transducer – NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog

September 13, 2024November 9, 2024

Lisa Werner: How Does Communication with Popoki Work? September 11, 2024

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Lisa Werner

Aboard NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada

August 29-September 13, 2024

Mission: EXPRESS Project

Geographic Area of Cruise: Pacific Coast, near Northern California

Date: September 11, 2024

Weather Data from the Bridge (Coquille Bank):

Latitude: 42º58.378’ N

Longitude: 124º50.146’W

Wind Speed: 23.78 knots

Air Temperature: 14.3ºC/57.74ºF

Conditions: Rain

Science Log

Let’s talk about how Popoki, the autonomous underwater vehicle (or AUV), ‘converses’ with the AUV pilot aboard the ship. The map and directions for the route Popoki will be mapping is programmed into her computers ahead of each dive. On this mission, Popoki has been deployed daily, so every evening, the scientists carefully plan out where she will go on each deployment. They also plan the path Popoki will go when on location – this cruise she has made a lot of sawtooth-shaped patterns to give the scientists the greatest survey of what is in the areas they want to study.

photo of a computer screen showing, at center, an image from a computer-generated model of the underwater bathymetry of an area. Overlaid on the image are topographic lines and depth numbers. overlaid on that is a zig-zagging white line showing Popoki's route. — *Of course, tomorrow’s dive pattern is not a sawtooth pattern. The pattern is drawn out in the white lines over the diagram of the ocean floor contour.*

Though this seems like it would be easy to set up Popoki and let her run her course, that is not quite the end of the story. During a dive, the ocean current is sometimes unknown in any given area, so the AUV pilot needs to be able to help Popoki adjust her positioning. It would not be a very big help to get pictures of an entirely different area than the scientists were aiming for because the ocean currents took Popoki to a different area of the sea floor. The scientists also need to be able to help Popoki if she gets stuck on fishing line, or if the conditions above the water change – such as weather changes or vessel traffic – that would require Popoki to surface ahead of her scheduled time.

To communicate with Popoki, an acoustic modem system is used. There is a modem aboard the ship that can send messages to Popoki through a series of chirping sounds. The pitches and lengths of the chirps are all part of the code that Popoki can understand. She has a device that ‘listens’ for these sounds and can then follow the coded instructions to alter her pre-programmed course. She also communicates regularly with the AUV pilot – sending the coordinates she believes she’s at, her depth, battery life, and how many pictures she has taken so far in the dive.

close-up view of a piece of electronic equipment inside a water-proof housing (with the lid removed to show the contents). There are knobs, dials, CAT-5 cables. — *The modem that communicates with Popoki*

Popoki’s communication device points upward, so when deployment is taking place, the scientists place a transducer into the water to use to communicate. Once Popoki is on her way to her programmed starting point, and farther away from the ship, the transducer is removed from the water.

crewmembers, wearing hard hats and life vests, lean over the rail of the ship and use hooked poles to guide a small yellow object suspended from what looks like a fishing pole safely down toward the water's surface. — *This is the transducer that is placed in the water for deployment*

Sometimes there are difficulties with this communication, and this is where the ship’ crew plays a very important role. The officers on the bridge work to position the ship in areas that allow for Popoki and the acoustic modem to speak to each other easily. The angle of the ship will change as Popoki goes through her programmed patterns, adjusting so that the chirps of the modem have a direct line to Popoki. Distance also plays an important part of the communication process – if the ship and Popoki are too far away from each other, there can be interference with the communication. Ocean current, wave heights and lengths, and other sounds coming from the ship can interfere with the communication, as well. The AUV pilot and the ship’s crew work very closely together throughout the entirety of the dive to help the Popoki and the pilot have clear communication.

photo over someone's shoulder of a computer screen displaying a gridded graph. on the graph is a simplified outline of the ship (like a rectangle with a triangle attached to one end) and some dots to the ship's port side — *AUV pilot Jeff Anderson’s screen showing the ship’s position and Popoki’s position (Denoted as dots)*

At this point, you may be wondering WHY do we use Popoki. I’m sure that you can see her benefits in exploring areas we have not yet seen, but the why actually goes much deeper than that (no pun intended). One of the first things Popoki is doing is looking at areas that are being considered for future offshore wind farm sites. There is a great interest in putting wind turbines over the ocean to create renewable energy for our country. Having been on the Pacific Ocean for 2 weeks now, I can definitely attest to the fact that the wind is very strong in these areas, so there is plenty of energy to harvest. Popoki is identifying the deep sea habitats and geological features on the seafloor that would need to be considered when anchoring any wind turbines.

Popoki is also looking at the changes to the habitats as a result of different regulations that have taken place in fishing areas in this region. Some of the locations we have visited were mapped out by Popoki in the past, and scientists are looking to see whether fishing regulations have helped the populations of ocean life return. Finally, Popoki has been looking for evidence of seeps in the ocean floor. These geological areas are spots where cracks in the ocean floor have occurred due to plate tectonics.

underwater image of the seafloor. it's mostly muddy, with only a little relief, but through the center is a dark crack in the floor, with what appears to be steam (maybe hotter water) rising out of it. we can also make out what might be corals, and a fish. — *Picture of an ocean seep (Photo credit: Popoki)*

Personal Log

The ship’s crew spends a lot of time preparing for safety. Just like we have fire, tornado, and lockdown drills in our school, the ship has drills to practice for emergencies as well. They need to be ready for any emergency, and everyone has a role to play. We have practiced the drills each week.

Throughout my time on NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada, I have gotten to experience some pretty amazing things. However, my absolute favorite moment was getting “Helm time.” That’s right – I got to drive the ship! With Ops Officer Lieutenant Jaime Hendrix and Ensign Megan Sixt guiding me, I got to turn the ship to hard rudder, causing her to drive in a circle. I also got to get her back to her appropriate heading for the transit we were making, and then practice keeping her on course. It was really interesting to see how the ship reacts to the controls and to see what she does! I am so grateful to CO Laura Gibson for this opportunity, and really appreciate the help LT Hendrix and ENS Sixt gave me!

photo of Lisa wearing a bright red survival suit - all we can see of her is her eyes (with glasses) and a portion of her Teacher at Sea beanie hat. she stands on deck on a clear day and stretches her arms out for the photo — *Me wearing the Immersion (or “Gumby”) suit (Photo credit: Curt Whitmire)*

We practice where to gather, or ‘muster,’ in the event of a fire or abandoning ship. At the very beginning of the cruise, we get right to work with a tour of where to find the lifeboats, how to deploy them, and then we get to the drills.

Recently, I had the opportunity to learn to use the flares and the line thrower. The line thrower is used for ship to ship transfers or for rescuing someone who’s fallen overboard. Although it is really fun to get the experience to use these devices, it is definitely something that you hope only gets used in training. However, knowing they are there and that everyone knows how to use them makes you feel a bit better if an emergency does happen.

Lisa, wearing very large, thick gloves, poses near the ship's railing and smiles at the camera. in her left hand, over the railing, she holds a lit flare. it's a mostly clear day, and the sky is blue with a few clouds, and the ocean has a few whitecaps. — *I now know how to use the flares! (Photo credit: Alice Kojima-Clarke*)

Trying out the line thrower

We are not on autopilot!!! ENS Sixt and LT Hendrix helping me learn to drive a ship! (Photo credit: Randy Scott)

Music Connections

Communicating with Popoki has a lot to do with acoustics. Listening to her pilot talk about how important the angles between Popoki and the ship are reminded me a lot of preparing for a recital when I was a music education student at UW-Whitewater. As an undergraduate, we had several performance requirements per semester. For solo performances, the more experienced music majors would always pass on a very important piece of acoustic information to the new undergrads – always aim the trombone bell at the 3rd exit sign along the stage right wall. Hitting this sweet spot would cause the recital hall to ring, the trombone sound to be dark and full, and the experience to be the best for all who were listening. New trombone majors learned very quickly that this was not a piece of urban legend, but by bouncing the brass sound off of the wall at this angle, it was much more pleasant for the audience than to play directly at their faces.

view of an empty performance hall — *The beautiful Light Recital Hall at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater – a great place to perform and explore acoustics! (Photo credit: Dr. Glenn Hayes*)

Communicating with Popoki is similar in a way – rather than bouncing her communications off of corners and walls, however, she responds better to the sound waves coming directly at her. She has a sweet spot, too, but it is more about decreasing the angles. This is a much more efficient method of communication for her, because she does not care about the timbre of her chirps!

Another great moment I really enjoyed during our time together was helping our Chief Scientist Dr. Clarke learn ukulele! I always believe that music is everywhere, and Dr. Clarke proved that theory again for me by bringing her ukulele along on this cruise when she heard the Teacher at Sea was a music teacher! Hopefully she had as much fun as I did!

In the computer lab, Lisa and Dr. Clarke sit in chairs facing one another. Lisa, smiling, leans forward to hold up an open laptop where Dr. Clarke can see it easily. Dr. Clarke watches the screen as she picks at her ukulele. — *Dr. Elizabeth Clarke showing off her virtuoso skills with a little “Hot Cross Buns” (Photo credit: Alice Kojima-Clarke*)

Sounds from the ship today will feature the sound of the ship’s engine outside from the very top deck of the ship.

This is the sound of the engine humming from the Fly Deck. You can also hear the waves, as we are in transit to our next station!

Student Questions

St. Bruno students are fascinated by sea creatures, and they have sent me on a quest to learn about the octopus. I think they will be very excited to see this picture and learn about the deep sea octopus!

underwater image of the seafood showing many brittle stars and some corals. in the lower right, there is a sponge, which since it is viewed from above appears as a white ring. inside the sponge, an octopus is curled up - we can see one eye and several tentacles — *Look at the octopus curled up in a sponge in the bottom right corner. You can see the octopus’s eye sticking out! (Photo credit: Popoki*)

Final Notes

The NOAA Teacher at Sea Program is an incredible opportunity for any teacher. As you can see, you do not need to be a science teacher in order to apply. There are so many connections to be made with the ocean, and students get really excited about learning through their teacher’s experience. Applications for the program will open soon. You can find more information here. Thank you so much to the crew of NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada, the EXPRESS Scientists, and the NOAA Teacher at Sea program for this opportunity. What an incredible experience!

August 19, 2019August 19, 2019

Linda Kurtz: Hydrographic Surveys – Not your Mama’s Maps! August 17, 2019

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Linda Kurtz

Aboard NOAA Ship Fairweather

August 12-23, 2019

Mission: Cascadia Mapping Project

Geographic Area of Cruise: Northwest Pacific

Date: 8/17/2019

Weather Data from the Bridge

August 17^th 2019

Latitude & Longitude: 43◦ 53.055’ N 124◦ 47.003’W
Windspeed: 13 knots
Geographic Area: @10-15 miles off of the Oregon/California coast
Cruise Speed: 12 knots
Sea Temperature 20◦Celsius
Air Temperature 68◦Fahrenheit

Future hydrographer button — Is this you?

Navigation is how Fairweather knows its position and how the crew plans and follows a safe route. (Remember navigation from the last post?) But what “drives” where the ship goes is Hydrographic survey mission. There is a stunning amount of sea floor that remains unmapped, as well as seafloor that has not been mapped following a major geological event like an earthquake of underwater volcano.

Why is Hydrography important? As we talked about in the previous post, the data is used for nautical safety, creating detailed maps of the ocean floor, setting aside areas are likely abundant undersea wildlife as conservation areas, looking at the sea floor to determine if areas are good for wind turbine placement, and most importantly to the residents off the Pacific coast, locating fault lines — especially subduction zones which can generate the largest earthquakes and cause dangerous tsunamis.

In addition to generating the data needed to update nautical charts, hydrographic surveys support a variety of activities such as port and harbor maintenance (dredging), coastal engineering (beach erosion and replenishment studies), coastal zone management, and offshore resource development. Detailed depth information and seafloor characterization is also useful in determining fisheries habitat and understanding marine geologic processes.

The history of hydrographic surveys dates back to the days of Thomas Jefferson, who ordered a survey of our young nation’s coast. This began the practice and accompanying sciences of the coastal surveys. The practice of surveys birthed the science of Hydrography (which we are actively conducting now) and the accompanying science of Bathymetry (which we will go into on the next post.) This practice continues of providing nautical charts to the maritime community to ensure safe passage into American ports and safe marine travels along the 95,000 miles of U.S. Coastline.

Want to learn more about Hydrographic Survey history? Click on THIS LINK for the full history by the NOAA.

Scientists have tools or equipment that they use to successfully carry out their research. Let’s take a look at a few of the tools hydrographic survey techs use:

Want to learn more about the science of SONAR? Watch the video below.

ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ijaPa-9MDs

On board Fairweather (actually underneath it) is the survey tool call a TRANSDUCER which sends out the sonar pulses.

The transducer on Fairweather is an EM 710- multibeam echo sounder which you can learn more about HERE.

The Transducer is located on the bottom of the ship and sends out 256 sonar beams at a time to the bottom of the ocean. The frequency of the 256 beams is determined by the depth from roughly 50 pings per second to 1 ping every 10 seconds. The active elements of the EM 710 transducers are based upon composite ceramics, a design which has several advantages, which include increased bandwidth and more precise measurements. The transducers are fully watertight units which should give many years of trouble-free operation. This comes in handy since the device in on the bottom of Fairweather’s hull!

Here is the transducer on one of the launches:

The 256 sonar beams are sent out by the transducer simultaneously to the ocean floor, and the rate of return is how the depth of the ocean floor is determined. The rate of pulses and width of the “swath” or sonar beam array is affected by the depth of the water. The deeper the water, the larger the “swath” or array of sonar beams because they travel a greater distance. The shallower the water, the “swath” or array of sonar beams becomes narrower due to lesser distance traveled by the sonar beams.

The minimum depth that this transducer can map the sea floor is less than 3 meters and the maximum depth is approximately 2000 meters (which is somewhat dependent upon array size). Across track coverage (swath width) is up to 5.5 times water depth, to a maximum of more than 2000 meters. This echo sounder is capable of reaching deeper depths because of the lower frequency array of beams.

The transmission beams from the EM 710 multibeam echo sonar are electronically stabilized for roll, pitch and yaw, while they receive beams are stabilized for movements. (The movement of the ship) What is roll, pitch, and yaw? See below – these are ways the Fairweather is constantly moving!

Since the sonar is sent through water, the variable of the water that the sonar beams are sent through must be taken into account in the data.

Some of the variables of salt water include: conductivity (or salinity) temperature, depth, and density.

Hydrographic scientists must use tools to measure these factors in sea water, other tools are built into the hydrographic survey computer programs.

One of the tools used by the hydrographic techs is the XBT or Expendable Bathy Thermograph that takes a measurement of temperature and depth. The salinity of the area being tested is retrieved from the World Ocean Atlas which is data base of world oceanographic data. All of this data is transmitted back to a laptop for the hydrographers. The XBT is an external device that is launched off of the ship to take immediate readings of the water.

Launching the XBT: There is a launcher which has electrodes on it, then you plug the XBT probe to the launcher and then XBT is launched into the ocean off of the back of the ship. The electrodes transmit data through the probe via the 750-meter copper wire. The information then passes through the copper wire, through the electrodes, along the black wire, straight to the computer where the data is collected. This data is then loaded onto a USB then taken and loaded into the Hydrographic data processing software. Then the data collected by the XBT is used to generate the sound speed profile, which is sent to the sonar to correct for the sound speed changes through the water column that the sonar pulses are sent through. The water column is all of the water between the surface and seafloor. Hydrographers must understand how the sound moves through the water columns which may have different densities that will bend the sound waves. By taking the casts, you are getting a cross section “view” of the water column on how sound waves will behave at different densities, the REFRACTION (or bending of the sound waves) effects the data.

See how the XBT is launched and data is collected below!

Hydrotech Bekah Gossett preparing to cast
The XBT probe
The XBT launcher

I got to do a cast-
thanks Bekah!
Instant readings from the XBT
Bekah downloading data from the XBT

Videos coming soon!

The other tool is the MVP or moving vessel profiler which takes measurements of conductivity, temperature, and depth. These are all calculated to determine the density of the water. This is a constant fixture on the aft deck (the back of the ship) and is towed behind the Fairweather and constantly transmits data to determine the speed of sound through water. (Since sonar waves are sound waves.)

MVP and launching wench — MVP (left) and the launching wench (right)

The sonar software uses this data to adjust the calculation of the depth, correcting for the speed of sound through water due to the changes in the density of the ocean. The final product? A detailed 3d model of the seafloor!

Our current survey area! (Thanks Charles for the image!)

All of this data is run through the survey software. See screen shots below of all the screens the hydrographers utilize in the course of their work with explanations. (Thanks Sam!) It’s a lot of information to take in, but hydrographic survey techs get it done 24 hours a day while we are at sea. Amazing! See below:

ACQ software screenshot — Hydrographic Survey “Mission Control”

Did You Know? An interesting fact about sonar: When the depth is deeper, a lower frequency of sonar is utilized. In shallower depths, a higher sonar frequency. (Up to 900 meters, then this rule changes.)

Question of the Day: Interested in becoming a hydrographic survey tech? See the job description HERE.

Challenge yourself — see if you can learn and apply the new terms and phrases below and add new terms from this blog or from your research to the list!

New Terms/Phrases:

Multibeam sonar

Sound speed

Conductivity

Salinity

Sonar

Sound waves

Refraction

Water column

Roll, Pitch, and Yaw

Animals seen today:

Humpback Whale

Bathymetry and USGS friends coming soon!

Plot room — Hydro-technician Sam Candio (right) collaborating with USGS Research Geologist James Conrad and Physical Scientist Peter Dartnell.

September 11, 2018

Justin Garritt: Paired Trawling, X-raying, and The Galley Master: September 11, 2018

NOAA Teacher at Sea

Justin Garritt

NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada

September 1-14, 2018

Mission: Hake Research

Geographical area of cruise: Seattle, Washington to Newport, Oregon

Date: September 9-11, 2018: Day 7-9

Location: West of the Columbia River and Astoria, Oregon

Where Are We? After fishing off of the Straits of Juan de Fuca on Friday and Saturday, we headed south. We ended up west of the Columbia River off the coast of Astoria, Oregon and continued to fish for a few days.

Heather and I with a large hake

A canary rock fish

Hello Sunday morning!

A chilly morning aboard the Shimada outside the Oregon coast

Beautiful cloudy evening

Cruise ship

Lots of krill

The fishing and sampling continues: A typical day consists of the scientists waking up before sunrise to begin scouting for fish. We use the information from the acoustic transducer to find fish.

Chief Scientist Rebecca Thomas spots signs of fish on the sonar

The sonar from the acoustic transducer showing signs of fish

Paired Trawling: Last week I wrote about our goals of the cruise. One of them was to perform paired trawls to determine net size impact to evaluate the differences between the US 32mm net liners and the Canadian 7mm net liners. A paired trawl is when we fish approximately the same location and depth two times using two different size liners. Data is collected on the size, characteristics, and species of fish being caught to eliminate the possibility that there is bias in the data between the two liners. Below are pictures of the nets being sent in and brought back based on information from the sonars. This typically happened 2-4 times per day (1-2 paired trawls).

The net out

The net getting pulled back in

The catch

The catch being dumped in the hopper

The catch in the hopper

Sorting the Fish Aboard:

The fish coming down from the hopper

The fish coming down from the hopper

The fish coming down the conveyor belt

Rebecca sorting the fish by species

A yellow rock fish is sorted

The hake continues down the belt

Dr. Dezhang Chu inspects the different species

A rockfish covered with krill

Jellyfish covered in krill

A small squid

Sorting the rockfish

One of numerous hake baskets

Lampreys

Rockfish

Charlie and Heather sorting the catch

How We Collect Data:

When fish come aboard we follow this flow chart to determine what analysis needs to be done on the catch.

Our instructional chart for how we analyze the hake and other species

Hake is the majority of the fish we catch. It is also the main species we are researching this cruise.

A random sample of 250 are set aside and the rest are sent back in to the ocean. Of the approximately 250 random hake, 30 are dissected for enhanced sampling (length, weight, sex, maturity, and other projects).

220 are set aside for sex/length analysis. All other species of fish must be logged into the computer and some are kept for special research projects. See pictures below:

Male vs. female hake distinction:

A Pacific hake

Determining the sex of the hake

A male hake

A female hake

Determining the length of the hake:

Determining the length of rockfish

Determining the length of each hake

Determining the length of hake

Enhanced sampling (length, weight, sex, maturity, and other projects):

Dr. Melanie Johnson dissects a hake

Scientist Steve de Blois measuring hake

Scientist Steve de Blois plus in data from his station

Special Projects: There are also a number of special projects going on aboard:

Fish X-ray: Scientist Dezhang Chu x-rays samples of fish occasionally. The x-ray is used to determine the volume of the swim bladders in certain species of fish (see picture below). The volume of different species’ swim bladders affects the observed acoustics. I spoke to him about the purpose of this study. He said that the present acoustic transducers are great to capture whether fish are present below the ship’s surface but are still not able to classify the type of species being observed. He is working on a team that is trying to use x-ray’s from multiple species to solve that problem. When asked how long he thought it may take for there to be an acoustic system advanced enough to better predict the species onscreen, he said, “People have and will continue to spend their entire careers on improving the system.” If we have more scientists like Dr. Chu on this project, I predict it will be much sooner than he leads on.

X-ray of a rock fish

Dr. Dezhang Chu teaching me about the x-ray project

Dr. Dezhang Chu x-raying a rockfish

Dr. Dezhang Chu x-raying another rockfish

"Super Chu" — “Super Chu” and I with his new apron I made him for x-raying

Filming the Catch: Melanie Johnson leads the science team’s visual analysis. During each trawl a camera is placed securely on the net. The purpose of the net is to analyze approximately which depth and time certain fish enter the net.

Cameras being detached from the net for analysis

Scientist Melanie Johnson collects data from the camera that was in the fishing net

———————————————————————

Getting to know the crew: As promised in other blog posts, here is another interview from the incredible crew aboard NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada who continue to make my journey such a rich experience:

Mr. Arnold Dones, Head Chef

Arnold Dones is our head chef or what I like to call him, “Master Chef.” Since the minute I’ve been aboard I quickly noticed the incredible work ethic and talent of our chef. To be clear, every meal has incredible! When I spoke to my mom a few days into the cruise my exact words were, “The food aboard is better than a buffet on a cruise ship. I expected to come aboard for two weeks and lose a few pounds. Well that’s not going to happen!”

Chef Arnold and his incredible food artwork

Arnold was born in the Philippines and his family migrated here when he was twenty. When he first got here he knew very little English and worked hard to learn the language and the American culture. He worked a few odd and end jobs until he joined the United States military as a chef. During his first years in the military, he showed so much promise as a chef that he enrolled in “A School” which allowed him to learn how to be a master chef in the military. He spent more than a decade working on military vessels. His last ship placement was aboard the USS Ronald Reagan where he and his team prepared meals for 6,000 soldiers per meal. Two months ago he joined the NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada family as head chef. Arnold has two children and a wife who live back in San Diego.

After a tour of the galley with Arnold, I learned how much work it takes to pull 42 meals in 14 days for over 40 crew members without a supermarket nearby. A few weeks out, Arnold has to create his menu for the next cruise leg (typically two weeks). He then has to order the food required to make the meals and do so by staying under a strict budget. When the ship ends a leg and pulls in to port, a large truck pulls up and unloads all his ordered food in large boxes. He then organizes it in the order he plans to prepare it in his large freezer, refrigerator, and store rooms. The trick is to be sure his menu is organized so nothing spoils before it is used. Arnold’s day begins at 05:00 (5am) and goes until 19:00 (7pm) with a short break after lunch. The only days off he has is a day or two once every two weeks when the boat is in port.

Master Chef Arnold showing me his organized refrigerator

The mess hall

The menu is posted for every meal

An amazing buffet is served three times a day at 7am, 11am, and 5pm.

Salad is available 24 hours a day

Arnold’s art work

Lunch one day

Dinner one night

Here is a sample menu for the day:

Breakfast (7-8am)- Eggs benedict, blueberry pancakes, french toast, hash browns, scrambled eggs, oat meal, cut fresh fruit, and breakfast danish.

Lunch (11-12pm)- Bacon wrapped rockfish, chicken wings, Chinese noodles, brussel sprouts, bread, a large salad bar, homemade salads, avocado, bean salad, homemade cookies, and ice cream.

Dinner (5-6pm)- Stuffed pork chops with spinach and cheese, fine braised chicken thigh, baked salmon, Spanish rice, oven potatoes, peas, dinner rolls, a large salad bar, homemade salads, homemade apple pie, and ice cream.

Snack (24/7)- Soup, crackers, ice cream, and salad/fruit bar

King crab legs!

Crab legs and t-bones at sea 🙂

We dock in Newport, Oregon on Friday, September 14, 2018. My final post will be on Friday. Thank you for continuing to follow along in this journey. I am grateful for your support and for the amazing people I have met aboard.

Justin

July 13, 2015August 11, 2021

Andrea Schmuttermair, Pollock Processing Gone Wild, July 12, 2015

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Andrea Schmuttermair
Aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson
July 6 – 25, 2015

Mission: Walleye Pollock Survey
Geographical area of cruise: Gulf of Alaska
Date: July 12, 2015

Weather Data from the Bridge:
Latitude: 55 25.5N
Longitude: 155 44.2W
Sea wave height: 2ft
Wind Speed: 17 knots
Wind Direction: 244 degrees
Visibility: 10nm
Air Temperature: 11.4 C
Barometric Pressure: 1002.4 mbar
Sky: Overcast

Science and Technology Log

I’m sure you’re all wondering what the day-to-day life of a scientist is on this ship. As I said before, there are several projects going on, with the focus being on assessing the walleye pollock population. In my last post I talked about the transducers we have on the ship that help us detect fish and other ocean life beneath the surface of the ocean. So what happens with all these fish we are detecting?

The echogram that shows data from the transducers.

The transducers are running constantly as the ship runs, and the information is received through the software on the computers we see in the acoustics lab. The officers running the ship, who are positioned on the bridge, also have access to this information. The scientists and officers are in constant communication, as the officers are responsible for driving the ship to specific locations along a pre-determined track. The echograms (type of graph) that are displayed on the computers show scientists where the bottom of the ocean floor is, and also show them where there are various concentrations of fish.

This is a picture of pollock entering the net taken from the CamTrawl.

When there is a significant concentration of pollock, or when the data show something unique, scientists might decide to “go fishing”. Here they collect a sample in order to see if what they are seeing on the echogram matches what comes up in the catch. Typically we use the Aleutian wing trawl (AWT) to conduct a mid-water trawl. The AWT is 140 m long and can descend anywhere from 30-1,000 meters into the ocean. A net sounder is mounted at the top of the net opening. It transmits acoustic images of fish inside and outside of the net in real time and is displayed on a bridge computer to aide the fishing operation. At the entrance to the codend (at the end of the net) a CamTrawl takes images of what is entering the net.

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Once the AWT is deployed to the pre-determined depth, the scientists carefully monitor acoustic images to catch an appropriate sample. Deploying the net is quite a process, and requires careful communication between the bridge officers and the deck crew. It takes about an hour for the net to go from its home on deck to its desired depth, and sometimes longer if it is heading into deeper waters. They aim to collect roughly 500 fish in order to take a subsample of about 300 fish. Sometimes the trawl net will be down for less than 5 minutes, and other times it will be down longer. Scientists are very meticulous about monitoring the amount of fish that goes into the net because they do not want to take a larger sample than needed. Once they have determined they have the appropriate amount, the net is hauled back onto the back deck and lowered to a table that leads into the wet lab for processing.

Here the scientists, LT Rhodes, and ENS Kaiser assess the catch.

We begin by sorting through the catch and pulling out anything that is not pollock. We don’t typically have too much variety in our catches, as pollock is the main fish that we are after. We have, however, pulled in a few squid, isopods, cod, and several jellies. All of the pollock in the catch gets weighed, and then a sub-sample of the catch is processed further. A subsample of 30 pollock is taken to measure, weigh, collect otoliths from, and occasionally we will also take ovaries from the females. There are some scientists back in the lab in Seattle that are working on special projects related to pollock, and we also help these scientists in the lab collect their data.

The rest of the sub-sample (roughly 300 pollock) is sexed and divided into a male (blokes) and female (sheilas) section of the table. From there, the males and females are measured for their length. The icthystick, the tool we use to measure the length of each fish, is pretty neat because it uses a magnet to send the length of the fish directly to the computer system we use to collect the data, CLAMS. CLAMS stands for Catch Logger for Acoustic Midwater Survey. In the CLAMS system, a histogram is made, and we post the graphs in the acoustics lab for review. The majority of our pollock so far have been year 3. Scientists know this based on the length of pollock in our catch. Once all of the fish have been processed, we have to make sure to clean up the lab too. This is a time I am definitely thankful we have foul weather gear, which consists of rubber boots, pants, jackets and gloves. Fish scales and guts can get everywhere!

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Personal Log

Here is one of many jellies that we caught. .

I am finally adjusting to my nighttime shift schedule, which took a few days to get used to. Luckily, we do have a few hours of darkness (from about midnight until 6am), which makes it easier to fall asleep. My shift runs from 4pm-4am, and I usually head to bed not long after my shift is over, and get up around noontime to begin my day. It’s a little strange to be waking up so late in the day, and while it is clearly afternoon time when I emerge from my room, I still greet everyone with a good morning. The eating schedule has taken some getting used to- I find that I still want to have breakfast when I get up. Dinner is served at 5pm, but since I eat breakfast around 1 or 2pm, I typically make myself a plate and set it aside for later in the evening when I’m hungry again. I’ll admit it’s a little strange to be eating dinner at midnight. There is no shortage of food on board, and our stewards make sure there are plenty of snacks available around the clock. Salad and fruit are always options, as well as some less healthy but equally tasty snacks. It’s hard to resist some of the goodies we have!

Luckily, we are equipped with some exercise equipment on board to battle those snacks, which is helpful as you can only walk so far around the ship. I’m a fan of the rowing machine, and you feel like you’re on the water when the boat is rocking heavily. We have some free weights, an exercise bike and even a punching bag. I typically work out during some of my free time, which keeps me from going too crazy when we’re sitting for long periods of time in the lab.

Up on the bridge making the turn for our next transect.

During the rest of my free time, you might find me hanging out in the lounge watching a movie (occasionally), but most of the time you’ll find me up on the bridge watching for whales or other sea life. The bridge is probably one of my favorite places on the ship, as it is equipped with windows all around, and binoculars for checking out the wildlife. When the weather is nice, it is a great place to sit outside and soak in a little vitamin D. I love the fact that even the crew members that have been on this ship for several years love seeing the wildlife, and never tire of looking out for whales. So far, we’ve seen orcas, humpbacks, fin whales, and Dall’s porpoises.

Did you know? Otoliths, which are made of calcium carbonate, are unique to each species of fish.

Where on the ship is Wilson?

Wilson the ring tail camo shark is at it again! He has been exploring the ship even more and made his way here. Can you guess where he is now?

July 8, 2015August 11, 2021

Andrea Schmuttermair, Anchors Away from Kodiak, July 7, 2015

NOAA Teacher at Sea
Andrea Schmuttermair
Aboard NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson
July 5 – 25, 2015

Mission: Walleye Pollock Survey
Geographical area of cruise: Gulf of Alaska
Date: July 7, 2015

Weather Data from the Bridge:

Latitude: 56 36.1N
Longitude: 156 04.1W

Visibility: 10nm
Speed: 12 knots
Wind Speed: 4 knots
Wind Direction: 202 degrees
Surface Water Salinity:35.31
Air Temperature: 12.6 C
Barometric Pressure: 1004.6 mbar
Sky: SCT (scattered clouds)

TASAK15 (12) — One of the signs from my walk along the docks in Kodiak. I learned a lot about Kodiak and the fishing industry by reading these signs.

Science and Technology Log:

The walleye pollock fishing industry is the largest commercial fishing industry in the country, and one of the largest fishing industries in the world. Have you eaten fish sticks? Filet-O-Fish from McDonald’s? Imitation crab? If your answer is yes to any of these questions, then you have eaten walleye pollock. Since pollock supports such a large industry, scientists need to carefully monitor its abundance each year. Bring on the scientists and crew on board the Oscar Dyson to make this mission possible.

TIn summer, and in a few locations in winter, scientists head out to assess the walleye pollock population in both the Bering Sea and in the Gulf of Alaska. The summer survey alternates between the two areas, and this summer we are traveling in the Gulf of Alaska for our survey. This second leg (out of 3 legs total) will head counterclockwise around the island of Kodiak. This survey, conducted by the Midwater Assessment and Conservation Engineering Program at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, uses acoustic technology to gather data on the distribution and abundance of fish, which provides researchers with pertinent information about the walleye pollock population.

The Oscar Dyson at Pier 2 before departure from Kodiak.

The Oscar Dyson is a relatively new ship, equipped with noise quieting technology in order to create as little acoustic disturbance as possible when out at sea. Another neat feature crucial to the work of the Dyson is the acoustic transducers located on the bottom of the ship. There are several of these transducers, which are composed of small ceramic disks, and they help scientists detect ocean life and map the seafloor. If you are like me, you are probably wondering what a transducer is, right? It took me a couple of explanations and analogies in order to understand what was happening in these tiny devices. Remember, sound waves are pressure waves that move through a medium, in this case water. The transducer converts electrical energy to mechanical energy, expanding and contracting with electrical signal it receives. This expansion and contraction creates sound waves that move through the water away from the transducers. After sending the pressure waves the transducer switches modes to “listen” to the incoming waves. When the sound waves hit something in the water they are reflected back to the transducer. These reflected waves that are received by the transducers indicate the presence of obstacles in the water. An analogy for this process is that the transducer first acts as a speaker and then as a microphone.

The transducers on the bottom of the ship sending out a signal to the ocean floor.

Five of these transducers are being used for the pollock survey in order to detect pollock and other ocean life. The information the transducer receives back is automatically graphed on the computer. Scientists and other crew members can view and analyze this graph, and will use this information to determine when it is appropriate to send out a trawl to collect fish. There are also several transducers located around the bottom of the ship that are gathering information about the ocean floor. Hydrographic surveys use this technology as they map the sea floor. I am amazed at where we have come with technology, especially out at sea. Stay tuned for my next post to learn about more amazing technology we are using on board!

Personal Log:

TASAK2015 (30) — Ready to fly on this little plane from Anchorage to Kodiak.

Lucky. That is how I would describe myself when I landed at the Kodiak airport on my flight from Anchorage. First, I was lucky that the flight I was scheduled on made it to Kodiak on its first attempt, as flights are often cancelled for poor weather or low visibility. Planes have been known to turn around and fly back to Anchorage if they can’t make a safe landing in Kodiak. I am also feeling very lucky to have the opportunity to partake in yet another assignment as a NOAA Teacher at Sea, in another area of the country I haven’t yet explored.

I arrived in Kodiak on the 4^th of July, and was swept up from the airport by one of the NOAA Corps officers, ENS Justin Boeck. We weren’t scheduled to depart on the Oscar Dyson until Monday, July 6^th, so Justin gave me a quick tour of the ship. I wasn’t sure what to expect of the Oscar Dyson, but when my first thoughts climbing on board were that it would take me a week to find my way around! It is much larger than the last ship I was on, the Oregon II, down in the Gulf of Mexico.

Trying to take advantage of the nice weather, I decided to explore the area before we left. The town of Kodiak is quaint, and in walking through the downtown area, it is clear that fishing has been and will continue to be integral to the way of life here.

The science crew came in on the 4^th as well from Seattle. I met them all when we went out to dinner Saturday evening. Even though we are going to be sleeping on the ship for next 2 nights before we depart, meals won’t be served until we are underway. I did manage to track down some good sushi and seafood places here in town, and am quite satisfied!

This sculpture was made entirely of trash found in the ocean.

On Sunday, the weather turned for the worse, which made the walk into town for coffee a wet one. If you think weather changes quickly in Colorado, try coming to Alaska. My favorite image of the weather status was at a little shop in Homer, Alaska, which outlined a box with a marker on the window and wrote, “If you want to know the weather, look here.”

That afternoon, I was given a little orientation on what some of my tasks would be on the ship, as there is quite a bit going on in addition to the pollock survey. I will be spending most of my time in the acoustics lab analyzing data, the wet lab processing our catches, and chem lab for some of the special projects.

In the evening, the weather cleared just long enough for me to convince ENS Gilman (ok, he didn’t really need any convincing- he was just as excited as I was) to head down to the pier to test out the Waverunner, the ROV made by the students in my class. While the visibility was not the best, we were able to see plenty of moon jellies, sea anemones and some kelp beds. The ROV handled pretty well in the ocean, although we did have some difficulties bringing it back up when it went down too deep. Students, do you have any suggestions for how we could account for this? Any suggestions or modifications we need to make?

The ROV is exploring the area looking for signs of life.

We were supposed to be leaving early afternoon on Monday, however due to the bad weather, several of our crew members had not yet made it in to Kodiak. They finally made it over later that afternoon and we left port at 11pm. I stayed up to watch the sun set as we were leaving port (yes, it does actually set in parts of Alaska), and pushed myself to stay awake for a few more hours. I’ll be working the night shift for the next few weeks, which means I’m on duty from 4pm-4am. The faster I can get myself used to this schedule, the better off I’ll be. The first days in Kodiak have been a blast, and I am excited to begin conducting our survey!

Checking out the ship before we set sail.

Did you know? Acoustic transducer technology has been in use since World War II.

Where on the ship is Wilson?

Wilson, our ring tail camo shark (so aptly named by our awesome science crew) , has been enjoying his time on the ship as much as I have. He has traveled all over the place, and is having fun with the crew on board. Can you guess where he is in the picture above?