survival suit – Page 2 – NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog

September 6, 2017September 7, 2017

Susan Brown: Let’s Go Fishing, September 4, 2017

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Susan Brown

NOAA Ship Oregon II

September 3 – 15, 2017

Mission: Snapper/Longline Shark Survey

Geographic Area of Cruise: Gulf of Mexico

Date: September 4, 2017

Weather Data from the Bridge

Latitude: 29 43.931N
Longitude: 086 09.617W
Sea wave height: .5 meters
Wind Speed: 2
Wind Direction: 250 degrees
Visibility: good
Air Temperature: 28.3 degrees Celsius
Barometric Pressure: 1016 mb
Sky: partly cloudy

Science and Technology Log

Today was my first shift. We are using mackerel to bait the 100 hooks that will be places into the water at a specific station. Each hook is numbered so that we can collect data on which hook brought in a fish and entered into the database. There are several jobs out here from baiting the hooks, placing the buoys, flinging the baited hooks out, and recording data in the computer. My job today is the computer.

entering data on the deployment of the baited hooks

The longline is set and left to sit in the ocean for approximately one hour before we start bringing up the line to see if we have a fish on. Out of the 100 hooks we got one fish, a baby tiger shark and a larger juvenile tiger shark coming in at six feet or so. This tiger shark had several hooks in its mouth as well as a tag so when she was brought up on board, all the hooks were removed and the tag replaced with a new one.

Removing hooks from the tiger shark’s mouth

The tag that was on the tiger shark was opened up to reveal a small scroll of paper with a unique number so that this shark can be tracked from where it was first picked up to when it ended up with us for the brief visit. Below is a short video of us bringing up the shark in the cradle! [no dialogue or narration.]

We will be setting another line tonight at our second station as we continue to motor southeast following the coast of Florida.

Beside recording data on the sharks, a CTD is deployed to collect data on conductivity, temperature and depth. We will use this data in the classroom to look for trends between the abiotic factors that may influence where we are finding certain shark species and the number of overall sharks at any given station.

The CTD that measure conductivity, temperature and depth

Personal Log

There are many different scientists on board researching different things. I am sharing a stateroom with Dani who is on the night shift. She is looking into how different sharks handle stress. I see very little of her since we are on opposite shifts so we get a quick visit at noon when there is a changing of the guards so of say. Brett and Carlos, as mentioned in an earlier post, are looking into parasites that inhabit the various animals we are bringing up. I will do a separate blog on those two and their research later this week to share what they are finding.

Donning the survival suit during abandon ship drill

Today we had a few drills to practice in case of an emergency. One was a fire drill and the other was an abandon ship drill where I had to don a large neoprene suit in less than two minutes. Here I am in that suit! It was quite cumbersome to put on.

Learning new words as I get acclimated to the ship. Here are a few for you:

The head = bathroom

Stateroom = room where I sleep

Muster = to assemble

Bow = the front of the ship

Stern = the back of the ship

Did You Know?

Military time is used on board this ship. See the photo of the clock below.

Question of the Day: Why use military time?

September 18, 2013August 20, 2021

Louise Todd, Underway, September 16, 2013

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Louise Todd
Aboard NOAA Ship Oregon II
September 13 – 29, 2013

Mission: Shark and Red Snapper Bottom Longline Survey
Geographical Area of Cruise: Gulf of Mexico
Date: September 16, 2013

Weather Data from the Bridge:
Barometric Pressure: 1014.01mb
Sea Temperature: 28.8˚Celsius
Air Temperature: 29.9˚C
Wind speed: 19.22 knots

Science and Technology Log:

We left Galveston a little before 2pm on Sunday, September 15. We were in transit to our first sampling location and should arrive there around 8pm tonight. Depending on the conditions we might actually be able to do some fishing tonight!

Today we went through our abandon ship drill. The ship’s alarm is used to alert everyone on board in the event of an emergency. Abandon ship is indicated by 7 short rings followed by one long ring of the alarm. When the alarm sounds with the abandon ship signal, we must carry our survival suits, personal flotation devices (PFDs), long pants, a hat and a long-sleeved shirt to the well deck, at the bow (front) of the ship. My survival suit and personal flotation device (PFD) are kept in cabinets in my room. The survival suit is tricky to get on and it gets very, very warm when you are wearing it!

Survival Suit — In my survival suit (Photo Credit Lisa Jones)

Personal Log:

During this initial transit, there hasn’t been much for me to do. I spent a lot of time sleeping on Sunday. The way the waves rock the ship back and forth makes me very sleepy! I have taken a few short naps today in order to be ready in case we do any fishing on the later part of my shift tonight. I am on the day shift which means I will work noon to midnight. I think it will take me some time to get used to staying up that late but I think these naps will help! As we start fishing the days will be much busier for me so staying awake will be easy I hope. The views off of the ship are amazing. I was surprised to see how blue the water gets.

View off the ship — View off the Oregon II

My stateroom is very comfortable and I have plenty of space in drawers and cabinets for everything I brought with me. I am getting used to latching doors and drawers behind me so they do not slam back and forth as the ship rocks. On the ship there is always someone sleeping so everyone works hard to be courteous and stay quiet.

My roommate is an officer on the ship so we are usually in the room at different times. Officers on NOAA ships are part of the NOAA Corps. Roommates are usually assigned based on the shifts people are working so each person has some time alone in the room. As we start fishing more I will bring my computer and other items I might want throughout the day into one of the labs on the ship so I won’t have to go in and out of the room when my roommate might be sleeping. The curtains are helpful in blocking out any light that might prevent you from sleeping. The showers are right next to my room which is convenient and the common head (bathroom) is just around the corner.

There are plenty of food choices in the galley on the ship and everything has been delicious. In the mornings you can even get eggs made to order! I certainly don’t think I will be going hungry!

Did You Know?

Even in the warmer waters of the Gulf of Mexico, hypothermia is risk due to the difference in water temperature and our body temperatures. The survival suit helps to protect our bodies from the difference in temperature.

August 14, 2013August 20, 2021

Liz Harrington: The Adventure Begins – Setting Sail! August 13, 2013

NOAA Teacher At Sea
Liz Harrington
Aboard NOAA Ship Oregon II
August 10 – 25, 2013

Mission : Shark/Red Snapper Bottom Longline
Geographical area of cruise: Western Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico
Date: August 13, 2013

Weather: current conditions from the bridge:
Partly Cloudy
Lat. 24.24 ° N Lon. 81.17 ° W
Temp. 86.9° F ( 30.5 °C)
Wind speed 12.1 knots
Barometer 1017 mb
Visibility 10 mi

Science and Technology Log

I’m very excited to finally be aboard the NOAA Ship Oregon II. Everyone I have met has made me feel very welcome. I know I’m going to have a fantastic time.

The Oregon II set off from Mayport, Florida (near Jacksonville) Saturday at 1:30 pm (which is 13:30 our time since the crew uses the 24 hour time system).

We will travel along the entire eastern coast of Florida, around the Florida Keys and into the Gulf of Mexico where the fishing will begin. I am on the second leg of a four leg Shark/Red Snapper survey. This is a yearly survey with the purpose of gathering data on a number of shark species and Red Snapper, a popular commercial and recreational fish. The majority of the sharks caught are weighed, measured, tagged and released. A few are dissected, with tissue samples being taken for further studies. The focus on the Red Snapper is to assess the health of the population. With this information the fishing regulations are revised to ensure a sustainable Red Snapper stock.

The general public is beginning to understand that sharks don’t deserve their reputation as vicious killers but are actually an important link in the marine food web. The data collected from the surveys will be used to better understand the various shark species and to inform those responsible for updating the fishing regulations.

The Oregon II is a beautiful ship with a friendly and welcoming crew. One thing that stands out to me is the focus on safety. Upon arriving at the ship I immediately noticed the bright red message stenciled upon her. The commitment to that message is evident throughout the ship with safety equipment readily available, briefings for the new people arriving, life raft assignments and safety drills carried out.

Safety is an important practice on the Oregon II.

Yesterday we participated in two safety drills. The first was a Spill Drill. When the alarm sounded people went to their assigned stations. Members of the Science Team went to the dry lab and were all accounted for. Other members of the crew reported to the spill area with the appropriate gear to contain and clean up the mock spill. A second drill we performed was an Abandon Ship drill. In this drill we all needed to report to the foredeck with our survival suit, our PFD (personal flotation device or life jacket) and a set of clothing to protect against sun exposure (hat, long pants and long-sleeved shirt). We all had to demonstrate putting on our PFD as well as our survival suit. It may not surprise you to hear that I had plenty of room inside my survival suit and it was very easy to get into.

However, I did have to concentrate to zip the suit with my big, mitted hand. You may have thought, as I had, that survival suits were for the chilly northern waters. But the ocean temperature here is close to 80° F while our body temperature is 98.6°. It wouldn’t take long to chill and become hypothermic. It is very comforting to know that safety plays such an important role on this ship and the captain and crew follow the saying “plan for the worst, hope for the best”.

This morning we are located just south of the Florida Keys. Our latitude is 24.24° N. We are close to the Tropic of Cancer, but we won’t be crossing it.

sunrise off Florida Keys — Sunrise off the Florida Keys

Once around the Keys we’ll begin to head north again. We may begin fishing this evening or early tomorrow morning, as soon as we reach our first survey point. I’m looking forward to learning how the fishing is done and especially seeing what we catch.

storing suit — Survival suit is properly stored so it is always ready for use.

Easy access to PFDs stored in our rooms.

Self-inflating life raft. I am assigned to Life Raft #1.

July 12, 2013August 13, 2021

Amie Ell: Deadman’s Bay, July 11, 2013

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Amie Ell
Aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson (NOAA Ship Tracker)
July 7 – July 11, 2013

Mission: Alaska Walleye Pollock Survey
Geographical Area: Gulf of Alaska
Date: July 11th, 2013

Location Data from the Bridge:
Latitude: 56.56 N
Longitude: 152.74 W
Ship speed: 11.3 kn

Weather Data from the Bridge:
Air temperature: 10.7 degrees Centigrade
Surface water temperature: 8.6 degrees Centigrade
Wind speed: 18 kn
Wind direction: 250 degrees
Barometric pressure: 1016 mb

Science and Technology Log:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Full net on deck

So now that you know what we do with the fish after they are caught, let’s go back and see how the fishermen trawl. There are two large nets at the stern of the ship. Today we used both nets for the first time. The scientists, crew, and fishermen all work together to catch the fish. In the acoustics lab Paul is reviewing and scrutinizing the data he receives from the echo locators mounted on the hull of the ship. There are many factors he must evaluate in order to have a good trawl. There are places in our area that have been marked as “untrawlable”. This is usually due to a sea floor that is rocky. Trawling in these places may ruin the nets. We have completed at least one trawl a day since we have been out to sea. Today we completed two during my watch. The first was with a larger net and was not sent all the way to the bottom. The second trawl was sent to the bottom with a smaller net. The bottom trawl brought up the largest pollock I have seen so far. The longest pollock was 75 cm. We also brought up a salmon, cod, rock fish, and a whole lot of herring.

Crane lifting the net to be dumped into the bin.

The nets are both on large spools and are released or returned with the help of a very large winch. Before the net is released into the water the CamTrawl is attached to it. This is a camera that takes pictures that help the scientists see at what point in the trawl fish were entering the net.

Example photo from the CamTrawl. A Salmon Shark caught on the first leg.

The time that the net is in the water depends on the information about the amount of fish coming from the acoustics lab. Scientists watch the echo information to determine how much time the net should be in the water to catch enough fish to sample. We must have at least 300 pollock to make a complete survey.

The fishermen bring the nets back to the trawl deck and wind them back onto the spools. They then will use a crane to lift the catch and dump it into a bin. From the fish lab we can lift this bin to dump the fish onto the conveyor belt.

Personal Log

Entering Deadman's Bay — Entering Deadman’s Bay

On Monday, we had our weekly fire and abandon ship drills. After the drills I practiced putting on my survival suit. This suit is designed to keep you afloat and warm in the event that you have to go into the water.

On Tuesday, we surveyed up into Deadman’s Bay. It was a beautiful sun shiny day and the scenery was amazing. We were very close to the shore on both sides. I sat out on the trawl deck and scanned the hillsides with my binoculars. I was told that it is common to see bears here, but I did not see any.

June 20, 2013August 11, 2021

Marla Crouch: Gumbi Marla and Setting Course, June 18, 2013

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Marla Crouch
Aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson
June 8-26, 2013

Mission: Pollock Survey
Geographical area of cruise: Gulf of Alaska
Date: June 18, 2013

Weather Data from the Bridge: as of 1900
Wind Speed 13.48 kts
Air Temperature 7.0°C
Relative Humidity 99.00%
Barometric Pressure 1,010.00.5 mb

Latitude: 54.31N Longitude: 159.80W

Science and Technology Log

Another fashion statement – Gumbi Marla

Here I am, all zipped up in my immersion suit.

I’ve donned an immersion suit, also known as a survival suit. One of the first things I did when I came aboard was to locate this suit and my life vest, two pieces of equipment that save lives. In the event we had to abandon ship, the survival suit would keep me both warm and afloat until rescue. During our evacuation drill we needed to unpack and get into the suit, and be completely zipped up in 60 seconds or less. Getting into the suit was much easier after I took my shoes off, as the soles caught on the fabric of the suit. The suit is made of neoprene, which was invented in 1930. SCUBA wetsuits are also made of neoprene, and even some laptop and tablet cases.

In an earlier blog I talked about the CTD being used to calibrate the sonar aboard the Oscar Dyson, but not all technologies on the Dyson are as high tech as the CTD and sonar equipment. In fact you can build a weather station at home that is similar to some of the equipment used by the Dyson’s crew. Below is a picture of a hygrometer. There are actually two hygrometers aboard, one is located on each side of the bridge. Hygrometers are used to measure relative humidity (how much moisture is in the air). Also pictured is the wind bird which shows the direction the wind is moving. The propeller was actually turning rapidly when the picture was taken. The camera was able to “stop” the action. The wind bird is mounted atop the jack staff, high above the bow.

Hygrometers are weather instruments used to measure relative humidity.

The following link shows you how to build six instruments for monitoring the weather.

http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/for_fun/BuildyourownWeatherStation.pdf

If you checked out the above link, how many snow days to you think the kids in North Dakota had?

Did you check out ship tracker? If you did, the screen shot below will look familiar. The blue lines in the water display the Dyson’s course. Each segment of the course is called a transect. Transects are numbered, enabling scientists to easily reference a location.

Oscar Dyson's course as of 6 18 13 — *Oscar Dyson*‘s course as of 6 18 13

Are you wondering why we have traveled in rectangular patterns? The scientists establish this course for a several reasons:

Transects run perpendicular to the coast line, covering a wide range of bathymetry over the shortest distance.
Regularly spaced transects (as opposed to randomly spaced or scattered) are correlated with historical data, and are the best way to describe the distribution of pollock.
The combination of transects collects sufficient data to allow scientists to estimate the overall size of the pollock population with a high degree of certainty.

Does anyone have an idea about the meaning of “bathymetry” and a “leg”? No, in this case a leg is not something you stand on. Bathymetry is the shape and depth of the ocean floor, and a bathymetry contour line on a chart connects points of equal depth (like a topographic map). A leg, in this context, is a segment of the overall distance covered in the survey.

The information collected during this year’s survey helps determine the number of pollock that can be caught in next year’s fishing season.

Here is the ship tracker link, you can check out the Dyson’s course and other NOAA ships as well.

http://shiptracker.noaa.gov/shiptracker.html

Personal Log

I want to revisit the sonar of Mystery Mix One. In my last blog I talked about what was happening near the surface of the ocean. This time I want to focus beneath the sea floor.

Look beneath the red, yellow, and green bands, depicting the sea floor, at the blue color, notice how the density of color changes over time. The density of the color tells scientists about the composition of the sea bed. The denser the color, the denser or harder the seafloor is likely to be; probably, the places with the dark, dense color are rocky areas, which attract the fish schools seen in the water above.

Looking at this graph reminds me of an experiment that my husband worked on, when he worked for Charles Stark Draper Labs, in Boston, MA. He worked on a Gravity Gradiometer that was sent to the moon on Apollo 17. The gradiometer measured the changes in gravity. The changes in gravitational strength give scientists information about what lays beneath the moon surface, like the sonar provides information about the sea bed. The Gravity Gradiometer was a very specialized version of equipment that is commonly used in prospecting for oil on Earth. I am sharing this story because, in class, one of our foci is to take what we know and apply the knowledge to a new scenario. Next question: Where will what we know now, take us in the future?

Did You Know?

Some fish can see color.