Month: August 2014

Last OBS cruise

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On August 13, 2014

In MATE Blog Archive, Oregon State University, CEOAS, R/V Oceanus

On Tuesday August 5th we arrived at Newport OR from a two week cruise having recovered 33 and deployed 28 Ocean Bottom Seismometers (OBSs) along the Blanco Transform Fault Zone and within the Gorda plate region in the Northeast Pacific. Life revolved around those exciting seconds as I was trying to hook the primary tagline on the instrument while it was bouncing around and drifting away with the swell. I did quite well considering the conditions, missing two times out of 15 attempts.

On Saturday August 9th we departed for the second, shorter leg for more OBS work, deploying and retrieving another 20 instruments. This time I had the midnight to noon watch helping the Scripps technicians on deck and monitoring the science instruments, data logging and network. After breakfast I would work on my small project soldering and potting cables for a Conductivity Temperature Density (CTD) instrument  but if I could not fall asleep I would read Linux for Dummies- it works extraordinarily well. 

2 down and another to go…

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On August 11, 2014

In MATE Blog Archive, R/V Savannah, Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, University of Georgia

1st Cruise

 

            During my first cruise I mainly spent my time learning as much as I could about the ship and the available science equipment.  This particular cruise was focused mainly on physical oceanography, which meant a lot of CTD casts as well as constant collection of ADCP and SCS data. 

 

            For those not familiar with oceanographic sampling equipment a CTD package (which stands for Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth) is a device that allows scientists to collect vertical profiles of the salinity (measured by the water’s conductivity) and temperature of the water according to depth as the package descends from the surface.  Depending on the scope of ones research there are also other instruments that can be attached to the CTD.  These include a transmissometer, which measures the amount of particulates in the water, a fluorometer that measures fluorescence as an indicator of plant life, a PAR sensor that measures the global solar radiation in the spectral band active for photosynthesis, and oxygen sensors that measure dissolved oxygen in the seawater.  In general research vessels deploy the CTD attached to a rosette.  The rosette is made up of a framework of sampling bottles (currently 9 – 8 liter bottles on the R/V Savannah, though some rosettes can house up to 36 bottles ranging from 1.2- 30 liters in capacity) affixed around a central cylinder.  With this setup researchers are able to signal the rosette to collect a water sample whenever they see properties from the CTD sensors that are of interest.  For example during the first cruise the scientists were specifically looking at salinity and oxygen gradients as the collected their water samples. 

 

 

            The second instrument that we used during the physical oceanography cruise was the ADCP, also known as the Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler.  This device uses the shift in sound frequency to measure currents beneath the ship as it is underway.  Sound waves are sent from the ship and are bounced back to the ship’s receivers from particles and plankton in the water column.  The waves are then translated into a profile of water movement.  During our cruise we used both a 300 Khz  (first leg) and a 1200 Khz (second leg) ADCP.  The 300 Khz ADCP is the one that is generally kept in the well for cruises while the 1200 KHz is used mainly for shallow water research. 

 

 

            Shipboard Computer System, (SCS) a NOAA software, is a vital program for the research done on the R/V Savannah.  This program collects, process, displays, and achieves data from the navigational and scientific sensors aboard the vessel (essentially just taking data from multiple sources and combining it in one easy to use interface).  The two types of data logging supported by SCS include “continuous” data and “event” data.  Continuous data is data that is vital to safe navigation and I recorded and processed on a continuous/real-time basis.  Examples include information from the GPS, gyrocompass, water depth indicators, and meteorological sensors. Event data is recorded on an “as needed” basis.  The SCS can also derive data such as wind speed and direction.  Overall the SCS provides a vital summary of information including location, direction, water depth, vessel speed, atmospheric pressure, wind speed/direction, water temperature, and water salinity. 

 

Software requirements:

 

In order to be a successful marine technician one must accumulate an understanding of the different types of programs used to control the scientific instruments on board.  For the most part these programs are a staple on all research vessels (though versions may vary).  Examples of common software includes:

 

CTD

-Seaterm= Used to connect to and start/stop data logging for the CTD.

-SeaSave= Used to see the actual plots and data produced by the CTD.

 

SCS

-SCSMenu_v4.6.0= Used to access and visualize multiple sensor readings in an easy to use user interface.

 

ADCP

-WinRiver (Acquire)=Used to start/stop data acquisition from the ADCP and see the outputted data.

 

Navigation

-NobleTek=Used to see current location of the vessel overlaid on NOAA charts.  Also allows for the plotting of points (stations).

 

Overview of cruise

 

Overall the first cruise was very exciting.  While it was mostly physical oceanography (which can be a tedious subject to tackle data collection wise), I was still able to get exposure to different instruments.  These include a Van Veen sediment grab, a Microstructure profiler, a CTD, and a custom made device that essentially measured the optical properties of the surface waters.  We also recovered multiple buoys and moorings during this cruise…which turned out to be a rather difficult task.  In order to recover the moorings we had to grapple for the small surface buoy.  When we were able to snag it we quickly pulled it to the ship, all the time watching the line to make sure it wouldn’t go under the boat and get sucked into the propellers.  One of the crewmembers would pull the buoy up so there was enough slack in the line in order to tie it off to a cleat.  When they managed to do that I came in and cut off the zipties and undid the biofouled shackle (talk about lots of cuts if you aren’t wearing gloves),  for the buoy and the small microcat sampling device that was connected right under the buoy.  Once I had completed that task I pulled the buoy out of the way and we connected the line to our A-frame winch and pulled the mooring up.  Due to the materials and the way the moorings were constructed we had difficulty recovering some of them (frayed lines, etc) and had to call in a dive ops team to remark two of them.  Once the dive teams added a new marker buoy and line we successfully recovered the moorings. 

 

When it comes to difficulties during this cruise we had two main ones.  The first main problem was a generator crash that occurred during the second leg of the cruise.  This crash happened around 10pm during one of our triangle transects.  Luckily we weren’t in too shallow of water and were able to drop our anchor before our dead ship ran into the banks of the estuary we were working in.  While I missed the first two hours of the dead ship, I woke up around midnight and noticed the lack of lights….and air-conditioning.  The first thing that came to my mind was “Ohh ….! I need to check on the servers”.  I ran up to the pilothouse to make sure we were not just doing a pre-planned generator switch as we had done earlier in the day but was informed of the crash.  With this information I went back down to my lab and safely shut down the server and backed up all the data.  I really lucked out that the backup generator for the server didn’t fail (The first thing I was warned about by my mentor was the instability of our current backup generator).  Finally around 2am the crew was able to get the ship up and running again and I booted the server up.  While that crash was quite concerning it actually worked out for the best in my opinion.  It gave me very good experience of how to shut down/start up the servers as well as helping me fix a computer issue I had been dealing with earlier in the day (The SCS had stopped working on the pilothouse computers and the SCS server blue screened and router resets etc wouldn’t fix it…thinking back on it the variation in current that we had been receiving to the computers during the day may have been causing all the errors we were getting.). 

 

The second difficulty I had to deal with was the science party and their view on safety.  This is where tact comes into play.  One of the main issues I had during the cruise was having science members who would not follow directions or wear their safety gear while working on deck.  For the most part I was able to get the interns to follow the rules after pulling them aside and politely asking them…but the worst offender was the chief scientist and her technician.  For the life of me I could not get them to wear their hard hats or life vests while deploying the CTD.  It seemed that as soon as I talked to them about one thing (life vests) they would instantly start wearing that but not the hard hat.  By the end of the cruise I had gotten the C.S’s tech to start wearing his gear after refusing to allow him to do deployments (which was frustrating for me since I needed practice on the winch vs doing taglines for him). However the chief scientist would still not listen to me about wearing her hard hat until I brought the captain into the mix.  I really just don’t understand why it was so hard to wear the safety gear.  I even asked her why she refused to wear a hard hat, offering to get her a new one if the one she had been wearing was uncomfortable etc…

 

2nd Cruise

 

The second cruise was at a much more “relaxing” pace when compared to the first cruise.  While the vibe of the first cruise could be compared the Hare from the story The tortoise and the hare, the second cruise was definitely the tortoise.  However even with our slow pace we still ended up finishing all the stations 2 days early.  

 

During this cruise I actually stood watch, which basically means 4 hrs on and 8 hrs off.  For this cruise I stood watch from 4am-8pm and 4pm-8pm.  For the majority I spent my time on watch piloting the ship and learning the basics of navigation, proper radio etiquette, and autopilot use.  I must say I absolutely loved being on watch and getting to help pilot the ship (on top of my normal duties).  I’ve even discussed with the captian about getting him to sign off on my sea time so I can take my steersman or 100 tonne exam.  

Working on the Irminger Sea

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On August 10, 2014

In MATE Blog Archive

I’m on the night shift.  A schedule I tend to prefer when doing something out of my ordinary– though I’m working hard to make this technician life my every day.  Nights are so incredible on a boat.  I am up to see the arctic summer sun set and rise again in the span of a few hours, over the tumultuous North Atlantic Ocean.   At 2:00 this morning I got to see a remarkably colorful moon rise, with an unreal deep orange hue, peering through the shroud of blacken clouds.  On overcast days, work is done engulfed in an inky atmosphere, giving you the feeling of being at the edge of oblivion.

A research vessel never sleeps, which induces the fear of missing out.  There is a little trepidation of skipping a potentially interesting CTD cast or whale sighting when you decide to nap for a few hours, but that fear dissipates when your head hits the pillow.  The same action and excitement is going on night and day, with moorings being assembled, birds soaring, and problems quickly resolved.  It’s a dynamic chaos that works toward producing amazing discoveries.

I’ve been running the CTD watch from 20:00 to 4:00 every day with Larik, a student of the University of Moscow.  He is a really smart guy and great to work with.  He’s amazed by the safety standards of U.S. boats as compared with a cruise he took on a Russian research vessel.  It seems the Russian ship did not emphasize the use of helmets, gloves, or thorough training on what is expected to be accomplished.  He wears one of those striped Russian navy shirts to every shift, which cracks me up.  He’s really playing the part of a mariner.       

There is a lot of friendly and knowledgeable technician from Woods Hole and SAMS (The Scottish Association for Marine Science) to talk to and learn from on this cruise.  The ship is alive, sort of like a bee hive, with mooring assembly and preparation for deployment—chains, shackles, glass buoyancy balls…  Maybe it’s the giant yellow floats and copious strips of electrical on everything that has put the bee idea in my head.  The SAMS mooring have been going out first, so I’ve done the most observing, helping, and learning with them.  I’d never seen releases attached to the CTD to test their triggers at depth or their teardown and internal predeployment inspection.  Both of the SAMS technicians are very generous with their wealth of technical knowledge and excellent conversation. 

I’ve been helping Liz, formally a Woods Hole technician and now working for a research facility in Germany, with her current floats she’s preparing and deploying.  They look like giant (2 meter!) test tubes, which are weighted to have neutral buoyancy at 2500 meter.  After released, they will flow with the currents logging its position and velocity data, which will be transmit back to Woods Hole after a set interval.  It’s unbelievable that something so fragile on the boat is going to survive years at sea, traversing the open ocean.

Dan, from Woods Hole, has been showing me how to use a Linux system to create an ADCP data collection program.  We’re using this setup for the ADCP’s that are mounted on the CTD.  I’ve had pretty limited exposure to that operating system, so the tutorials have been really insightful.

It’s only a few days into the cruise, and I already feel like I’ve learned so much.

Reflections after the internship

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On August 8, 2014

In MATE Blog Archive, Moss Landing Marine Laboratory, R/V Point Sur

It all started with great excitement and enthusiasm. Arriving to Dutch Harbor and meeting the crew was amazing. I exchanged words with young scientists, the marine tech and the captain. Being at sea has its challenges due to the inestabilty of the vessel and the particular metereological conditions of the day. You don’t know what to expect. However, over time you learn from previous experiences and master working at sea. The food was terrific and always on time. One could relax from time to time as the conditions were calm. I feel I gained much control over myself during those hours aboard a Research Vessel and was able to connect with the crew as the day went by. Now this internship is over and I am about to head home soon but I will remember those days I spent during the transit and the beautiful images of the Pacific Ocean.

Week Three- Not so many Thunderstorms

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On August 6, 2014

In MATE Blog Archive, R/V Hugh R. Sharp, University of Delaware, College of Earth, Ocean and Environment

This trip is off to a good start, we left Lewes on the 30th and headed east to an eddy just west of the Gulf Stream where we hoped to find rain. We spent our first full day out there going through the motions of everything that would happen over the cruise. We practice with our CTD, a clean CTD, the tow fish and drifters. The scientists on this trip are looking at all different things so we are using lots of different sampling methods. We have been doing 2-4 casts per day with the boat CTD fireing all the bottles on most of them. Science is filtering and sampling this water looking at primary productivity. There is another group of scientists looking at trace metal in the water; which is why we have the clean CTD on board. This is a CTD that they brought with them and is put over using a clean winch that has been repainted and coated so there is no metal being introduced. It uses a plastic covered metal wire to lower the CTD. Unlike our CTD the wire is not connected back to the computers so it must be pre programed for when the bottles will fire and you cannot look at the data as it goes down or comes up. We are using a side frame on the back deck to lower the CTD over the side of the boat. Also on the side frame is the tow fish, another sampling method. It looks like a silver torpedo dragging behind a set of wings. In the center of the wings there is a plastic tube that runs up the towline and on deck. Once on deck the plastic tubing runs through a pump and into the lab vans where they can take samples from it periodically. The final piece of equipment we are using are three drifters. They are about three foot long PVC pipes with flashing lights and floats on the top and weights on the bottom connected to a 30ft long tube of black netting. The drifter sits on the surface and the black netting sinks down bellow it in the water column. This causes the drifters to follow the water just bellow the surface instead on the surface water. After this first practice day we got into a daily routine and waited for the rain, which was going well up until the 2nd, when the winch for the clean CTD shorted out, spitting sparks out of the power supply. The winch was no longer in operation. We continued with our routine, minus the clean CTD for a few more days and made our way back into Lewes on the 5th. Unfortunately it only rained once while we were out on the first part of the trip and we have not collected as much rain as science had hoped to. We got in around two and spent the afternoon getting a new winch set up and ready to go, the new winch dose does not have any metering devise on it so Ted and I had to mark the 300 meters of line for the CTD with spray paint every 10m. Then we refueled, had a crew change and had some pizza for dinner and waited for the next high tide, we left Lewis around 4 am, today we are steaming back to where we left one of the drifters in the water to pick up where we left off, hoping for some rain

On the R/V Knorr

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On August 5, 2014

In MATE Blog Archive

On board the R/V Knorr after a couple days in Reykjavik.  The boat is tied up at the Marine Science Institutes dock, situated behind the Harpa, the city’s Opera house.  The Harpa is really pretty during the few hours of darkness, as it has a constantly changing light show, dancing from window to window.  It looks great from the boat.

As I came in on the bus from the airport, I felt that the Reykjanes Peninsula was reminiscent of Alaska, with its rocky tundra covered in low shrubs and grass.  It is what I’ve come to think of as the classic subarctic plain, yet this seemed more alive.  The occasional Arctic Tern or Puffin would soar from behind a pile of volcanic rubble, do a few loops, and then disappear behind a cloud of belched geothermic steam.  The ground is alive.  There is a serenity to the landscape that doesn’t fully express its violent beginning and continuing cataclysmic tectonic metamorphoses’.   

It has been very interesting learning about early Icelandic/Viking history at the local museums.  Such incredible maritime developments were pioneered by the Norse people, which allowed them to make safe(ish) passage across the North Atlantic, and thus discover Iceland (though there is some debate as whether Irish Monks were here first, but no evidence of their existence on this Island has yet to be found) and, very likely, the New World.  It is in the wake of those innovators and artisans of blue water sailing that I get to experience for the next month of sea spray and science.       

I’ve been serendipitously put on the boat with a shipmate named Nick.  He just happens to be a past MATE intern, having just completed the six month internship, which consisted of two different passages in the Southern Pacific.  Nick’s now working on the Knorr as a Marine Science technician, very happy about the results of the program and his job.  It’s really inspiring to hear how well someone is doing with the opportunity I’m just embarking on.

We cast the lines off tomorrow morning at 8:00 and steam toward Greenland.  We’re half a day out from our first mooring deployments for a group from SAMS, a research institute from Scotland, whose technicians have been busily assembling their mooring on the dock for the last two days.  We all can’t wait to get going.

    

CTDs

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On August 4, 2014

In MATE Blog Archive, Moss Landing Marine Laboratory, R/V Point Sur

As  I continue on this transit,  I have engaged into more conversations with Alex and Holly who are the scientists who collaborate with Professor Collins in taking CTDs measurements from the Ocean. Stian has repeatedly shown me how to act as a console operator and how to take information from the CTDs. Most of my work has consisted on assisting Alex and Holly with bottles fillings and labeling. Cocking up the bottles in the CTD and deploying and returning the CTD back on the Ship.

Every once in a while Professor Collins asks me to help with removing some hardware from the CTD or wiring.

 

As far as getting along with my cruise mates, I have become more used to them. We share lunch and dinner and have interesting conversations about language, school, work. During times I exit the galley and stare at the ocean.  There are times when the ocean calms down and one can relax while at the same time appreciate being on board the R/V Point Sur.

Deploying OBSs

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On August 3, 2014

In MATE Blog Archive, Oregon State University, CEOAS, R/V Oceanus

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