Category: R/V Hugh R. Sharp Page 1 of 9

Final – 04

Hello,

I am writing my final blog post now that I am at home and comfortable. My time with the Hugh R. Sharp was enlightening. The number of skills and lessons I learned seemed endless.

Summary of Final Stint

During my final leg of this internship, we had to delay a cruise to August due to issues with the coolant systems, hydraulics, and the Caley level wind not functioning properly. This gave us a short amount of time to prepare a fully functional ship for the upcoming Naval Academy cruise. During the mobilization day for the Naval Academy, there was uneasy chatter and an urgent rush to be able to set sail. Slowly, as the mob day went on, problem after problem was solved.

While the problems with the ship were being solved by the engineers, I was with the Marine Techs. Our job was to fabricate the ADCP and EK80 mount onto the pod system that Sharp uses for acoustic sounders.

Additionally, the techs had to manage and maintain the ship’s CTD, computers, and systems. The last responsibility of Marine techs was to assist the scientists with their equipment setup and be the middleman between the technology and their research goals.

Part of the challenge with being a marine tech and a crew member on a ship is that you constantly have to adapt to what is currently working on the vessel. We had to do this many times at the port and on the sea. This includes alternate CTD rosette mounting designs, adding winches, using backup computers, and much more.

One of the biggest adjustments I had to make at sea was manually controlling the CTD winch, since the sensor on the Caley level wind was broken. Additionally, I had to take an active role in communicating with a walkie-talkie between Science and the Boat driver to get clearance for equipment deployment.

I even had to go below deck near the engine room to communicate numbers on a screen during ROV operations, due to the display not transmitting. It was later found out that the Ethernet cord for the display was not properly plugged in.

I learned a a lot more during this cruise. My learning highlight was definitely communication skills, through successes and failures.

Conclusion

I would like to thank the amazing crew of the Sharp for making me feel at home and treating me as a crew member. Every day was more fun because of the crew. I would like to give a special thanks to my direct mentor, Christian Kernisan, who had the systems to solve everything and taught me many soft skills along with hard skills to increase my efficiency. I would like to thank my other main mentor, Alex Dominguez, who was always there when I needed, for whatever I needed. Lastly, I would like to directly thank Tim Deering, our Marine Tech supervisor (ex-tech himself), for his wise tidbits and help during some of the more chaotic days.

More Hands On Work- 03

Hello,

It’s been hectic and chaotic since I last posted on the blog. I have been learning an incredible amount about what it takes to be a Marine Technician, what it takes to work on a boat, and what it takes to be a part of a small crew.

The cruise that was supposed to happen last week was pushed back to August. This was due to an engine problem and scheduling issues. The chaos and variability during this internship have shown me the importance of always being prepared for the worst-case scenario.

Adapting

The way my incredible mentors have taught and refined my approach to adaptability remains a key skill gained during this experience. Being adaptable is one of the most crucial skills needed to be a Marine Tech, and my mentors and I have had to use this skill set countless times.

During the prep for last week’s cruise, we received schematics for an EK80 single-beam system and assembled a mount based on them. We received the sonar on mobilization day. Not only was the schematic we received wrong, but the sonar already came with a mount.

Conveniently, after a little trial and error, the sonar mount perfectly fit the empty rosette. This empty rosette was originally going to house the EK80 system. Unfortunately, the empty rosette could not be used due to the stern winch not working. Thus, leading us to switch to a rosette frame with a working winch, located on the starboard side. We had to troubleshoot how to attach a sonar and Wombat system to a rosette frame, with 12 Niskin bottles, a CTD, and a fluorometer. The solution was to fabricate an additional mount ourselves for the original mount, remove the last Niskin bottle, and make a couple of small changes to attach the required sonar equipment. In the end, the setup was fully functional. Unfortunately, I was too busy to take a picture of our final result.

The Upcoming Cruise

This is the pod system that the Hugh R. Sharp uses. Attached to it is another EK80 system and an ADCP. Commonly, on the Sharp, custom mounts have to be fabricated and meet the required specs. This pod required the EK80 and the ADCP to be flush.

After assembly was finished, my mentors and I spent the day rewiring and lowering the pod via a crane in the Sharp’s adjustable keel. It was a very hot and humid day, around 92 degrees, which felt like 100.

At midday, we had an electrical blackout and had to reset all of the computers. Luckily, resetting the computers did not take long. Now that the day is done, I am finishing writing this blog post.

Conclusion

I will be taking many lessons from this incredible, eye-opening week. I have learned and accomplished many new things in just this week alone. If I wrote them all down, I would have a 10,000-word essay. I am growing through real practical experience, and I cannot wait to tell you what I learned in the upcoming week of this internship.

Thanks for reading!

Troubleshooting – 02

Hello,

I have completed my second week of this unique experience. I had no time for pictures during this hands-on week against the clock. I had the chance to be a part of a small team that needed coordination to overcome major obstacles when the time mattered.

The planned sea trial was canceled due to the CTD winch’s level winder and the CTD with a Rosette attachment not working. At the time of the issue, we had a cruise in a week and needed to become operational soon. The crew utilized a three-team system to tackle both problems.

Part of having a small crew (around 10, including myself) means that we have to adapt our strategy to complete work on an older 146-foot vessel. Often, if it is a singular problem and if there are no other tasks present, all of the crew will get together. The job title is disregarded in these cases. This time, there were two major problems, with the CTD and the Winch level winder. The crew split off into three teams. The first team, made up primarily of engineers, focused on fixing the CTD level winder. The second team I was a part of was made up of four Marine Techs (counting myself) who focused on getting the CTD and Rosette operational. The last team tackled the remaining tasks around the vessel and assisted with the engineers when needed.

Troubleshooting the CTD

During the start of last week, the Scotch cast around the CTD wire termination I completed had turned out good. When we plugged everything in and went to turn on the CTD system, we blew a fuse in the deck box. It was a demoralizing sight, especially knowing I was the one who completed the termination. Luckily, later I would find out that the CTD termination I made was working normally.

I will keep this brief, due to the amount of trial and error we went through. We utilized a multimeter to check for breaks and shorts in the cable and junction box. We also redid multiple terminations, which included the slip ring termination leading to the drum. Then we would test the connection using a multimeter.

In the end, the problem ended up being that the color coding at the junction box was somehow flipped. The black wire, which was supposed to represent common, was the signal. The white wire in the junction box, which was supposed to represent the signal, ended up being common. The way we identified this was when testing at the junction box, the multimeter was reading a negative 270 volts. Thus, the connections were flipped.

Once we got the CTD operational, the techs showed me how to use the CTD with the water container rossette and the software. Then they showed me how to set up all of the ship’s computers to display necessary information about the CTD. Using the software that controls the CTD with the Rosette seemed very straightforward. Although setting up all of the systems and computers was a lot to take in, they will have me operate and control the CTD a lot during our next cruise.

Troubleshooting the Level Winder

The Engineers tried to fix the level winder for the CTD for most of the week. Ultimately, they had to call someone from the manufacturing company to fix the level winder. Once help arrived, it took a full day to get everything fully operational.

Conclusion

Although it was an extremely hectic week, I learned many valuable lessons. I am excited for the next two weeks of this internship and learning even more! If everything stays according to plan, on Monday we should be going on a brief sea trial, then the cruise will start on Wednesday. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day, and thanks for reading!

Pre Mobilization – 01

Hello readers,

I have completed my first week on the Hugh R. Sharp. My mentor was kind enough to have me come a week in advance of the planned missions to help ease me onto the vessel. This week, I learned and assisted with the remaining general maintenance tasks that marine techs must complete before mobilization.

I loved my mentor’s teaching method. He understood that real skill is built through action. From the first day, rather than feeling like an intern, I felt like I was working on the ship and was part of the crew.

A Brief Day in the Life

Since we are still at port, every day I would wake up at 4 am to go to the gym with a crew member roughly my age. We would get back at 6:30 am to eat and get ready for our work day. The day would start roughly at 7 am, and it almost always began with discussing a brief plan for the day. We would have to coordinate with others to formulate our daily plans, sometimes making material orders or checking on part fabrication orders. Once the day was done, I would usually shower, then relax and go to sleep.

First Work Day

From the first day, my mentor allowed me to take an active role.

I spent the first half of my Tuesday touring the facilities and meeting the crew. The second half of the day, I was between a cable spool and a cable-level management system (Caley). I was adjusting, loosening tension, or cutting the slack of wires as needed to ensure the Caley had its full range of motion while having a clean-looking wire management. Once I completed that job, I became a tool fetcher for the engineers of the vessel for the remainder of the day. The engineers needed to complete their checks before we could continue with the tech’s responsibilities.

The Rest of the Days

Shortly after, I was notified that our first mission would be canceled and replaced with a Sea Trial. The University that was originally scheduled had a conflict and was unable to make it.

On Wednesday, I did more wire management. It was a multiple-person job, as one person had to be on the bridge, carefully pulling the individual wire up to spool it, and the other had to signal when to stop pulling and hold the wires in place.

In the latter half of the day, I did a mechanical CTD cable termination under the supervision of my mentor. There are multiple phases to the mechanical portion of the cable termination, one of the last was pouring molten aluminum to secure the cable, and then tension testing our mechanical connection.

On Thursday, I did the electrical portion of the CTD cable termination. This includes stripping the wire casing, then color coding and crimping the wire ends together. I got to use special wire crimper connectors that used solder, helping waterproof the connections. Once the connections were made, we encased them with scotch cast using a mold. The remaining portion of the electrical work is to connect the cable to the CTD.

At the end of Thursday, we needed to get the Caley stats computer (showing stats like tension on the cable) to display its information on the main computer. This would make it easier for the people on the bridge operating the Caley. We found the supposed IP address and Port Number, but we could not get it to connect to the master display software of the main computer. Thus, I thought to look up command prompts to show IP addresses that the main computer can detect. Once I used the command netstat -ano, and saw that the Caley Stats Computer IP was not detected. From this result, I knew either the Ethernet cable was not plugged in all the way at the Ethernet switch, or the IP address was wrong. Luckily, it was the Ethernet cord not being plugged in at the switch.

Friday was a half-day, the marine techs and I went to a couple of places and stores to pick up a custom transducer mount and other materials that we will need.

Conclusion

The whole crew is extremely nice and fun, and helped me have an amazing first week! On Monday, the 9th, we will start mobilization for the Sea Trial. I cannot wait to learn even more during this upcoming week!

Namith Kennedy Introduction

Hello Readers,

My name is Namith Kennedy. I am moving on to my sophomore year of college in Northwestern Michigan College’s Marine Technology B.S program. I am extremely honored and excited to intern with the University of Delaware’s Hugh R. Sharp Team. I hope to learn as much as I can, tackling everything with a growth-oriented mindset!

If you shoot for the Stars,

Worst case you end up on Mars

By Namith Kennedy (realistically someone has probably said this before)

This is one of the quotes I came up with to help nurture a growing mindset that moves through failure.

Where it started

In the picture above, I was an upcoming junior in High School and just completed my first sound velocity cast. Since my sophomore year of high school, I knew of my desire to be involved in marine technology. This interest led me to reach out to the NMC Marine Technology program director at the time, Hans Van Sumeren, to ask for a summer internship. I had an absolute blast with the experience. Everything from the team environment, the work, the views of nature, and the unlimited possibilities helped ignite my growing passion for the field.

A little fun fact about me

During high school, I played football and rugby. Football has been in my life since I was five years old. I love all formats of football, including fantasy football.

In the picture above, I had the honor of shaking hands with many Vietnam veterans and other service members during a tribute game called the Patriot Game. This upcoming fall, I will pursue my passion for the sport of football by coaching middle school football.

Conclusion

Since discovering the marine technology field, my enthusiasm for it soars higher every day. The opportunity that Unols and the R/V Hugh R. Sharp team have provided for me will act as premium kindling, supporting my growth. I am excited to share my month-long journey with everyone!

Week 4: Stinky Seeps and Robots

Howdy everyone,

Since my last update, a lot has happened. I’ve just finished the first leg of my 6-month MATE Internship!

When I last checked in, the R/V Hugh Sharp was waiting near Nantucket for a break in the weather in the sea scallop survey area to redeploy the (now fully operational) HabCam. After patiently waiting for days, we finally saw a potential break in the weather. We took the chance to head into the survey area to collect data. However, on the way, one of our seasick researchers helping with scallop annotations had a little run in with a desk and ended up with a rib injury. We were concerned about the severity of their injury, and with the realization that it was too rough to deploy the HabCam, we decided to head back to Woods Hole to get the researcher medical attention and wait for the weather to improve.

After dropping off our injured researcher, the weather finally cleared up. We safely returned to the survey area and managed to collect a full day’s worth of data, covering approximately 50 out of the 53 stations! By the end of the cruise, we had made up for the time lost waiting near Nantucket and gathered almost all the data the WHOI and NOAA researchers needed. I’m also happy to report that the injured researcher saw a doctor and is doing fine with just minor bruising. Despite the setbacks, including a broken HabCam, bad weather, and injuries, the crew and science team pulled through and made the scallop survey cruise a success! It goes to show that resilience and adaptability are crucial when working on research vessels and facing challenges head-on.

– The HabCam 30 minutes after it was deployed managed to catch some fishing gear (green rope connected at the shackle) which we had to cut off.

After wrapping up the HabCam cruise and enjoying a few days of well-deserved rest and celebration, the Sharp crew began preparing for our next adventure!

– A picture from inside the Sharp’s keel. The keel has removable “pods” that can hold a variety of scientific equipment. Right before this photo was taken we replaced one of the ships pods.

The focus of our next cruise was to deploy equipment and collect samples to help scientists gain a better understanding of seafloor methane seeps. For those who may not know, methane is a ridiculously potent greenhouse gas, and high concentrations of it in our atmosphere contribute to global climate change. It’s crucial to determine if these methane seeps impact atmospheric concentrations and whether oceans act as a source or sink for the gas. Understanding the range, oxidation rates, and quantity of methane released from these seeps is essential, and the data collected from these cruises plays a vital role in answering these questions.

The first task of this cruise was to recover a lander from a previous expedition that failed to release its sacrificial weight and float to the surface. We attached a small ROV to a weight and sent it over 300 meters deep to the ocean floor to search for the lost equipment, and fortunately, we were able to retrieve it. The next priority was to deploy landers near known methane seeps. We successfully managed to deploy two out of the three landers we brought, as one decided to act up. The last order of business was to collect sediment samples from the seeps using a weighted multicorer. This corer was lowered to the seabed to gather sediment samples for later analysis. 

One of the “landers” which measures methane oxidation rates near the seafloor methane seeps. Notice the steel plate on the left side. This plate detaches after sampling is complete and the lander receives a signal. The lander then floats to the surface and awaits recovery. 

– The “Mission Specialist Defender” ROV that was used to tag and recover the lost lander.

In just four weeks I gained experience with all of the following:

  • Knudsen Echosounder troubleshooting
  • LCI90i winch controller troubleshooting
  • Fiber optic troubleshooting and splicing
  • CTD maintenance and confile setup
  • Shipboard data acquisition system management and data backup 
  • Shipboard network architecture introduction
  • Instrument calibration record management 
  • A whole lotta different launch and retrieval deck operations (e.g. HabCam, AUV, Lander, multicorer, ROV)
  • Radio communication
  • Rigging techniques
  • Using USBL systems and recording their data
  • Cruise mobilization and demobilization experience
  • Troubleshooting one Sirius XM radio
  • Eating too much ice cream
  • Entertaining/distracting injured researchers with music and memes

Overall, working with R/V Hugh Sharp’s team was a fantastic opportunity to gain lots of hands-on experience and learn a ton of new technical skills. While learning these new skills was great, I think the real value of this internship comes from gaining familiarity with the work that marine technicians get to do. This familiarity promotes confidence and comfort with handling the many unknowns and stressors of this job.

So thanks to everyone at UDEL for the incredible opportunity! Now, I am enjoying two weeks off before I begin the next leg of my internship in Bermuda with the BIOS team! I look forward to writing the next post and updating you all in a few weeks.

Until then keep it cool and stay curious. 

All the best,

Hunter

– The last sunrise I got to see aboard the Sharp

Week 2: The Sharp and the Steel Photographer

Howdy all,

I have some exciting updates to share with you, so let’s dive in! For the last two weeks, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside ship crew, researchers, engineers, and fellow marine technicians to conduct a multi-leg sea scallop survey aboard the R/V Hugh R. Sharp. This survey aims to gather data regarding regional sea scallop populations, their maturity, and their range. It’s a joint effort involving the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), and various other universities. The data we collect will help shape fisheries policy for years to come and is essential for understanding changes in scallop population trends!

– The R/V Hugh R. Sharp at port in Woods Hole, MA

To collect this data, we’re using some awesome tech on the Sharp, including a specially designed habitat camera (which looks like a giant stripped down derby car) and an autonomous underwater vehicle (which looks like a giant hotdog).

– The derby car aka habitat camera aka HabCam

– The hot dog aka autonomous underwater vehicle aka AUV

The HabCam is a large (and heavy) vehicle packed with a system of CTD sensors, cameras, flashes, sonar, and an altimeter, all wrapped in a sturdy steel frame that is towed behind the vessel. The HabCam is piloted about 2 meters above the sea floor, capturing three images per second. These images are transmitted to the Sharp via fiber optic cable and are immediately interpreted by two teams of annotators working 12-hour shifts. These annotators play a challenging game of Where’s Waldo as they search for and measure sea scallops in each image. As I write this post partway through Leg 2, some annotators have scanned through approximately 11,000 images!

-Piloting the HabCam! Notice the sonar, tension/payout graph, LCI90i winch controller (the cosole I have my hand on), and depth readout

The HabCam is essential for this survey, but it hasn’t been without its challenges. During Leg 1, moisture found its way between the fiber optic cable and its bulkhead connector, distorting the light data signal and causing a loss of communication with the vehicle. We had to interrupt Leg 1 and port in Woods Hole early to get the necessary parts and equipment for repairs. While this was an unfortunate setback, it did give me the chance to perform fiber optic splicing and troubleshooting. During our transit to Woods Hole, the AUV stepped up, capturing vital seafloor data and then meeting the boat after. Now in Leg 2, we’ve had a mix of successes and setbacks. The HabCam worked perfectly for the first few days, but high winds in the survey area have forced us to wait behind Nantucket for the last few days. These high winds are generating large waves that could stress the tow cable’s safe working limit, and we don’t want to risk losing the HabCam to rough seas! 

Besides troubleshooting and maintaining the HabCam system, I’ve gained a lot of hands-on experience under the guidance of Sharp’s marine techs, Alex Dominguez (a fellow MATE alumni) and Christian Kernisan (lead tech)! Since coming aboard, I’ve had the opportunity to troubleshoot LCI-90i winch displays and a Knudsen 3260 echosounder deck box, learn about the Sharp’s data management protocols, review the ship’s network architecture, pilot the HabCam, and perform a variety of deck operations, including the launch and retrieval of the HabCam and AUV. The only experience I’m missing during this cruise is dredging for scallops since this task was outsourced to another ship! This would have been a great (and tasty) skill to learn. The rest of the crew has been incredibly welcoming, and it’s been a fantastic opportunity to work with the engineers and researchers from WHOI and NOAA as well. One of my favorite parts about this job is the people you get to meet and this has been a great team to work with!

– Christian and Alex with some friends the HabCam picked up

-Gunnar, Christian, Zach, Cam, Huxley, Alex, and me (right to left)

In my next blog post, I’ll update you on the progress of my internship and dive into a little bit more detail about the hands-on technical experience I’m gaining and how I’m using it to be a better marine technician!

Until then,

Hunter

Week 0: Heya MATE it’s Hunter

Howdy reader,

My name is Hunter Adams! I have the privilege of being a 2024 MATE intern and will spend the next six months supporting three different research institutions on their missions to better understand our world’s oceans. I look forward to sharing this amazing experience with you through these blog posts and I hope I can get you excited for the awesome work that MATE interns get to do!

So what about me? What’s my background and why am I participating in this internship? Well here are some answers for ya: I graduated from Texas A&M University with a BS in Oceanography and an MS in Business in 2022 and 2023 respectively (Gig ‘em Aggies!). At TAMU, I spent three years studying methane and nitrous oxide concentration trends in the northern Gulf of Mexico and participated in multiple research cruises as a result. These cruises gave me a glimpse into just how rewarding work at sea can be and I learned how valuable marine operations can be for oceanographic research.  I furthered my interest in oceanography at Los Alamos National Laboratory, performing reduced biogeochemical modeling and preliminary model research over two summer internships. So yeah, I have a research-heavy background. Now you may be asking yourself, “Hunter, this is great and all, but if you love salty water science so much why aren’t you jumping into a PhD or the like?” I’m so happy you asked and I’ve got two answers for you! 

My first answer is that oceanographers and climate scientists worldwide need quality observational data from our oceans. With this data, scientists can better understand our Earth system, improve climate model development, and inform policy decisions (to give just a few examples). One of the best ways scientists get this observational data is by going out to sea and collecting it through research cruises. However, they can’t always be expected to operate the research vessel, troubleshoot instrumentation, manage data acquisition systems, or perform deck operations. That’s where marine technicians and crew come in! Together, crew and mar techs perform all these duties and more, ensuring that oceanographers get the data they need. Marine technicians are needed more than ever due to an ever-increasing demand for data, especially in the face of a changing climate. For this reason, I would like to contribute to oceanographic research as a technician as I feel there is a great need for the work! 

My second answer is that working as a marine technician is FUN! Marine technicians possess diverse skills, are dynamic problem solvers, work with passionate people, and get to travel to some of the most unique environments on the planet. Needless to say, the work can be incredibly engaging and rewarding. I owe my appreciation for this career to the 2023 MATE internship, where I spent five weeks working with the Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT) team and OTG techs at the University of Hawaii Manoa. Now, I’m participating in the long-term MATE internship to get as much hands-on experience as possible to become a more effective technician.

So, I hope you have a better understanding of my professional background and motivations for taking part in this internship! Some less-professional fun facts about me include that I like outside activities, motorcycles, Cajun food, memes, reading, and traveling. 

Over the next six months I hope you can get to know me even better through these posts and understand why I’m so excited for this opportunity. As I write this, I am flying to the University of Delaware and the R/V Hugh Sharp to begin the first leg of my internship. Over the next few weeks I will be assisting with a sea scallop and HabCam survey (which’ll be a brand-new experience for me). In my next post, I’ll talk more about my work, who I’m working with, and all the best parts of the internship so far! So stay tuned and don’t miss it!

All the best,

Hunter Adams

Week Six – Back in Lewes

Hello, Hello this will be my final blog.

      First off, this has been a life-changing experience and I feel very fortunate to have gotten this opportunity. I had high expectations that we would get to spend the next two weeks working on the scallop mission but some more problems arose.

       Alex and I had twelve-hour shifts, mine was from 12 AM to 12 PM and his shift was the opposite. Our tech leads were doing six-hour shift changes so Alex and I would get time with each of them on our shifts. Christian was the lead tech and Hunter is the secondary tech. We had picked up the science team and sailed almost 200 miles offshore to do the scallop surveys. My shift ended just before we made it to the survey sites and it was close to 12:30 AM. I went off to bed to get rest for my next shift. Alex and the night crew started dredging and hab-camming that night and into the morning. Unfortunately just before my shift was about to start that next day the hydraulic break on the dredging winch broke. This was disappointing news to start my shift off with but we were still able to hab-cam. We got the dredge up on the table and secured it. Hunter and I helped lower the hab-cam behind the ship with the engineers controlling the winch. Then Hunter and I helped the science crew get the hab-cam winch controls set up and functioning. Everything with the hab-cam seemed to be operating correctly to start off.

       After about 30 minutes the hab-cam winch controls started failing. The engineers tried to fix the hydraulics issue and even managed to get the controls working again. It ended up failing again twice more and the science crew decided to pull the hab-cam out of the water. This was now a total operational shutdown, we could not hab-cam or dredge. There was a lot of talking and deliberation between the captain and the science crew. In the end, it was decided that the chief engineer was unable to solve the hydraulic issues, and the scallop survey was canceled. We headed back to Woods Hole to drop the science crew off and all of their equipment. After they were off we spent the evening in Woods Hole and left for Lewes in the morning.

       It was about a day-and-a-half journey back to Lewes. Once we arrived it was late on Monday and most of the crew left to sleep in their own beds at home. We ended up being out at sea for only seven days out of the planned three weeks but it was a great experience. Tomorrow we are set to offload all the dredging equipment and clean the ship. Alex and I are set to leave this Thursday to fly back to Traverse City, Michigan. 

Thank you all for following my blog,

Jacob Stremlow

The Picture is Hunter, Me, Alex, and Christian (The Tech Team)

Week Five – Departure

Great news, we are preparing to set sail for the mission. We are set to leave today, the 12th of June. We have been offered a two-week extension on our internship to be able to partake in the scallop mission and then the USGS mission afterward. The plan is to test the ship in the bay and ensure that all the various issues have been resolved properly before leaving to pick up the science crew. If all the systems check out we will transit to Woods Hole, Massachusetts to pick up the science crew should take a day and a half. After we load the science crew will have eight days to dredge and use the hab-cam to collect data on the scallop populations. 

In preparation for the mission, the technicians explained the CTD process in more detail and let Alex and I pre-test all the sensors. A CTD is used to create a verticle water column profile that depicts the conductivity, temperature, and density of the ocean in a specific area. This CTD has more sensors than the basic three, including an oxygen sensor and a fluorometer. Attached to the CTD are twelve bottles that can collect water from areas of interest in the water column, they are spring-loaded and seal the water in when the electronic release is triggered. We were shown how to log a CTD scan and how to communicate with the engineers to lower the CTD with the winch. Once a year all the sensors are sent to the manufacturer to be calibrated and have to be updated in the CTD software once they are connected back in the CTD system. I helped with the sensor updating by adding the newly calibrated offsets into the CTD software program and verifying that they were transmitting accurate data.  

I am very excited that we are about to set off for the mission, it has been a long wait but all my patience is about to pay off. The extension on my internship is such a blessing and will help allow me to get more sea time and hands-on experience with the various marine technology systems on the R/V Sharp.

Thanks for checking in with Jake the intern.

Page 1 of 9

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén