTM’s, or digital terrain models, or three-dimensional models of the ocean floor.

Hydrography: the study and science of ocean mapping.

Questions of the Day: 

  1. What kind of sonar would be best utilized in the search for a tugboat that sank unwitnessed, suspected to be in a deep harbor – vertical beam, multibeam, or sidescan sonar?
  2. To see an example of a chart created with interferometric sonar, take a look at this website.

Personal Log

I want to close out my last log with a few pictures, which definitely communicate the Alaska experience better than my words.  I also want to thank the entire crew of the RAINIER for its kind hospitality, for teaching me so much, and for reminding me what it feels like to not understand something.  I can empathize with my students so much better, as I have been in their shoes now for almost 3 weeks…struggling to understand technologies that were totally unfamiliar to me, feeling frustrated, feeling glimmers of hope when a few concepts dropped into place in my brain. Alaska is incredibly beautiful, incomprehensibly vast…I hope to return someday.

A humpback whale breaching… breathtaking sight!
A humpback whale breaching… breathtaking sight!
A bald eagle on the fly above Alaskan waters.
A bald eagle on the fly above Alaskan waters.
Alaska…known for its snow-topped majestic mountains.
Alaska…known for its snow-topped majestic mountains.  
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Beth Carter, July 9, 2007

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Beth Carter
Onboard NOAA Ship Rainier
June 25 – July 7, 2007

Mission: Hydrographic Survey
Geographical Area: Gulf of Esquibel, Alaska
Date: July 9, 2007

Weather Data from Bridge 
Visibility:  6 miles
Wind direction:  135 degrees
Wind speed:  9 knots
Sea wave height: 0-1 feet
Swell wave height: none
Seawater Temperature:  12.2 degrees C
Dry Bulb: 11.1 degrees C  Wet Bulb:  11.1 degrees C
Sea level pressure:  1022.1 mb
Cloud cover: 8/8, fog & drizzle
Depth: 22.6 fathoms

This is a view of strands of kelp as seen from the launch. Kelp appears as brown masses in thick beds.
This is a view of strands of kelp as seen from the launch. Kelp appears as brown masses in thick beds.

Science and Technology Log: 

Bull kelp…just amazing stuff.  Today I want to focus upon bull kelp and its role in the Alaskan coastal ecosystem, and its impact on hydrographers and fishermen. First of all…it is a fast-growing type of brown algae that can grow in strands from 40-65 feet long. It grows close into shore and anchors itself to rock surfaces by a root-like growth called a holdfast.  The scientific name is nereocystis leutkeana. Bull kelp has leaves called blades that grow outward from the main stem, but its most distinguishing feature is its long (2-3 feet) “bullwhip” stalks that have air bladders on their ends that can be 4” in diameter…rather like a stiff rope with a hollow onion on the end. Bull kelp can live for eight years, and reproduces via spores. Rocky substrates just off the coasts and islands of Alaska provide perfect places for the kelps’ holdfasts, and large kelp beds form in and around the islands of southeastern Alaska where the RAINIER is sailing.

In a closer view, bull kelp has some very stiff “bullwhip” like strands with air bladders on its ends. The air bladders are hollow, and look like onions or bulbs.
Bull kelp has some very stiff “bullwhip” strands with hollow air bladders on the end that look like onions or bulbs.

Bull kelp provides food and protective cover for all types of fish, invertebrates, birds and marine mammals.  Kelp beds are literally teeming with life.  Kelp waves and moves with the currents and tides. Sea otters are the most visible of the animals who depend on kelp.  They feed off the sea urchins and other invertebrates that live at the bases of the kelp. Sea urchins feed upon the holdfasts that anchor the kelp, so the sea otters keep the urchins in check in a healthy kelp bed. The otters can be seen bobbing in the kelp, lying on their backs enjoying snacks of sea urchins, clams, etc. Commander Guy Noll of the RAINIER says that kelp is a natural navigational aid in Alaska and Pacific coastal waters. If you are in a boat of any kind and you see kelp strands on the surface of the water, stay clear. Hydrographers are not particularly fond of kelp.  On the one hand, the presence of kelp indicates a rocky bottom, which is one of the features that chartmakers want to indicate on their maps.  But.RAINIER’s launches try to stay out of kelp beds, as the kelp can become caught on the sonar transducers, which are suspended from the hulls of the boats. Kelp can also be a “heads up” that there may be a hidden rocky feature that is a danger to navigation.  The launches are very careful around kelp.

The sound waves that hydrographers use for charting can also be distorted by kelp, as it is very dense in its coverage. Also, the whips and floating blade “bladders are hollow, so the echoes do not reach the underlying rocky ground. NOAA sometimes has to send divers down to get a least depth in kelpy areas, and diving in kelp is difficult because of entanglement issues. Fishermen give kelp beds a wide berth to avoid fouling their nets and equipment in the heavy, leafy, stalky bull kelp. However, they will sometimes try to trawl near kelp beds, as the kelp provides excellent cover for salmon and other fish as they hide from orcas and other predators.

Small leaves, or blades of bull kelp washed into shore add decorations to the black pebble beaches.
Small leaves, or blades of bull kelp washed into shore add decorations to the black pebble beaches.

Personal Log 

I became fascinated by kelp last week as I kayaked through some island passages that were thick with kelp. As you look into the water, you see dozens, hundreds of small snails on the blades of the kelp…I think they were black turban snails.  I tasted some of the kelp and found it, predictably…salty!  It was also chewy and gummy and difficult to swallow. Perhaps there are wonderful ways to prepare kelp to eat, but out of the water as a snack – not for me. From the launches, it is fun to see the sea otters’ heads pop up in and near the kelp beds. They manage to get their heads and shoulders out of the water…they must be standing on the kelp to get such a clear look at us! Several of the moms we saw had babies hitching rides on their bellies, or perhaps nursing. They are unbelievably cute and quick, and I am too slow to get good photographs of them.

Correction! 

Early in the trip, I wrote about the GPS, Global Positioning Satellites, and stated that there are 11 in geosynchronous orbits above the earth.  I looked up GPS on the NOAA website and found that there are 24 satellites, so I stand corrected!

Questions of the Day

1. What do you think would be the environmental impact of an oil spill on or near the rocky coasts of Alaska?  

2. What effects would it have on kelp beds? If you want a real life example of what could and has happened, “Google” the story of the Exxon Valdez, which created a huge oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska in 1989.

* Note: Commander Guy Noll explained that the RAINIER was one of the responding vessels after the Valdez oil spill. RAINIER did the hydrographic work needed by the Navy ships that did the cleanup. At that time, the world’s focus turned upon Prince William Sound, and as the RAINIER did the surveying, they discovered many chart errors. They spent a great deal of time surveying the area, and provided more accurate charts for the cruise ships and tourists that became interested in the beautiful area in and around Prince William Sound.

This sea otter mom and baby are floating near a kelp bed. This photograph is courtesy of Ensign Tim Smith, an excellent officer and photographer on the RAINIER.
Sea otter mom and baby are floating near a kelp bed. Photograph courtesy of Ensign Tim Smith.
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Beth Carter, July 4, 2007

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Beth Carter
Onboard NOAA Ship Rainier
June 25 – July 7, 2007

Mission: Hydrographic Survey
Geographical Area: Gulf of Esquibel, Alaska
Date: July 4, 2007

Weather from the Bridge
Visibility:  10 miles
Wind Direction:  080
Wind Speed:  3 knots
Sea wave height: 0-1 feet
Swell wave height: none
Seawater temp: 12.2 degrees C
Dry bulb temp: 12.2 degrees C; Wet bulb temp:  11.1 degrees C
Sea level pressure:  1012.2 mb
Cloud Cover: Partly cloudy, 5/8
Fathoms:  18.3

Survey technicians Shawn Gendron and Matt Boles are retrieving the “grab” from sampling the bottom.
Survey technicians Shawn Gendron and Matt Boles are retrieving the “grab” from sampling the bottom.

Science and Technology Log

On July 2, I went on launch #2 to observe the process of bottom sampling.  I would like to write in simpler language so that perhaps my first graders can read this and understand what we did. Our boat driver today Corey Muzzey, and the two surveyors were Matt Boles and Shawn Gendron. Their job today was to take samples of the sea floor. To do that, they use a special brass “claw” that is weighted down by a lead weight. They drop the claw down on a very long rope, and when it hits the bottom, a spring snaps the claw shut, and it grabs whatever is on the bottom. Then, they pull the rope and claw back up with a special winch and pulley, and look at what they got.

Sometimes, the claw picked up seaweed and mud.  Sometimes, the claw grabbed pebbles, coarse sand, fine sand, or gravel. A few times, it didn’t pick up anything, because the claw landed on solid rock. The boat driver had a special chart that he looked at to find the 19 places where they were supposed to drop the claw. Some of the spots were over 300 feet deep! They were taking these samples for two reasons: 1) The RAINIER is checking for new, safe places for anchoring for boats that use this area.  2) It is important to know what the sea bottom is like because different kinds of animals live on different types of bottom. Note that sound waves bounce off sand and rock and pebbles in very different ways. For example, sound waves that hit mud return to the boat softly. Sound waves that hit rock bounce back with more “force”, and the surveyors can tell the difference!

Matt is holding a mixture of mud and shells that came out of the grab.
Matt is holding a mixture of mud and shells that came out of the grab.

The RAINIER’s small boats, or launches, use the sound waves much as bats use them to locate obstacles when they fly. Dolphins also send out high-pitched sounds to “echolocate” their food or enemies or boats. The RAINIER uses sound waves to create maps of the sea floor. They do this by sending out sound waves, or sonar, from the bottoms of the launches.  Then they watch and record carefully how the sound waves bounce back.  They turn those recordings into maps of the ocean floor.  So, the bottom samples help them to label the maps and charts for fishermen and boaters.  They write labels on the charts like “RKY” for “rocky” areas, and “S” for sand, “SH” for shells, etc.

Personal Log 

Today we had some crazy weather. First it was sunny and calm, then windy, cloudy, rainy, and then calm again.  We saw several whales feeding near us. We also saw a small rocky island that had 30-40 Steller sea lions…the males were huge! They have just had their pups, but we couldn’t get close enough to them to see the pups.  It was a bit rough out today, and so when I tried to shut a door, I banged my shin on a door frame.  I bled so much my whole sock was bloody!  I was glad the boat had a great first aid kit.   

Questions

  1. When I saw the “claw” (look at the picture), I thought of two things…one is a piece of construction equipment, and one is a game that you can usually find at a video arcade or place like “Jungle Rapids” in Wilmington, N.C.  Can you imagine what I am thinking of?
  2. Why does it matter to a fisherman how deep the water is where he is fishing, or what kind of bottom there is below him?
A colony of Steller sea lions lies on jagged rocks in the Arriaga Passage.
A colony of Steller sea lions lies on jagged rocks in the Arriaga Passage.