Month: September 2013

     It’s the final countdown, unfortunately we only have 4 days left of this expedition & we are heading back to port. I can honestly say that I’m going to miss all of the wonderful people who I’ve met along the way. This experience has been life changing & I can not wait to share my journey with all of my friends & loved ones back home. I’m so grateful that i had the opportunity to be apart of such an enjoyable eye-opening cruise. There hasn’t been a single person aboard this ship who has ever been negative about anything. Everyone is so optimistic & friendly which makes for a great cruise with a fantastic crew. 

     I could say that I have taken full advantage of living on land. I was accustomed to jumping in my car driving where I wanted too, eating what ever I wanted when I wanted, having no problems shaving my legs, showering, walking 300 feet in a straight line & even sleeping! Living aboard a boat from a month you realize how good you have it because the simplest tasks turn into such difficult ones. Eventually you get used to everything and you learn to love it. You start to make daily routines which become simple over time. For some people life aboard the high seas isn’t for them. I could say that I would love to do this again just maybe aboard a boat that works with ROV’s next time.

     My mentor was extremely helpful throughout the entire trip as well as the other scientists. They taught me the functions of the magnetometer, the Knudsen, the multibeam, the gravitometer , & so many other machines that we have used to collect data. Launching XBT’s was always one of my favorite activities, other than going on the deck in ridiculously high seas.

     Hopefully this is the first of many trips for me. I would love to dive into other trips; this expedition ignited a fire that I don’t think I will be able to smolder. I would love to go out & explore more areas of the world as a scientist collecting data or aboard a ship that works with ROV’s. Reading other peoples blogs also makes me thirsty for another opportunity to dive into the world of oceanography. What’s possibly better than having fun doing something you love? Nothing !

      I can’t express how thankful I am for such a life changing opportunity. Hopefully this isn’t the last time I blog as a MATE Intern. Also I will post photos once I get back to New York since my computer won’t cooperate with me right now.  

Signing off

Ashley Paradiso 

 

Before I delve into this blog entry, there are a couple things I’d like to address:

First, in the last entry I detailed our gravimeter aboard the boat and identified it as a Lacoste & Romberg G237 unit, which is in fact the portable unit I will be using when we land back in Iceland.  That unit is taken to various control points around the world where the exact gravity has been surveyed in using some other very sophisticated equipment.  The Science Techs and myself will be taking the G237 to two control points in Reykjavik:  At the University of Iceland; and, outside the Hallgrímskirkja (giant Irish Lutheran Church in the center of town).  The data we get from those points can be compared to the calibration of the Lockheed Martin B210 unit that is secured in the Main Lab aboard the ship.  All the data we collected during the cruise can then be confirmed as accurate and true; though, calibration is done before the cruise as well, and the B210 is monitored throughout our cruise.

Second, there is a website devoted to this cruise, which also includes some blog entries by other members of the team:   

R/V Langseth – Reykjanes Ridge Cruise

I highly recommend that you check it out for some different perspectives.

Iceland is well-known, as most cold-climate Northern European countries are, for its penchant to age fish for long periods of time prior to consumption.  It seems there are a couple methods of doing this that date back to times well before the Vikings settled this island.  So, it can be surmised that they brought these methods with them; though, it is common knowledge that the Inuits of Greenland have enjoyed a fermented dish of birds called Kiviak for countless generations.

The preparation for Kiviak begins when seal meets club.  After much ado about seal clubbing, a small party of Inuit men (likely said clubbers of seals) scale sheer cliffs,  armed with loosely woven nets on 20ft flexible poles and recently acquired seal-skin sacks.  It is nesting season in the Arctic and these cliffs are choice real estate for Arctic Auks.  One-by-one as the birds leave their roosts, they are snared in the nets and brought back to Earth, where the Inuit men promptly break both wings and stuff the living birds into the sack.  This technique is repeated until about 500 flopping auks have been wrangled.  The sack is then sewn shut, buried under rocks so as to keep at bay the hungry mouths of Polar Bears and Arctic Foxes, and left until Winter where they are brought out for only the finest of occasions (weddings, birthdays, and – I imagine – the occasional bachelorette party).  

But, I digress…

In Iceland, one method for aging fish is to hang the catch on hooks, in an open shelter with a roof but no walls.  This method made sense during the first days of settlement, since the largest predator on the island were foxes; and, hanging the meat high enough significantly reduced the number of thefts and fox-sized bites missing from the wettest, smelliest portions of the fish.  At times however, ice floes brought with them the very same Polar Bears from Greenland, who were now quite ill-tempered having wasted a good portion of the prior year trying to get a mouthful of rotting auk.  Also, the limited number of catches made in a season made it less amenable to advertise your food stores for all neighbors to see, since disagreements over property were typically settled with the meeting of axes.

So, burying fish became all the rage.  As a result (it’s assumed that) dinner parties were cancelled, invitations “lost in the mail”, and the off-shoot stationary shops of the seal-skin industry went by the wayside.  This method was quite simple:  find sandy hill; dig shallow hole in hill; toss fish in hole; bury with sand and gravel; top off with stones – so as to press out the juices; dig up in several weeks; Bon Appetite!

Whether by accident or insight, this method produced an altogether wonderful (or terrible) discovery, depending on your predilection for all things putrid.  Greenland Shark, or Hákarl as it’s known locally, is common in the waters off Iceland; but, the meat is naturally toxic due to the high concentrations of urea and trimethylamine oxide.  The elevated level of these chemicals make shark blood mostly isotonic to their environment, allowing them to maintain osmotic balance with seawater.  While it’s true that most shark meat contains the same chemicals (see Bullshark, and River Shark), the Hákarl is particularly dangerous.

*Strangely enough, the most common shark steaks you will find served in restaurants in other parts of the world belong to the families Alopiidae and Lamnidae (Thresher, Mako, Salmon, and Great White Shark) which are partially warm-blooded due to aerobic red-muscles connected to the core of the shark that generates heat through counter-current exchange.  Evolution – wee!

The typical preparation involves beheading the shark, then burying in similar fashion, only with much larger stones on top, for 6-12 weeks.  When Hákarl is aged in the burial process it is called Kæstur Hákarl.  The meat is then chopped into large chunks and hung up to dry for several months.  Of note, during the fermentation process the urea is broken down by happy little bacteria who produce ammonia as their waste.  This provides a not so palatable balance between ammonia and rotting fish – though I’m told it’s quite a treat.

It is also worth noting that whale is sometimes aged in this process; though, I’ve only found melted whale fat, and fresh-caught seared whale steaks.

Now, I must address the many suggestions put upon me by several of you regarding the indelible Puffin.  Yes, Puffins are cute.  Yes, Puffins are numerous.  But, no they are not here right now.  They aren’t nearly as big as on TV.  And, it’s going to be pretty darn hard to find a Puffin Burger (Lundi) out of season.  Though, I’ve heard tell of a place…I’ll have to get back to you on that one.

Contrary to popular discussion overhead in the galley, there is a point to all this drifting and isolation.  We are here to affirm assumptions from lands far away.  To stand firmly on ground never before tread upon – so to speak.  To discover the secrets of a land not yet explored.   At least so I’m inclined to believe.

My job is fairly straightforward.  I stand watch over the scientific equipment collecting various types of data, by monitoring the computers designed to record the data in real time and help troubleshoot and launch the equipment required to retrieve said data.  I suppose a brief walk-thru is in order to fully understand what we are collecting and how it can be considered accurate and true.

We are here to map, analyze, and determine the differences in how the earth’s plates are interacting south of Iceland along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, in an area known as the Reykjanes Ridge.  To quote the Project Summary for per Hey, Ramirez, Hoskuldsson:  

“The project is month-long marine geophysical expedition to collect the multibeam, magnetic & gravity data that would provide a definitive test between the fundamentally different thermal & tectonic hypotheses for exactly how the Iceland plume caused the reorganization of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge south of Iceland.”

In layman’s terms:  When thermal and tectonic forces are acted upon this ridge, how do they interact over time and situation, and is there a pattern to this interaction by which we might change the perspective of the scientific community for how Iceland has formed and will continue to form in the future.

In the short term, this can have significant impact on Iceland’s economy.  You see, there is an invisible barrier around every country bordering a body of water touched by another country.  It is called the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and limits all commercial offshore activity within the zone to the country of ownership.  This is pretty darn important when you consider that Iceland is in the middle of the North Atlantic, about the size of Indiana, and only about 40% of it is reasonably inhabitable.  It’s so important that the country’s governing body for all things related to geology, geophysics, and plate tectonics sent a representative (his name is Sigvaldi) on the Langseth to develop a case for Iceland to expand its EEZ to include the Reykjanes Ridge all the way southwest to our survey location and beyond.  This would be a huge development as Norway, Scotland, and Denmark all are looking to exploit these waters for their potential as sites with huge deposits of oil and heavy metals, fishing, shipping routes between Europe and Greenland/Canada/US, strategic military advantages, and (to a lesser degree) whaling.

The first type of data we collect is magenetic, and we do this by deploying a tethered Geometrics G-882 Cesium Marine Magnetomoter.  “Maggie”, as she is affectionately called, resembles a stinger missile with a bonnet on her noggin.  She is launched from the Main Deck, Starboard Aft of the Stern, by at least two technicians:  One to apply the Van Sumeren technique of “gently” heaving her overboard; the other to man the hydraulic winch, which spools out the designated 200m of powered cable.  Due to our optimal surveying speed over ground of 10.5kts, she rides quite high in the water as she measures the magnetics being emitted into the water column.  This is done by recording the changes in pressure that occur in a Cesium vapor vaccuum-sealed cylinder within Maggie.  Typically she is reading the magnetics from the earth’s crust some 1000-3000m (3000-9000ft) below where she rides in the water column.

The Earth is magnetically polarized, like a battery, with a positive and a negative point existing typically near the North and South poles.  Over time, the magnetic field surrounding the Earth can swap polarity, and has done so since its inception with little fanfare.  Newly created or recently exposed crust will take on the polarity characteristics relative to its proximity with the poles.  Over time, these values can diminsh.  This constantly updated/recorded reading from Maggie can tell us two things when values elevate:  That there is thermal activity due to volcanism occuring that is creating new crust, such as in the deep trench located in the middle of the ridge where there are hundreds of volcanoes seen in a single pass of the vessel (we call this location the Axis, as pertains to the meeting of the Eurasian and American plates); or, when the values abnormally shift over locations outside of the Axis, where we can sufficiently determinwthat there has been tectonic reorganization occuring, which leads to much older layers of the Earth’s crust being exposed next to relatively new ones.

Maggie is a delight to work with when she is attached to the boat, but is tempermental with heavy seas and high winds and attempts to retrieve her must be done in the worst and most dangerous of conditions.  I say attempts because after retrieving all 200m of cable early last week when we stopped getting magnetic data, there was no Maggie.  $20,000 in the drink.  Luckily we had a spare onboard, but should this happen again we would be unable to record this very important data.  So, when storms sweep through, we pull her out of the water.

Side note on storms, of which we have weathered three major systems.  Last week there was flash flooding, baseball sized hail, and 60+mph winds back home in Traverse City.  On average, storm systems take between 3-6 days to reach us, and those that pass through the Great Lakes are almost guaranteed to head right for us after leaving North America.  It’s not so much the precipitation that we worry about, but the high winds.  That same storm system hit us strongly a day and a half ago, resulting in sustained 50kn winds and waves as large as 9m (30ft!) until early this morning.  Because of the length of time of said winds, we are projected to have 4-6m waves for the next four days – uggggh.  That means everything you care about needs to be strapped down, walking down hallways is a workout, and sitting in a chair during watch can be hazardous to your health.  That also means sleeplessness and seasickness rear their ugly, conjoined heads.  It’s best to sleep wherever you can whenever the moment takes you; be it barricaded (taco’d) in your bunk, in the Movie Room, or even in the Main Lab (though, sleeping during your shift is highly frowned upon).

The second type of data we collect is gravity.  It is far less elegant and far more complicated than magnetic.  In the Main Lab there is a Lacoste & Romberg G237 Gravimeter, basically an encased gyro with various sensors measuring roll, pitch, heave, as well as several other values, and most importantly the strength of gravity in a given location of time and space.  The data is constantly being updated/recorded and helps us determine one of two things:  Either the thickness of the Earth’s crust; or, the density of the materials that make up the layers of the crust.  Combined with a extremely low frequency sonar system (called a Sub-Bottom Profiler) and core sampling, can provide an incredibly accurate picture of the geology and geomorphology.  Unfortunately, the latter requires that we stop moving and, due to time constraints from bad weather, has been scrapped for this cruise; and, the former (Our Knudsen 3.5kHz Sonar) had to be turned off when the bottom became drastically uneven, providing poor quality data, and also operates at a frequency that can cause problems with our EM122 Multibeam Sonar used for Bathymetric data.

Which brings me to our third type of data, the one I was trained in at Northwestern Michigan College, and consequently the reason why I was selected to be a part of this cruise:  Bathymetric data.  This is collected using our Kongsberg EM122 Multibeam Sonar operating around 12kHz.  The sonar has an encased piezoelectric crystal that vibrates hundreds of thousands of times per second when electricity is applied to it, sending out that energy in the form of measureable acoustic pulses.  These pulses reflect off targets in the water column and return to the sonar where they are “heard”, and provide us with an accurate measure of depth in a given point on Earth.  As with the prior two systems, knowing our geographic location on Earth is essential to collecting accurate data; and, they are all integrated with our multiple GPS/Satellite-based positioning systems located at unobstructed points on the top of the vessel.

The more depth measurements we can collect with each ping of the multibeam the more defined picture we can see of the shape of Earth’s crust.  This is by far the most interesting data to stand watch over, as it is projected on the monitors in a three-dimensional (and very busy) display.  Not only are we keeping an eye on the 3-D Terrain Modeler, but also the 2-D Geographical (Seafloor Map), the black and white 2-D Seabed Imagery, the convuluted Water Column display (which provides us with backscatter data – used to see thermal activity in real time), and various readouts of motion and Sound Velocity which help determine the quality of data being collected.  Sound Velocity (or the speed of sound in water in this context) is extremely important as its measure allows for us to calibrate the sound pulses on the fly so that they return to us in a straight line rather than with a bend (which would give the illusion that the distance to the bottom is longer/shorter and in a different location than it really is).

We take measurements of Sound Velocity on this cruise by launching XBT’s manufactured by Lockheed Martin Sippican.  It is a bullet-shaped lead weight attached to two thin copper wires within a plastic mortar tube that is released from the Streamer Deck.  Those wires are linked to a powered cable that connects to the lab, where measurements of Temperature, Salinity, Pressure, and Depth are recorded.  Typically, we use the T-5 model which is rated to 2500m.  It falls quite rapidly and within five minutes has reached the end of its wires, whereupon the wires are severed and the probe lost to the deep.  Two important things to remember when launching an XBT:  First, don’t let the wires touch any metal or it will short out (everything is metal on a boat); and second, don’t fall overboard!

Thank you for bearing with me in this blog as I delved into the depths – so to speak – of what I do while working aboard the R/V Langseth.  Future entries will cover the leisurely options I have to pass the time.

So you want to know what really goes on aboard the R/V Langseth?

     Some times we have random dance parties, other times we are quietly reading books. A majority of us blast music & have sing-a-long sessions while others play video games or blog on various websites. The game “Who Am I?” is played amongst the girls during their midnight shift to pass the time. While people are on watch others are sleeping (or attempting to), watching movies in the movie room, snacking in the galley, pumping some iron in the gym, playing ping pong in the dry lab, reading a book in the library, or joining others on watch because they’re bored and want some company. I know I know, this seems like all fun & games. I’m sure you’re all wondering what we are actually doing out here considering it seems like we are aimlessly traveling hundreds of miles offshore. No we are not here just to have fun & meet new people. It’s all about the SCIENCE!

     I am currently participating as a Intern aboard the R/V Marcus G. Langseth while the Science Party led by Fernando Martienez & Armann Hoskuldsson propose a month-long geophysical expedition. This expedition will include collecting the multibeam, magnetics,& gravity data that will provide us with a definitive test between the fundamentally different thermal & tectonic hypotheses for how exactly the Iceland plume caused the reorganization of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge of South Iceland. The results will help ensure that the thermal Reykjanes Ridge models are providing accurate information about Earth’s behavior. If their models are wrong they will now be able to provide everyone with a corrected model. 

   Sounds fun right? How do we go about doing that you ask? WELL, there are tons of different electronic & electromechanical equipment on board as well as sonars which we use to record data that is vital to our trip. The expedition requires sonars such as: the Kongsberg EM122 12kHz multibeam echosounder & the Knudsen 3260 3.5kHz Sub-Bottom profiler.We are also required to collect data from the Bell Aerospace Gravimeter & from the T-5 Expendable Bathythermograph (XBT) Probes. The XBT’s are launched on a daily basis throughout the journey. We also collect data from the LDEO PCO2, LaCoste & Romberg portable Gravity sensor, & the SBE-45 TSG for temperature saliniograph data purposes.The information is collected automatically by the computers but is also logged by humans to ensure that humans remain a factor in scientific research. Thirty minute data collection of wind speed/direction, air temp/humidity, & barometric pressure using the RM-Young Weather Station will also be a duty. Last but certainly not least, we are also involved in the deployment & recovery of research equipment such as “Maggie” the magentometer.

    Speaking of Maggie, there was a casualty last week due to the rough weather we had encountered. Maggie is no longer with us anymore, she was lost while making a turn which had caused the cable to break & set her free. She is now swimming with the fishes, RIP beloved Maggie. Luckily her twin sister Maggie II was on board & deployed within an hour of the casualty of our beloved Magnetometer Maggie. Maggie II has been in the water ever since & has been recording some stellar data.

    Every now and then we run into some rough weather which causes a lapse in our data. When this happens, you find frantic scientists who start to panic as soon as we have the slightest amount of missing data. Unfortuantely it happens & there isn’t much we can do about it. Mother Nature has a way with the seas, sometimes she really likes to challenge us with 10 meter seas. American equivalent of about 33 feet! These seas result in falling off chairs backwards, the Chief Scientist Fernando sliding from his table all the way into our Co-Chief Scientest Armann’s office, playing slip & slide in your bedroom while your roommate is yelling “I’ll save you,” & the navigating through the fun house hallways AKA walking through the corridors to travel around the ship. 

      Well now you’re all up to date on what really occurs aboard the R/V Langseth. Hopefully we have some other interesting things happen within our final strecth of the trip so that I can keep blogging. 

-Ashley Paradiso