We are not alone...

Even way out here, in the middle of nowhere in the Pacific Ocean, we are not alone. Everyday, we see signs of life. Today as we were performing a radiance test, I saw this bird flying about our tail. While I am not a marine ornithologist, I believe it is a pacific gull. This little guy was out here, 100's of kilometers from land. Marine birds like this are able to live on the water. They catch fish and squid and, due to the unique shapes of their wings, they can glide on air currents, using almost no energy to stay aloft.

Speaking of squid, at night, squid can be seen coming to the surface to feed. The schools spend their days in the deep where it is dark and they are safe from predators. But at night, the squid make a migration to the surface looking for food. We have also seen jelly fish and one of the crew even caught some mahi mahi. Being out in the middle of the Pacific can feel totally isolated but in reality, there is life all around.

29.5N 152W

Week One

And now a little bit about life aboard the Ron Brown:

Life at sea is in many ways like camping. Instead of tents we have staterooms. My room is shared with two other scientists on the cruise. Bryan is an physical oceanographer from the joint MIT-Woods Hole graduate program studying small scale changes in the currents. Andrew is an oceanographic modeler from the University of Washington. His job is to control the raising and lowering of the CTD. My role, for those of you who have not heard this before, is to collect samples for DOC analysis. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is any organic carbon structures in the ocean. It ranges from sugars, amino acids, and DNA to viruses and cell material. Basically, DOC is any small carbon material that is not carbonate (CO2, HCO3, H2CO3...).  I collect water samples from the CTD at all the different depths and freeze them. Back in Miami, the samples will be analyzed for DOC. 

Lowering the CTD into the water to collect samples. On the lower right is my bunk mate, Bryan

So my primary purpose for being on this cruise is the sampling but it doesn't consume my whole day. I sample at every other station which means I sample for about an hour and a half every 12-14 hours. I also have to prepare the sample vials and filters that I use as well as document everything. But that leaves free time in my schedule.

Meals are served three times a day and the food is quite good, especially for being at sea. Part of the reason I equate this cruise to camping is that, when camping, food always tastes better than it really is and I suspect that the food on the cruise is no different. But they have plenty of options and, for now at least, fresh vegetables are available. I also spend some time every day in the gym. Being on a boat, there isn't a lot of room or opportunity to move around and be active. So I've found its important to stay active and exercise when I can. The rest of the time is spent having fun. The crew is very friendly and we often hang out with them. Last night we started a game of monopoly that I am happy to say I was winning before we were interrupted by sampling. The ship also has 740+ movies on board so at the end of the day, some of the science party and I often watch a movie in the lounge. One of my favorite things to do on the cruise is to watch the stars. Out here in the middle of the pacific, the light pollution is effectively 0 and the number of stars you can see is a amazing! When the moon goes down, the you can clearly see that Milky Way and the planets overhead. 

Sunrise on the Brown. Sampling can occur at any time day or night which means I get sights like this. 

On Tuesday, the winds died down and the ocean became amazingly calm. I had the realization that the ocean is really a big bowl of water. I giant, enormous, humongous bowl, but a bowl all the same. Sitting in this flat ocean, it felt like we were just in a cereal bowl. It was strange. 

This image has not been altered at all. The ocean really was this flat. 

We have yet to have any significant weather and we are hoping it stays that way as we continue along 153W. We do expect some storms as we cross into the Gulf of Alaska but the ship is more then capable of deal with them. 

Well I'm off to sample again.

26.5N 152W

Day at Sea

So today was our first full day at sea. Getting into the swing of things was made easier by our delay as I was able to grow accustom to live aboard the ship while still in port. Yet the constant rocking did require some adaptation. Showing becomes a balancing act. Everything has to be secured at all times. Leaving anything free for a moment will lead to it being on the floor. The gentle rocking also has a soothing affect. More then once today I found myself starting to doze.

Sea sickness has not been a problem as of yet. I took some Bonine to be on the safe side but have felt great today. The crew all say that once you sleep a full night on the ship, your body will become accustomed to it and you will gain your sea legs.

A couple of hours out from port yesterday we had our first test cast of the CTD to ensure all the instruments were working properly. Seeing the CTD go into the water for the first time was amazing. Finally we were performing some science.

The CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) enter the water. You can see the 24 gray Niskin Bottles which will collect water samples at various depths. Also on it are a host of sensors tracking temperature, depth. salinity and much more

30 hours after leaving port we will arrive at our first real sampling station and we are awaiting samples as I write this. I fear my reports will be rather dull for the next couple weeks but I will continue to comment on ship life and any little excitements that occur on board. One such notable excitement occurred today around 19:00. Through no conscious word or announcement; as if by the sheer will of nature, the whole crew was drawn out to the aft deck just as the sun was setting. How we all managed to independently feel the urge to watch this sunset I cannot say, but I think that it speaks to the nature of humans. We are drawn to the natural beauties of this world and few of natures treasures can compare to a sunset on the open ocean. And so we watched in silence as the sun sank below the horizon; painting the clouds with the colors of fall leaves, amber, crimson, pink, and orange.

22.5N 152W

And We Are Off

Today we steamed out of pearl harbor and into open ocean; finally! As the ship pulled away from the dock and we looked on atop the 03 weather deck, everyone was in high spirits. Our respite in Hawaii was great but clearly, the crew and science party were ready to get underway.

Before leaving dock, the captain spoke about the occasion we are celebrating today: Memorial Day. And it struck me suddenly, we are in Pearl Harbor and it is Memorial Day. Throughout the last week I had toured the memorials and battleships stationed in the harbor but as we looked out on the island on this day, I found myself feeling a deep sense of pride and solemnity. 74 years ago, the attack here killed thousands of US military and civilians. And since then, thousands more have lost their lives in wars and conflicts. To be in this place, on this day, was truly an amazing experience.

As we left the harbor, we passed Hickam Air Force Base

As we steamed out of the harbor, a turtle surfaced to wish us off. Passing into open ocean, we got some great views Waikiki beach and the south side of the island. As I write this, we are preparing to do a test cast of the CTD to collect water from 1000m. Our journey has begun.

Stranded in Hawaii... Not so Terrible

So if you have seen my updates, you know that we have been delayed a week in Hawaii due to a broken compressor on the ship. So we have been forced to occupy ourselves for a week. And it has turned out to be a pretty good week. I hiked to the top of Diamond Head volcano. During World War II, the rim of the crater housed Fort Ruger, the first military installation on the island. The volcano is a tuft cone that is part of the larger crater. The views from its 760 foot summit provided a great view of the south and west sides of Oahu.

View of West Oahu from the summit of Diamond Head

After climbing down, we rewarded ourselves with a trip to Waikiki beach to cool off. The next day, I took a trip up to a beach on the north side of the island. Where as Waikiki is very loud and touristy, the north side of the island is tranquil, laid-back, and relaxed. The beach we visited was in a shallow bay and featured soft sand and good surf. We even got a special visit!

A small green turtle surfing the waves

We ended the day with some great Thai food and a long bus ride home. Day three of my stranding started with an early report to a boat launch. I went diving! And it was quite an amazing day of diving. My first dive was on a wreck named the Sea Tiger. On the 100ft dive around the wreck, I saw two huge green sea turtles, numerous moray eels, and even an octopus. On our accent, we were accompanied by a school of black and white butterfly fish. The second dive was on a shallow reef where we again saw a couple eels, a school of balloon fish and a pod of 25+ Pacific Spinner Dolphins. They circled us three times in the water, giving us quite a show and giving me an experience I will never forget. 

Day four arrived with another hike in store. All around us, large ridges produced by the erosion of volcanic cones have tantalized me. And finally I was able to hike one of them. We hiked the Waahila ridge trail that follows a knife edge ridge for about 3 miles. Along the way we got some great views, a little rock climbing, and some time with three amazing dogs that kept pace the whole way. A great way to spend some time in nature.

Today we visited the Bishop Museum which displays the history of Hawaii and other islands in Oceania. Tomorrow we will hopefully get underway.

Update: Delay in Departure

Our departure has been delayed to 12:00 on 5/25 due to needed repairs on one of the air conditioning units. The delay is unfortunate but should not impact our sampling as long as we don't have too many weather days. The delay is unfortunate but it gives me a chance to explore Oahu a bit more. 

Welcome Aboard

Well we made it to the ship. And what a magnificent vessel she is. The NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown (or Ron Brown for short) is a 274 foot AGOR 24 class ship built for long scientific cruises in blue water. Constructed in 1995, the ship is able to take up about 150 nautical miles a day.

The brown has 6 decks. On the 01 deck is the science laboratories equipped with everything the science party needs to sample and measure the chemical and physical properties of the seawater. I have set up along one wall with coolers full of empty bottles to be filled with seawater samples and frozen. Everything has to be tied down to keep from moving during high seas.

The comradery in the main lab is great! All of the science crew is very talkative and friendly. There is an air of cheer and excitement as everyone is ready to get underway. We will disembark at 18:00 on 5/19 and the cruise will begin. Outside, the CTD is being prepped for the first test cast which will happen at just before 00:00.

The CTD is a system of bottles and sensors. The sensors take in information about the water during the CTD's dissent to the bottom. On the way up, the bottles collect water samples from specific depths. The water is then collected and analyzed by us, the scientists. This process of casting the CTD, collecting water, and analyzing its properties is done 24-7 as the Ron Brown steams toward Alaska.  

The Night Before

Today we explored the island of Oaho. Getting up at 9, we made a pilgrimage that any first time visitor to the island should. We went to Leonard's. Malasadas are Hawaiian pastries similar to donuts and Leonard's is know to make some of the best. Established in 1952, this family run establishment produces these delicious fried dough balls by the hundreds as costumers wait in line to get their order. We got a half dozen consisting of the original sugar coated ones, the cinnamon sugar ones, and the custard filled ones.

After breakfast we headed to the famous Waikiki beach for some sun and surf. This beach is located down town and is surrounded by the ritziest hotels in Honolulu. With blue water and soft sand, the beach provided a nice time to relax. We were also able to get some great views of the Diamond Head Volcano that was used as a base during WWII. 

Just a 20 minute car ride from the beach, you can reach Hawaii's mountainous rain forest. We headed up that way in search of the Manoa waterfall. The falls, about a miles hike from the road, are an amazing site to see and the journey to them was filled with wondrous sights. 

 And on the way down the mountain, we stopped for another local specialty, shaved ice. These snow cones on steroids are filled with delicious flavors of Hawaii and were a great refresher after the hike. 

Finally, to finish the day off, we went to a local tiki bar for some fresh fish and possibly the most famous Hawaiian treat, a piña colada (virgin of course).

As we settled down for the night, my thoughts turned to the morrow. At 9:00 I would be heading to the ship for the first time to see where I would be living and working for the next 6 weeks. The thoughts of what lie ahead left me excited and nervous. What great sights would I see? I'm hoping to get some great star gazing in and maybe, if I'm lucky, I'll see a whale. What great stories will I be able to tell? I'm expecting some good laughs, some unfortunate failures, and everything in between. What will the other scientists be like? I will be in the company of some brilliant people and I will get the chance to learn from them and grow as a scientist myself. What will tomorrow bring? Hopefully wonder.