Tag: survey launch

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Tamil Maldonado, July 20, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Tamil Maldonado
Onboard NOAA Ship Fairweather
July 18 – 28, 2005

Mission: Hydrographic Survey
Geographical Area: North Pacific
Date: July 20, 2005

Science and Technology Log

The Tucker trawl and Method Net had been deployed all night and day.  Scientists have shifts of 12 hours every day. Equipment is attached in the fantail area (back of ship).  There was a problem with the coaxial cable… it was broken, wet and they had to cut a portion of it.  The Electrical Technician needed to set up the cables, put them together, and use a cable coating so the wires would not get wet again.  Still, the data was not going through the wires into the computer data base.  After a few hours they had some data and started doing experiments with the CTD and Tucker net.  I was washing bottles they use to recollect larvae, taking them to the lab, freezing the bottles and chlorophyll filters, writing data down on their sheets, etc.  It was very exciting to see larvae, jelly fish, and little fish.

I also went to the bridge and we started talking about the mathematics behind navigation, including all the geometry, trigonometry and vectors involved.  We used the charts (maps) to find out our position, calculate how much time it would take for us to get to the next station where we were going to do another survey on larval fish.  I also got to know all instruments on the bridge, and how they use them for traveling, and navigation.  Moreover, we calculated true speed looking at the relative speed and using instruments, vector, ship speed, and charts.

At the end of the day I read the Draft of the scientific research, which helped me to know more information about their equipment and specifications of nets, CTD, and computer interface, among others.

I also talked to some students that are doing their internship with NOAA vessels.  It was great to get to know them, and see their different interests on the ship.

Tomorrow I am going to interview people from the Hydrographic lab department, and learn some more about navigation.

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Tamil Maldonado, July 19, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Tamil Maldonado
Onboard NOAA Ship Fairweather
July 18 – 28, 2005

Mission: Hydrographic Survey
Geographical Area: North Pacific
Date: July 19, 2005

Science and Technology Log

We took off from port at 10:00 a.m., after dealing with some ship problems.  An hour after we started testing all research equipment and noticed there was a problem with the coaxial cable that connects nets with computer interface.  The Electrical Technician worked with that issue for hours. Everything else was fine.  This coaxial cable and getting data information to computers was really important to get research correctly.  They should be able to know depth, temperature, salinity, pressure and chlorophyll information through the net’s path in water, main keys for their oceanographic research.

At night I interviewed Chief Scientist Janet T. Duffy-Anderson and other participating scientists (Colleen E. Harpold, Matthew T. Wilson, Miriam J. Doyle, Sigrid A. Salo, Dylan Righi, David G. Kachel and William J. Floering).  We discussed cruise objectives and operations.  FOCI will conduct an ichthyoplankton survey in the Gulf of Alaska in the vicinity of Kodiak Island, Alaska. This area is a known nursery ground for a variety of species of fish – walleye Pollock, Pacific cod, rock sole, Pacific halibut.  Work is needed to describe larval fish and zooplankton assemblages in summer, and to examine the movement of water and associated biota from the slope to the shelf.  Six satellite-tracked drifters will be released to study current trajectories in the vicinity of Port Lock Bank. Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth profiler casts will be made to characterize water column properties, collect nutrient and chlorophyll information, and to evaluate the flow field.

A goal of the Eco-FOCI is to identify the physical and biological factors that underlie ecosystem change, and to understand how those factors interact.  One focus is the effects of perturbation at lower trophic levels; therefore they will collect ichthyoplankton using a 1 m2 Tucker net and collect juvenile and small fishes using a Method net.  And Sea-Bird Electronics SBE 911plus Conductivity, Temperature and Depth (CTD) casts will collect physical data as well as water samples for nutrients and chlorophyll.

Scientific Computer System shall operate throughout the cruise, acquiring and logging data from navigation, meteorological, oceanographic, and fisheries sensors.

I recorded their first test and learned how to throw the nets, how to get them back, etc.   In that way I was going to be able to do it myself for the next stations.

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JoAnne Kronberg, July 19, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
JoAnne Kronberg
Onboard NOAA Ship Rainier
July 12 – 22, 2005

Mission: Hydrographic Survey
Geographical Area: North Pacific
Date: July 19, 2005

Weather Data
Waves: 8ft during the day diminishing to 6 ft in the evening
Winds:  NW 25-39 knots

Science and Technology Log

We arrived at Mitrofania Island at about 5:00 am and anchored in Cushing Bay.  Our mission today was to do a Tide Station Installment.  The National Water Level Observation Network operates 175 continuous observatory stations in the U.S. coastal zone and the Great Lakes. All are equipped with satellite radios.  Of course, a Tide Station would only be placed in the coastal areas that are affected by tides.  Water Level Stations operate in the Great Lakes.

We had to replace the Tide Station in Cushing Bay.  The sensor that is installed is called a Bubbler Orifice. It is anchoring to the bottom of the bay and is powered by a long tube that is filled with Nitrogen gas.  Two divers went down to anchor the Bubbler and attach the tube. Meanwhile, other people in another launch were setting up a Tide Staff.  A Tide Staff is just a long stick that is marked with levels like a yardstick.  The Tide Staff has to be set up to correspond with the Bench Marks that have been already determined.  The Bench Marks may be located at different sea levels.  Both the Bubbler Orifice and the Tide Staff have to be at the same sea level to be accurate.

After the Bubbler Orifice is established and the Tide Staff is set up, we started taking the readings from these two sources. Readings were taken every 6 minutes for a period of one hour. If the readings after an hour are not the same, then the Bubbler Orifice has to be adjusted.

The data collected by the Bubbler Orifice is transmitted to the Data Collection Platform.  In turn, this information is transmitted to no less than four satellites and to the National Geodetic Survey.

The work today has taken most of the day.  We will stay anchored in Cushing Bay tonight. Early tomorrow morning, Wednesday, we will start cruising toward Chiniak Bay.

It was a very educational day and the weather was fantastic.  Thank you for this opportunity.

JoAnne Kronberg Teacher-at-Sea

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Tamil Maldonado, July 18, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Tamil Maldonado
Onboard NOAA Ship Fairweather
July 18 – 28, 2005

Mission: Hydrographic Survey
Geographical Area: North Pacific
Date: July 18, 2005

Personal Log

Today we did not get out of port. We were supposed to sail this morning, but there were a few problems we needed to take care of.  First, the scientists’ equipments did not come to the ship on time.  Second there was a problem with the fuel pier.

I read the Standing Orders and saw a video about FAIRWEATHER Ship.  Both helped me to understand some rules, daily duties, safety information, and hierarchy of people and their positions in the ship.  For example, the highest position in the ship is called Commanding Officer (CO),  then we have the Executive Officer (XO), Officer of the Deck (OOD) and Officer In Charge (OIC).

I also learned some concepts that are well used in the ship.  Some of these concepts are brow, galley, bridge, fantail, etc.

I got to know people in the ship and scientists that were part of ECO- FOCI research.  ECO-FOCI stands for Ecosystem and Fisheries- Oceanography Coordinated Investigation.  It is the first time these scientists are on FAIRWEATHER ship since the boat it is mostly used for Hydrographic work.

After the scientists got their equipment (sent from Seattle), they installed machinery, nets, and computers.  It took a long time to do this.

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Tamil Maldonado, July 17, 2005

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Tamil Maldonado
Onboard NOAA Ship Fairweather
July 18 – 28, 2005

Mission: Hydrographic Survey
Geographical Area: North Pacific
Date: July 17, 2005

Personal Log

I was supposed to fly on July 15 at 9:40 a.m. by United Airlines, going from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Chicago, then from Chicago to Anchorage, Alaska; and finally from Anchorage to Kodiak. All the same day.

Well… this is what really happened. I woke up at 5:00 a.m., traveled from Humacao to San Juan, got in there at 7:30 a.m., and United Airlines attendant told me the flight got cancelled. They changed my airline to American Airlines departing at 1:30 p.m., therefore I was not going to get to Kodiak that same day.

I checked my bags with American Airlines… sending them to Anchorage.  My flight with American got delayed for two and a half hours; therefore I missed my flight from Chicago to Anchorage. I had to stay in Chicago one night with no bags, leaving to Anchorage the next day in the afternoon.

July 16 at noon I was back in O’Hare Airport in Chicago.  My flight was again delayed for an hour. I got to Anchorage with no place to stay.  My flight to Kodiak was going to be for the next day, July 17, in the afternoon. It was 2:30 a.m. in the morning and I still couldn’t find a place to stay. Every hotel was packed, no place to go. Finally somebody cancelled their hotel reservation and I stayed at the Johnson Howard Hotel.

During this time I kept calling Elizabeth McMahon, the XO Lieutenant E.J. Van den Ameele, the hotel at Kodiak called the Buskin River Inn, and my family to let everybody know about my locations.

I got to Kodiak on July 17, 2005 at approximately 5:00 p.m.  I e-mailed the XO and found a taxi to drive me to NOAA’s boat.  I came into the boat, they gave me some paperwork and forms (emergency information and NOAA Ship FAIRWEATHER visitor orientation packet). I got to know few people on the boat: Abigail, Daniel, and Mark.  Abigail showed me around the ship including my cabin room, the galley (kitchen), the different decks (floors), the lounge, computer labs, the bridge, etc.

I went to downtown Kodiak and got back to the hotel.