ship life – Page 2 – NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog

June 19, 2009April 5, 2021

Jeff Lawrence, June 19, 2009

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Jeff Lawrence
Onboard Research Vessel Hugh R. Sharp
June 8-19, 2009

Mission: Sea scallop survey
Geographical area of cruise: North Atlantic
Date: June 19, 2009

Weather Data from the Bridge In port at Woods Hole, Mass.
W winds 5-10 KTs, cloudy overcast skies Light rain, 2-3 foot waves Air Temp. 66˚F

Jakub Kircun watches as a beautiful sunset unfolds.

Science and Technology Log

The Research Vessel Hugh R. Sharp finally made it into port this morning at the National Marine Fisheries Service in Woods Hole on the Cape Cod coast of Massachusetts. Although this cruise was not terribly long it is great to be back on land. Scallop surveying is tedious work that is ongoing on a research vessel 24/7. The people onboard were great to work with and it is always a pleasure to get to know other people, especially those who share a passion for ocean research and science. Few people realize the great effort and sacrifices that people in the oceanography field have to give up to go out to sea to complete research that will help give a better understanding to three-fourths of the planet’s surface. They must leave home and loved ones for many days to get the science needed for a more complete understanding of the Earth’s oceans.

The noon to midnight shift includes myself, the Chief Scientist onboard, Stacy Rowe, watch chief Jakub Kircum, Shad Mahlum, Francine Stroman, and Joe Gatuzzi. We are responsible for sorting each station on our watch, measuring and weighing the samples into the computer. These people are very good at what they do and quite dedicated to performing the task with professionalism, courtesy, and a great deal of enthusiasm. It is clear to see that each person has a passion for ocean sciences especially the fisheries division. The NOAA fisheries division carefully surveys and provides data to those that make regulations about which places will be left open for commercial fishing and those which will be closed until the population is adequate to handle the pressures of the commercial fishing industry. I have observed many different species of marine animals, some of which I did not even know ever existed. Below is a photo of me and the other TAS Duane Sanders putting on our survival at sea suits in case of emergency. These suits are designed to keep someone afloat and alive in cold water and are required on all boats where colder waters exist.

The Goosefish, also called Monkfish, is a ferocious predator below the surface and above!

Personal Log

The fish with a bad attitude award has to go to the goosefish. This ferocious predator lies in wait at the bottom of the ocean floor for prey. On the topside of its mouth is an antenna that dangles an alluring catch for small fish and other ocean critters. When the prey gets close enough the goosefish emerges from its muddy camouflage and devours its prey. I made the error of mistaking it for a skate that was in a bucket. I was not paying close enough attention as I grabbed what I thought was the skate from a bucket, the goosefish quickly bit down. Blood oozed out of my thumb as the teeth penetrated clean through a pair of rubber gloves. I pay closer attention when sticking my hand in buckets now. There are many creatures in the sea that are harmless, but one should take heed to all the creatures that can inflict bodily damage to humans.

Questions of the Day
Name four species you my find at the bottom on the Atlantic:
What is another common name for the goosefish?
What is the species name (Scientific name) for the goosefish?
What are the scientific names for starfish and scallops?

June 15, 2009April 5, 2021

Ruth Meadows, June 15, 2009

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Ruth S. Meadows
Onboard NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow
June 12 – July 18, 2009

Mission: Census of Marine Life (MAR-Eco)
Geographical Area: Mid- Atlantic Ridge; Charlie- Gibbs Fracture Zone
Date: June 15, 2009

Weather Data from the Bridge
Temperature: 54^o F
Humidity: 76%
Wind: 10 kts

Science and Technology Log

In addition to the scientists on board, we have an entire crew of NOAA personnel to run the ship and all the equipment. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration is a part of the United States Department of Commerce. CDR (Commander) Anne Lynch is in charge of the Henry B. Bigelow. She joined the NOAA Corp after graduating from college and has worked her way up to Commander during her 18 years of service. She has been on many different ships and has traveled as far away as Antarctica. ENS (Ensign) Kyle Sanders is new to the NOAA corps. He graduated from college and became a part of NOAA about 9 months ago. He has been on the Henry B. Bigelow for at least 6 cruises. He majored in meteorology in college so he has a science background and is learning about piloting the ships of NOAA.

CDR Anne Lynch and ENS Kyle Sanders on the bridge of the Bigelow — CDR Anne Lynch and ENS Kyle Sanders on the bridge

The Henry B. Bigelow is a fairly new ship. It was commissioned in July, 2007 and has many technical features that make it a wonderful ship for doing scientific research. In the lab there are computers set up to take data from many different types of organisms. There are microscopes to dissect tissue samples or view very small organisms. When the nets are towed behind ship, they will be on 6000 m (about 5 miles) ENS Kyle Sanders of wire and will go down almost 3000 m. Then they will be brought back up to the ship’s deck. Of course, someone has to be able to operate and repair all the equipment. The crew on board has expertise in all type of mechanical engineering to make sure the equipment the scientists are using works properly.

In each cabin, the lounge, on the bridge and in the acoustics room, there are computers that allow everyone to communicate and transfer information. The bridge has specialized computers that help navigate the ship and conserve fuel for long distance travel. The computer screens can show the depth of the water, temperature of sea and air, wind speed, ship speed and other necessary data that makes the ship run smoothly. Information technology helps the ship travel safely even when it is too foggy to see very far ahead of you. One of the most important jobs on the ship is the Information Technology specialist. It is his job to make sure all the computers are working so that the trip will run smoothly.

Something to think about when on a ship this size are the doors. The outside openings are equipped with watertight doors that must be closed before entering or after leaving an area. As you can see, the locking mechanism looks like a wheel. This turns the lock for the door to seal.

Personal Log

Last night’s weather was really rough. The waves were 10 – 12 feet in height and it was a little more difficult to sleep. You had to make sure you had something blocking the end of the bed so you didn’t fall out. This morning the weather improved a lot and by afternoon, the sun and blue skies were finally visible. We took advantage of the good weather to go outside for the next part of the Bigelow Olympics – golfing !! I scored better on this event than this first one. You had to putt the ball into the hole from 4 different places, while the wind blew and the ship rocked back and forth. It was a good way to have fun with others on the ship as we travel to the area of sampling. It was nice to see the sun and blue skies for a change.

Left: Tom Letessier, a PhD student from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. His concentration is in zooplankton. Center: CJ Sweetman tries for a hole in one. He is a PhD student from Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Right: This is Zach Baldwin, another PhD student from New York City. His concentration is in mid-water fishes. — Left: Tom Letessier, a PhD student from the University of St. Andrews. His concentration is in zooplankton. Center: CJ Sweetman tries for a hole in one. He is a PhD student from VA Institute of Marine Science. Right: Zach Baldwin, another PhD student from NYC. His concentration is in mid-water fishes.

June 14, 2009April 5, 2021

Ruth Meadows, June 14, 2009

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Ruth S. Meadows
Onboard NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow
June 12 – July 18, 2009

Mission: Census of Marine Life (MAR-Eco)
Geographical Area: Mid- Atlantic Ridge; Charlie- Gibbs Fracture Zone
Date: June 14, 2009

Weather Data from the Bridge
Temperature 7.6^o C
Humidity 94%
Wind 17.3 kts

Science and Technology Log

We are about half way to our location on the Mid-Atlantic ridge. Before we get there, we will do a comparative sampling over practice catch on the abyssal plain (a vast flat area on the bottom of the ocean). This will give us an idea of what lives in the deep open ocean away from the mid-ocean ridge for comparison with what we catch in our main study area. There has been very little sampling of the deep open ocean with large nets and not much is known about the animals that swim high above the bottom in such areas, even though they make up the largest living space on earth.

Various species that will have data recorded about them

All the scientists were divided into two groups. Each group will work a 12 hour shift. I will be working the 12 noon to 12 midnight shift. We met with our work group today to learn how to use some of the scientific equipment on board. The lead scientist for my group is Shannon DeVaney from Los Angeles, California. Her area of expertise is in mid-water fishes. We will be using a specialized computer program to record the data from the organisms that are caught in the nets. All the organisms will be at the end of the net in a special removable container called a cod-end.

This mid-water fish, a viperfish (Chauliodus sloani ), was 225 cm in length and had a mass 0.0230 kg. It was caught in an earlier tow test. Until today, I had only seen this fish in books. The teeth are really sharp and large for such a small fish. To learn more about the viperfish. Once the organism is measured and the information is recorded in the computer. A label can be printed and the animal will be either frozen or preserved for further investigation. Then it will be on to the next one.

Personal Log

Everyone is participating in the “Bigelow Olympics”. This is a fun competition for both the scientists on board as well as the crew. Today was the first event, a potato chucking competition. We each had 5 potatoes that we loaded one at a time to in a large slingshot to shoot at a target off the back of the boat. Each “hit” earned you 20 points for a possible total of 100 points – I only hit the target twice so I got 40 points. The event is open for 24 hours since some people will be working nights and some are working days. This is one of my attempts. Some people hit the target 5/5. There will be several more competitions, so maybe I will do better on the next one. If you look carefully, you can see my potato as it sails out to sea.

Here’s my potato as it flies toward the target!

The temperature has dropped some since yesterday, so it is difficult to stay outside for any length of time. Of course the wind is always blowing but sometimes you can find a place that is protected from the wind to enjoy some outdoor time. We all want to see icebergs and we may be in the area by Monday or Tuesday.

Did you know?

Did you know that icebergs are composed of fresh water? The density of fresh water is less than the density of seawater which is why the iceberg floats.

June 14, 2009April 5, 2021

Jeff Lawrence, June 14, 2009

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Jeff Lawrence
Onboard Research Vessel Hugh R. Sharp
June 8-19, 2009

Mission: Sea scallop survey
Geographical area of cruise: North Atlantic
Date: June 14, 2009

Weather Data from the Bridge
East winds 3 KTs
1015mb pressure
Seas 2-4ft
Partly cloudy early, clearing sunny skies late afternoon

Science and Technology Log

The bridge of a ship is a very busy place where all activities that are occurring on the ship being managed from this location. When any equipment is going overboard it is the responsibility of the captain or first mate to ensure that it is done safely and correctly. The ship must follow a predetermined route for each stations sampling and be kept on tract by precise navigating from the bridge. Whenever anything goes overboard the bridge has to be notified, it is important for the bridge to know everything that is in the water to avoid the boat from being fouled up by miscellaneous line in the water. This could be dangerous and costly for the ship and crew.

Left: The bridge of the ship; Right: Crewmembers on the bridge discussing the cruise operational procedures

Captain Bill Byam has been very helpful to me and my fellow teacher at sea making sure we have the availability of the crew and ship to write our journal entries and then submit them online to NOAA. The ship’s crew is also responsible for deployments and retrieving of all instruments put overboard the ship. Along with the dredge and occasional CTD is deployed to get a profile of the water column and collect water samples at varying depths. The water samples can be used for a variety of things, such as water filtering to see what microscopic critters may be present, chemical analysis, as well as conductivity or salinity of the water. The CTD is standard instruments used on most science research vessels. The crew on the Sharp are very proficient, professional, and hard working as they also help with assisting the scientist with some of the work on deck.

Personal Log

Shad and Stacy repair the net on one of the dredges

The cruise has gone very smoothly with lots of scientific data have been collected for future analysis. I have worked closely on the deck with members of the noon to midnight shift for almost two weeks. In that time we have collected many samples of scallops, crabs, starfish, sand dollars, sea urchins, many varieties of fish, and even occasional pieces of trash left from man’s misuse of the ocean. I hope to be able to take the knowledge gleaned from this experience and the scientist onboard the ship and give my students back in Oklahoma a better understanding of our oceans and how their health impacts everyone around world even those in land-locked Oklahoma. It has been my goal to better inform my 5^th-8^thgrade students, my college students who are training to become teachers, and the general lay member how all of us impact the health of the oceans and how important the oceans are to us all in maintaining a homeostatic balance with the Earth’s biosphere and atmosphere. We all have much to gain with a healthy ocean system and much more to lose if we are not adequate in our stewardship of our oceans.

I would like to give a special thanks to Chief Scientist Stacy Rowe for allowing me to participate in all aspects of the cruise and collecting samples. The team I am with are very cordial and extremely helpful in answering all my questions. They made me feel a part of the team and not an outsider. It was great to work with a group of people who are so dedicated. When one team member finished a task they simply moved to help another team member until the whole catch was sorted, measured, and weighed. It is good to work with people who are equally vested in their work. No one person stood and watched as others worked, each did an equal share of the work and made sure the task was completed in a timely and organized fashion. This made the long hours of the shift seem shorter and the days went by much quicker. It is always good to be a part of a good team. Thanks to the crew aboard the Sharp, and the scientist that made this trip a profitable one, not only for me but also for my students back in Oklahoma. Thank you Bill Byam, captain aboard the Sharp and all of his dedicated crew. The ship’s crew, were hospitable host and I really enjoyed meeting you all. Thanks to NOAA for allowing a previous teacher at sea another opportunity to learn more about the oceans and have another lifetime memory to share with others.

Questions of the Day
What instrument does a ship use today to navigate in precise lines? (hint cars use it also to find their way around town)

Who is Hugh R. Sharp? (ship is named after him)

June 13, 2009April 5, 2021

Ruth Meadows, June 13, 2009

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Ruth S. Meadows
Onboard NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow
June 12 – July 18, 2009

Mission: Census of Marine Life (MAR-Eco)
Geographical Area: Mid- Atlantic Ridge; Charlie- Gibbs Fracture Zone
Date: June 13, 2009

Weather Data from the Bridge
Temperature 11.1^o C
Humidity 96%
Wind 12.99 kts

Here we are during a safety drill donning our survival suits.

Science and Technology

We have just left the continental shelf off the coast of North America. The depth of the water changed quite dramatically, from around 89 meters in depth to over 1600 meters in only a few minutes of time. The current depth of the ocean is now 2600 meters.

Every week, a safety drill is held to make sure everyone knows how to protect themselves and others during an emergency. Today was a fire drill and an abandon ship drill. Everyone was required to take their survival suits and life preserver to their assigned life boat positions. Then we had to put on our suits to make sure we knew how in case of an emergency. The survival suits are necessary because we are in the North Atlantic where the water temperature is currently 13^o C. .

Personal Log

As we travel to our location, we have a lot of free time to visit and get to know our fellow participants. Several of the people on board are students that are currently working on their PhD from various universities in the United States and abroad. Most of the scientists have been on many cruises similar to this one to learn as much as they can about their specialty. The weather has been really foggy both days so it has been difficult to see anything from a distance. This morning we had some common dolphins that were in the front of the boat. After a few minutes, more dolphins joined them from both side of the boat. They traveled with us for about 15 minutes and then went on their way. I’m standing on the top deck of the ship.

Did You Know?

NOAA has a web page with information especially for students? Learn more here. There are activities for elementary and middle/high school students. Try one while you on summer vacation!!