BajaNomad

Alaskan cruise: Aboard the Research Vessel Pt. Sur: carrying a Ton of water to search for cesium

Whale-ista - 7-27-2014 at 10:48 AM

(FYI- To read this info with photos, visit:

http://sandiegofreepress.org/2014/08/north-pacific-dispatche...)

Or perhaps someone with a faster net connection can link to the photos... we are a bit slow via satellite out here at sea, but I will work on doing that also for future updates.)

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Background: Two weeks ago I got a call from a friend who has captained merchant and research ships around the globe for many years. We've known each other for decades, and have done some local sailing off San Diego.

He recently retired from Scripps in La Jolla, and now coordinates research vessels out of Moss Landing, near Monterey, and is happy to be at a desk vs. helm. He called to ask: have you ever been to Dutch Harbor Alaska? What he really meant was: want to volunteer on a research cruise?

So... that's where I will be for the next two weeks: aboard the R/V Point Sur, helping collect ocean water samples from the Bering Sea off Alaska and northern Pacific, as we cruise back to California.

I left San Diego late last night (July 26), spent a few hours in Seattle before a 6 am flight, and just finished breakfast in the Anchorage airport (surprisingly tasty, in Silver Gulch Brewing & Bottling cafe: "America's most Northern Brewery.")

It's relatively chilly here- mid-50s. Landing here in Anchorage was beautiful: towering snow-capped mountains in the distance, deep green forests below. And (fresh) water, water everywhere: what a change from Baja Sur last month!

I have a few hours layover, but not enough to really see Anchorage. Debating leaving the airport for a quick drive-by... half the population of Alaska (600K) live in or around Anchorage. But it's still a pretty small place.

Lots of early morning activitiy in the airport. Just watched a long line of all-male passengers board a "Conoco-Phillips" flight. Judging by their boots and attire, they were either hunters or oil field workers- or both.

Next stop: Dutch Harbor, on the western end of the Aleutian Islands. I'll meet the researchers there, and we will board the ship tonight, depart early Monday. We should have internet access from aboard ship, and I brought lots of camera gear. Maybe it's time to set up a Photobucket account so I can actually share some photos on this site...

As for "no c-cktails"- No alcohol allowed on board. Research vessels are not "dinner and dancing on the Lido deck" kinds of places. I'll be wearing a hard hat as the research equipment is deployed/recovered with a crane, and I packed boots, parka, gloves, watch cap. We will work 6 hour shifts, but in between... I can't wait for the views of whales and whatever else might be out there!

I will keep you all posted as we transit a few thousand miles offshore, before arriving back to Eureka.

[Edited on 7-30-2014 by Whale-ista]

[Edited on 7-31-2014 by Whale-ista]

[Edited on 8-1-2014 by Whale-ista]

[Edited on 8-7-2014 by Whale-ista]

bajaguy - 7-27-2014 at 11:16 AM

Lots of history in and around Dutch Harbor. Dutch was the base and home port for action in the Aleutians during WWII. Try and visit some of the sites if you get a chance

Ateo - 7-27-2014 at 11:33 AM

I worked in Dutch Harbor during the dead of winter. A beautiful place even then. Beautiful colors this time of the year though.

Yeah, those WWII bunkers and artillery installation cement pads are cool. The Japanese launched an attack on Dutch in 1942.

You are stoked to be going to this rarely seen part of America. Have fun and keep us posted.

TMW - 7-27-2014 at 11:51 AM

What a great opportunity. Keep us informed and don't fall into the water.

BajaBlanca - 7-27-2014 at 01:52 PM

WOW, What fun, can not wait to see some pictures!

DianaT - 7-27-2014 at 01:52 PM

Can't wait to see pictures and hear all about this trip! FANTASTIC.

Martyman - 7-28-2014 at 11:04 AM

Great birding and marine mammal viewing. Please post pics!

Udo - 7-28-2014 at 11:28 AM

I can't also wait to see the photos.

I traveled to Alaska many times in durations of three weeks to 5 months, but never been to Dutch Harbor (the staging harbor for "AMERICA'S DEADLIEST CATCH").

The closet I came was Kodiak Island.

I'm really jealous!

Skipjack Joe - 7-28-2014 at 11:40 AM

How exciting! Wish I was there.

We'll be flying into anchorage in 5 days as well. I'm hoping to be inspired by Denali for some good pictures. And if not, there's lots of grayling to occupy me.

Aboard the Research Vessel Pt. Sur: Cesium, plankton, and a few whales

Whale-ista - 7-29-2014 at 02:31 PM

Tuesday July 29
Aboard the RV Pt. Sur

I completed my first 12 hour data collection work shift late last night and immediately went to the galley to ingest some calories before sleeping- not usually a good idea, but things are different on board a working ship.

For one thing, food always tastes better at sea. Perhaps its the fact someone else has prepared it for you, and our cook is excellent; she uses fresh fruits and vegetables, delicious and in-season, prepared well at each meal. Roasted squash, made-from-scratch soup, well-seasoned salads and soups on thick, warm bread. It's nice to have a great deli down the passageway from the science lab!

Add to that: we have been engaging in physical work for many hours on a cold deck. with cold water running around our feet, and at times over our hands, as we gather water samples and look for plankton and trace amounts of mercury and cesium- the first, a persistent and toxic pollutant, the second, a radiation marker linked to the ***ushima accident. All of this activity on a pitching deck means our metabolism is on supercharge. The sun is still warm, but the water and air is not, so we keep our skin covered against the ocean breeze and occasional splash of water. We wear hard hats and life jackets while working near the overhead cranes that lift the heavy water collection equipment off the deck, gently lower it into the sea, and retrieve it after it descends to nearly a mile deep water below us.

Also, on board a ship in rough seas, all of the body's muscles are at constant if low level work: a pitching deck requires core muscles to respond quickly to small, sudden changes in the body's center of gravity. A swinging door requires extra effort to open and close gently, to prevent it from slamming and awakening a sleeping crew mate down the passageway who has also been on a long shift. And every door and cabinet has an extra hook that must be unlatched to enter, and relatched to secure. Drawers have sliding latches. Flat surfaces lilke galley tables and desks in the lab are covered with sticky material to keep cups, water collection bottles and/or computers from tumbling.

It's a bit like a backpacking trip over challenging terrain, carrying extra weight, using new devices, and maneuvering through foreign, rough territory, except the engines are doing the work of moving everyone forward, while the ocean, wind and currents are occasionally doing their best to impede that forward momentum and toss everyone on the deck overboard.

I've never been to sea this long (12 days) before, but I happily jumped at the chance to paticipate in this research cruise, even before knowing the details of what sampling would be done. I enjoy being in the ocean, surrounded by sea life, but I prefer to do it while also doing science. Lounging on the Lido deck, reading novels while sipping c-cktails and eating at the buffet would bore me to tears.

Yesterday, as we left port at 9 am and were in calm waters closer to shore, we practiced preparing, lowering and raising the CTD- a device for testing various components of ocean water. (C= conductivity, T= temperature, D= dissolved oxygen.) 30 liter plastic water bottles are attached and triggered to be opened via computer software, on command from the ship, to collect water at various depths. Other devices measure light transmission/water clarity and salinity. Careful notes are taken during this procedure, to record where/when the water was collected, lonngitude/latitude, surface water conditions, etc.

Once retrieved, delicate equipment must be rinsed with deionized water to clear it of salt and other debris that could interfere with recording information. Bottles are opened, samples collected, filtering of plankton is done, specimens are placed in small bags and frozen or refrigerated...and this is all done every hour. Time between stops at research stations go quickly, and then- it's time to don the hardhats, life vests, and prep the CTD for another dive.

I haven't worked on this particular device before. It was a lot of learning in a short time, and my brain was tired as I began my first 12 hour shift.

But as we worked, we also saw many puffins flap by, looking exotic and awkward; they are actually more graceful swimming underwater than flying above. Various gulls swarmed overhead but not as loudly as aggressively as the ones down south. And yesterday afternoon, between specimen collections, I spotted a small pod of whales on the horizon, leaping, then turning tails up for dives, and blowing small clouds of mist into the air.

Being on the ocean, at times like this, is like heaven. But I also know a small change in water and/or atmospheric pressure can lead to an angry sea and quickly turn the ocean to hell for those of us on board.

Despite this possibility, I always sleep soundly and deeply on boats and ships- it's a bit like sleeping in a water bed inside a moving car, constantly moving, with the engine humming through the bulkhead and other noises reminding you that water is nearby: splashes on the hull near your head, or a louder splash overhead as a taller wave washes over the deck.

Unfortunately, when my family travelled by car into the mountains for camping tips, I was often the one who got car sick from the twists and turns. This often happened when we went sailing also, but then I bought a boat and lived on board... and things improved. Perhaps sleeping on the water, being in near-constant contact with the sea, helped my body accept the pitching and rolling without complaint.

But going to sea on sailboats is one thing- working aboard a 135 foot diesel-powered boat in Alaskan waters is another. So my first day aboard, while still in port, I took one of the "-ine" drugs (bonine, dramamine etc.) as a preventive measure. I took another tablet the first morning at sea, before starting work, then 1/2 tab at night before bed, to help me sleep and ensure my stomach is up for the rolling seas that can come with lilttle notice.

This morning, as I write this and prepare for my next shift, the seas are indeed rough and clouds have moved in. (I tease the night shift crew, and tell them "it was calm and sunny when I went to bed- you broke the ocean!") The DVDs and books on the library shelves shift side to side as I write, the empty chairs across the table, fastened to the galley floor, rotate as if occupied by ghosts turning for a better view out the porthole.

Yet my stomach is still calm as I eat a breakfast, drink coffee, and write this post, marveling at how my inner ocean has found peace with the rolling sea around me, hoping it continues for the duration of the cruise...

And then the Chief Scientist comes in and announces: whales!

I grab my binoculars, run up 2 levels to the bridge... but they've gone. We joke the captain used them as a pretext to attract company during a slow time between stopping at research stations, and swap a few stories about past voyages while scanning the horizon in front of us. Nothing.

I turn to return below, and through the windows looking back, over the research deck in the aft section of the ship, that's when I see ... a humpback whale. It leaps, lifting its massive body completely out of the water, creating tall waves as it slams back into the sea. Small "puffs" of whale breath dot the horizon: there are more, just out of sight.

They were likely the same whales the Captain had seen, before they dove and to let the noisy ship pass overhead, then resume their surface activities.

And that's how I spent my second morning at sea... so far.

My official 12 hour work shift begins in 45 minutes. More water to collect, more specimens to freeze... and perhaps a few more whales to observe.

Two Questions

bajaguy - 7-29-2014 at 03:05 PM

One - Will you be able to share the information you collect on the cesium levels????

Two - Where is your dog???

Skipjack Joe - 7-29-2014 at 03:32 PM

I worked on a research boat like that years ago. There were four of us and we worked 6 hour shifts. The 6-12 shift was far better than 12-6. Getting up at midnight and working in complete darkness was tough.

Also eating dinner on a rolling deck was not like home. I don't care how acclimated you get to a pitching boat, eating under those conditions is just not as good.

mulegemichael - 7-29-2014 at 04:27 PM

but what about "NO BOOZE??"......my folks took my brother and i and homesteaded in ketchikan in the early 50s....staked out their land claim, built a house and occupied it for three years....thanks god, we finally came to our senses and moved back to ore/wa...really really really wet up there..

Whale-ista - 7-29-2014 at 04:53 PM

1) Yes, this all public research, but results of cesium, mercury etc. will take time to review long after cruise ends. We just collect, the analyses is done back on dry ground.

20 Poodle is safely home w/tortoises and a house sitter. She sent me a video of them today to reassure me all is quiet and in good hands on the home front.


Quote:
Originally posted by bajaguy
One - Will you be able to share the information you collect on the cesium levels????

Two - Where is your dog???

Whale-ista - 7-29-2014 at 04:56 PM

since it's still summer we have extra hours of light. Sunset last night at midnight, was light again by 6 am or so.

Today it is rolling, but not too bad. Its also a birthday for a crewmember who likes chocolate so we get to share his cake! It takes adjustment. One of the other volunteers is not working today due to seasickness.
Quote:
Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
I worked on a research boat like that years ago. There were four of us and we worked 6 hour shifts. The 6-12 shift was far better than 12-6. Getting up at midnight and working in complete darkness was tough.

Also eating dinner on a rolling deck was not like home. I don't care how acclimated you get to a pitching boat, eating under those conditions is just not as good.

Whale-ista - 7-29-2014 at 04:58 PM

no drugs/alcohol on a research vessel- too much valuable equipment that could break, and/or people that could be hurt, as equipment is raised/lowered off the deck. Also you need a sharp mind to monitor and record collection Information. so...lots of food, coffee, snacks etc but no drugs or alcohol.
Quote:
Originally posted by mulegemichael
but what about "NO BOOZE??"......my folks took my brother and i and homesteaded in ketchikan in the early 50s....staked out their land claim, built a house and occupied it for three years....thanks god, we finally came to our senses and moved back to ore/wa...really really really wet up there..

Kgryfon - 7-29-2014 at 10:14 PM

That was an enchanting narrative. I'm looking forward to your updates! Excellent! Put me right there with you! :D

nbacc - 7-30-2014 at 06:08 AM

very interesting...............keep us informed as I have really enjoyed the trip so far from my chair here at home

Mulegena - 7-30-2014 at 06:22 AM

This is so cool. How wonderful to have the opportunity to participate in this study!
I'm envious, admiring your spirit of adventure and reading every word. Thank you!

I atended a lecture in the London Museum of Natural History a few years ago where a Cambridge scientist spoke of her similar research on plankton in Antartica. Apparently the population density of plankton is a key marker for the health of the oceans' eco-systems.

Can you give us a bit more background into this, please?

Quote:
Originally posted by Whale-ista
Tuesday July 29
Aboard the RV Pt. Sur

I completed my first 12 hour data collection work shift late last nighte... as we gather water samples and look for plankton and trace amounts of mercury and cesium- the first, a persistent and toxic pollutant, the second, a radiation marker linked to the ***ushima accident... the heavy water collection equipment off the deck, gently lower it into the sea, and retrieve it after it descends to nearly a mile deep water below us.


Yesterday, as we left port at 9 am and were in calm waters closer to shore, we practiced preparing, lowering and raising the CTD- a device for testing various components of ocean water. (C= conductivity, T= temperature, D= dissolved oxygen.) 30 liter plastic water bottles are attached and triggered to be opened via computer software, on command from the ship, to collect water at various depths. Other devices measure light transmission/water clarity and salinity. Careful notes are taken during this procedure, to record where/when the water was collected, lonngitude/latitude, surface water conditions, etc.

Once retrieved, delicate equipment must be rinsed with deionized water to clear it of salt and other debris that could interfere with recording information. Bottles are opened, samples collected, filtering of plankton is done, specimens are placed in small bags and frozen or refrigerated...and this is all done every hour. Time between stops at research stations go quickly, and then- it's time to don the hardhats, life vests, and prep the CTD for another dive.

I haven't worked on this particular device before. It was a lot of learning in a short time, and my brain was tired as I began my first 12 hour shift.

Katiejay99 - 7-30-2014 at 06:32 AM

When you first started writing about going, I thought: He'll need to go to the store to buy the cold weather gear.
I mean I live in shorts and sandals and would have to go buy even a sweater not to mention a jacket or coat! LOL

Sounds like fun and thanks for sharing.

Janzie - 7-30-2014 at 06:43 AM

Fascinating! We're looking forward to more reports.

Sweetwater - 7-30-2014 at 08:55 AM

I would appreciate knowing when and where your research is posted.

I've been following the environmental disaster known as ***ushima since it began and have the physio-biochemistry education and background to know what's been going on.

I'd enjoy seeing that plankton data after hearing about its role in the ecosystem.

I'm not looking forward to hearing the DK denial and bullchite that accompanies it when he reads any of this......

shari - 7-30-2014 at 09:39 AM

what a beautiful and succinct description of life at sea!!!
This sentence is so profound and vital to your happiness at sea..."my inner ocean has found peace with the rolling sea around me"

Thanks for taking us along on your voyage and we hope you continue to blog about it.

BajaBlanca - 7-30-2014 at 10:15 AM

what wonderful writing, Lori! Chance of a lifetime we who are not ocean vessel travelers are having....I am so relieved you are not seasick - I do believe it is one of the WORST feelings around. Thanks so much for taking the time to share (((:

Whale-ista - 7-30-2014 at 12:44 PM

Brief update:

As for timing: it will take months, possibly years, for full analysis of collected specimens. Sea-time aboard research vessels is expensive ($30K/day), collecting operations are labor intensive and time consuming, so lots of water, plankton, coral etc. gets collected and then is frozen or refrigerated for future research.

We are now 200 miles offshore, sunny skies overhead, but clouds on horizon. They indicate a low pressure system heading our way, which explains the rock & roll ocean and occasional strong rolling swells that knock items off shelves in the mess- only magazines, no damage done.

I'm grateful & a bit amazed that I feel as well as I do. On past cruises I haven't fared as well.

This morning the Captain asked for help on a computer program equation he developed in Excel, and I joined him on the bridge to try to work on his calcuations. The bridge is the tallest point of the ship, where the movement is most pronounced. Between increasing swells and trying to wrap my brain around some maritime vocabulary and mathematic conversions, well... for a few moments I worried my seasickness was returning, but not before helping guide him to an answer to his perplexing problem.

Fortunately, it only took a few glances at the horizon, and a glimpse of a solo whale in the distance, to make me feel well enough to return below decks and enjoy lunch with the others.

Note to self: do not tell people I teach Excel...

DianaT - 7-30-2014 at 01:37 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Whale-ista
Brief update:

As for timing: it will take months, possibly years, for full analysis of collected specimens. Sea-time aboard research vessels is expensive ($30K/day), collecting operations are labor intensive and time consuming, so lots of water, plankton, coral etc. gets collected and then is frozen or refrigerated for future research.




Hopefully there will some preliminary findings that can be used in the her and now.

Sounds like a great research trip --- enjoy and keep writing, and you are taking photos, I hope?

And, while working, I hope you have some fun ---

Mulegena - 7-30-2014 at 02:09 PM

You're a good writer, Whale-ista, a painter of visuals and emotions with the brush your pen.

We're enjoying "seeing" your experience out there, the day the sun and whales as well as "feeling" your emotions and physical experience of handling seasickness and the weather conditions.

Whale-ista - 7-30-2014 at 03:18 PM

Taking lots of photos, no easy way to post right now. On board internet is limited, slow satellite connection.

Whale-ista - 7-30-2014 at 03:33 PM

On board ship we operate on 2 time zones: Universal (Greenwich) time, 8 hours ahead of local (Pacific) time, used when entering all research data for recording purposes, and California time for our work/sleep/eat schedule.

This can cause some confusion: the computers in the ship's science lab show the universal time. This where all the incoming data from the CTD is received at 24 bits of Information per second once the device is lowered overboard, and we write down key data as the device is lowered and raised. The computer clocks were changed to universal time, but after some late night confusion, I asked the technician to also set them to 24 hour clock. This was done to make it easier to convert local time to international time on the recording logs since we found, after 10+ hours of work, math skills tend to get a bit fuzzy. Plus, after 4 pm, we have to adjust our date as well as time as we record incoming information.

Adding to the timewarp is the sun: it is still warm and bright at 10 PM, before descending to colorful sunsets on the far, blue edge of the sea. Stars are hard to see: the sun is only slightly below the curve of the earth, so while Polaris (North Star) makes an appearance, straight overhead (we are around 50 degrees north), the other stars remain obscured from view by the glow of sunlight only a few degrees below the horizon.

Even when I stay up til 1 am, the stars remain elusive. My shift is 11:30 am- 11:30 pm, and I don't want to stay up too late and be tired next shift. The odd end/start time was done to accomodate the meal schedule: breakfast at 7, lunch 11:30, dinner at 5 (1700). With this schedule each shift will only miss one meal, or, if they choose, they can stay up "late" or wake up "early" (relative time) to eat with the rest of the crew.

Also, there are always leftovers in the cooler and helpful notes from the cook to tell the sleeping crew what's available for them when they awaken. She will even label plates with names so everyone will have a good meal waiting for them- nice touch!

Once my team finishes work I enjoy taking photos, looking for whales (few and far away) and birds (many and near the ship), and talking with members of the crew or the young researchers who are collecting data for their thesis or classes. Most are students who are excited to be at sea, and we stay up late in the mess, enjoying the novel experience which will end in a few short days.

The crew is different. I approach conversations with them more cautiously since the captain, mates, engineers and cook are getting a little "crispy" around the edges (the cook's description) after being at sea for several weeks. I've learned to give them their space, which is normally a premium on a boat this size, although this cruise is a bit different: fewer researchers than usual.

We have only 15 people aboard, which is considered a skeleton crew- often there would be more researchers, sleeping 2 to a cabin (each cabin has 2 bunks) and working on opposite shifts. This time, we have the luxury of "private" cabins, with a head (shower and toilet) shared between 2 cabins, and a sink in each cabin for handwashing, teethbrushing etc.

Sleeping quarters for students, technicians, engineers, cook and volunteers (only 2 this trip) are on the lower engine-level deck; I wear ear-plugs to bed to dampen the engine noise. The Chief Scientist, Captain and mates are above the mess, just below the bridge. Quieter, but more ship movement up higher.

On the "main" deck level, forward of midship, is the mess hall, library with books, magazines and DVDs. To the rear on the same level are the science areas: the "dry" computer lab for collecting the streaming data from the CTD, and adjacent to that is the "wet" lab for filtering, organizing, labelling and storing water and other specimens brought up by the equipment.

This cruise is working only with water samples, which are relatively easy and clean to collect and process. Another time I went out and collected deep-water mud- a messy and smelly process.

Unfortunately for us, one of the previous research teams, collecting coral samples or some other living critters, left, well, something that used to be alive behind. It is now decomposing and causing a stink in the wet lab. We have yet to find the source of this smell, so we avoid the wet lab unless we have specimens to label/store.

The working outdoor wet deck with the CTD is immediately outside the labs, making control of the remote device easier, and transfer of samples from CTD bottles to fridge/freezer pretty efficient, unless....whale!

(Short pause to grab binoculars, run to deck, climb to 2nd level and watch 2 or 3 sperm whales cruise past, off the port side. Beautiful!)

...unless they require absolutely "clean" handling, which entails two people holding collection equipment, one person wearing gloves and being careful not to touch anything that might contaminate the collected seawater. The samples are single or double sealed in plastic bags and placed in fridge/freezer (depending on what's been collected), and stored until we reach shore.

The first 36 hours we had research stations every 60-90 minutes, creating a very rapid pace with little time for rest. Now stations are 2-3 hours apart, affording more time for whalewatching, reading...and updating these posts.

Whale-ista - 7-31-2014 at 04:47 PM

Fwd: News Release - Tiny marine organisms reflect ocean warming - Images
See: http://www.mbari.org/news/news_releases/2006/forams-images.h...

FYI, this article/news release includes photos from my first volunteer ocean research voyage, in 1992, aboard a Scripps Institution of Oceanography vessel in the Santa Barbara basin. We were using cores lowered deep into the ocean floor, looking at 1400 year old sediments.

This article was published a few years ago, based on research done by a graduate student who worked with the original researchers who did the off-shore collection.

So when preserved and stored properly, the samples collected on these voyages can be used for various studies for years, even decades, after the initial recovery is done.
That's good, since collecting them is labor intensive and expensive.

But storage is also expensive if it requires freezing or refrigeration. So...the cost of doing science continues to escalate, and often funding in the US does not keep up.

The researcher who has asked for us to collect water for the cesium investigation is based out of Woods Hole, MA. He has received some funding from the National Science Foundation, but also relies on crowd sourcing contributions from people who want to support his research.

Likewise, surfers in Santa Cruz collect and send him samples they collect offshore, near their surfing spots, and pay approximately $500 per specimen for analysis, shipping etc.

"Crowd sourcing" to do science in the US is becoming a necessity, as the federal budget shrinks.

wessongroup - 7-31-2014 at 05:30 PM

Thanks .. :):)

Skipjack Joe - 7-31-2014 at 10:08 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Whale-ista
Fwd: News Release - Tiny marine organisms reflect ocean warming - Images
See: http://www.mbari.org/news/news_releases/2006/forams-images.h...

FYI, this article/news release includes photos from my first volunteer ocean research voyage, in 1992, aboard a Scripps Institution of Oceanography vessel in the Santa Barbara basin. We were using cores lowered deep into the ocean floor, looking at 1400 year old sediments.



This is really interesting. I was a member of a staff that did a very similar study by USC in the early 70's. I can remember lowering the core sampler sometimes to over 5000' feet in some spots near Tanner Bank. The deep ones took an hour to hit bottom. The water was just above freezing down there and when we brought them up the critters were really stressed by the warmer temps. Our labs were much more primitive than yours. Nothing was stored and frozen. While the next core was being lowered we sifted all the inverts out of the mud and preserved them in formalin solutions.

Collecting was the best part of the work. The lab work back at USC was much less enjoyable. All criters had to be separated and identified. That took days and weeks of microscope work.

We should get together and share stories some day.

[Edited on 8-1-2014 by Skipjack Joe]

Cruise updates with photos available at...

Whale-ista - 8-1-2014 at 02:38 PM

http://sandiegofreepress.org/2014/08/north-pacific-dispatche...

They are running my notes/blogs and can add photos as I send them.

Hiroshima anniversary

Whale-ista - 8-6-2014 at 08:06 PM

Hiroshima was devastated by radiation on August 6 1945. I visited Hiroshima in 2010, 1 year before the earthquake and devastating tsunami destroyed so many coastal towns in Japan.

Japan’s troubles with radiation continue to this day. Our research vessel, the Pt. Sur, is collecting deep ocean water in previously untested regions in the north pacific, to look for cesium- a marker from the radiation leaking from ***ushima.

As I write this nearly 2 tons of ocean water has been collected and stored in 20 liter containers that now sit on the deck across from me. Im about to collect another 3 samples, label them and add them to our storage boxes.

The samples are so heavy the captain has tranferred fuel away from the starboard tank to adjust for the added weight.

Despite the time, money and effort expended to gather and transport these samples no one questions the value of the information we will carry back, 20 liters at a time.

SFandH - 8-7-2014 at 06:57 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Whale-ista
Hiroshima was devastated by radiation on August 6 1945. I visited Hiroshima in 2010, 1 year before the earthquake and devastating tsunami destroyed so many coastal towns in Japan.

Japan’s troubles with radiation continue to this day. Our research vessel, the Pt. Sur, is collecting deep ocean water in previously untested regions in the north pacific, to look for cesium- a marker from the radiation leaking from ***ushima.

As I write this nearly 2 tons of ocean water has been collected and stored in 20 liter containers that now sit on the deck across from me. Im about to collect another 3 samples, label them and add them to our storage boxes.

The samples are so heavy the captain has tranferred fuel away from the starboard tank to adjust for the added weight.

Despite the time, money and effort expended to gather and transport these samples no one questions the value of the information we will carry back, 20 liters at a time.


Perhaps next time take a gamma ray spectrometer with you to test for Cs-137. Much better than hauling tons of water around in 20 liter bottles.

Just a thought.

[Edited on 8-7-2014 by SFandH]

Whale-ista - 8-9-2014 at 01:15 PM

The researcher doing the cesium studies is at Woods Hole in MA and wants Pacific water for additional work. So... No spectrometer/Geiger counter on board.

Now...

Home from the sea. Docked this morning.

Exploring the lonely docks of Eureka after entering the harbor thru thick fog, surrounded by piles of cut trees. I was last here 24 years ago, during "Redwood Summer." The logging industry has changed since then.

First steps on dry land in 12 days. My legs are still making small adjustments, so the ground seems to move and quake ever so slightly underfoot.

Ahh, terra firma...if only the neurons firing in my brain trusted the muscles stabilizing my feet.

And while we ate very well at sea, it was an alcohol-free voyage. Which means the glass of northern Californian Anderson Valley Pinot noir I just consumed with a local organic veggie salad was all the more delicious.

Yes.... Good to be back. Now to rent a car and continue my southern migration...

danaeb - 8-9-2014 at 04:15 PM

Great trip report. Thank you!

Whale-ista - 8-10-2014 at 02:14 PM

Farewell Pt. Sur! I enjoyed our time together. One last look before driving south thru the horrific fires of Humboldt and Mendocino counties.

Now at San Jose airport, awaiting final leg of travels to complete the San Diego -Seattle - anchorage- Dutch Harbor- North Pacific Ocean- eureka- circuit. A long and full 2 weeks!