Sometimes work is not fun...

Today started out at around four in the morning, and it hasn't ended yet. We began by filtering several, several liters of seawater into large containers called carboys through vacuum filtration. The problem was, due to the setup, the carboy would collapse very easily due to the strong force of the vacuum, so frequent venting was necessary but every time the carboy was vented, it lost suction and had to build it up again, resulting in the loss of seawater filtration for a few moments. It took a very long time and we eventually finished up around nine or ten in the evening. Luckily we were able to take shifts and while two of us manned the pumps, one of us was able to go catch a few winks. As I'm sure so many of you are familiar with, work isn't always fun and games and sometimes you just have to roll up your sleeves and do what must be done. Thankfully the day was filled with little side happenings that served as a distraction from the work we were doing. The crew of the Healy threw a 4th of July cookout on the flight deck and we all had burgers and hot dogs. Later in the day, they did what they could to have a few fireworks. They called it the best in the Bering Sea, and I'm willing to agree with them. It was only about a dozen expired flares of a couple colors but the fact that they would go out of their way to use up emergency flairs for our enjoyment was very touching. I've talked with a few of the crew members and they've been very friendly and seem to be glad that we're able to be out here doing our thing.

After the filtering was finished with and a nap was taken, I came down to the science labs to do a little work out on the back deck. One of the scientists here runs a machine called a MOCNESS, which I'm sure is an acronym but I'm not sure what it stands for. [Note from webmaster: MOCNESS stands for Multiple Opening and Closing Nets with Environmental Sampling System. The MOCNESS is several plankton nets that can be opened and closed at different depths. It has multiple sensors attached, which measure things like salinity, depth, oxygen, etc.] I've run across so many acronyms in the past few days that it becomes very difficult to remember them all. Anyway, this MOCNESS is comprised of a metal frame with several trailing nets. The cool thing is that it is run from a remote computer and while it is being dragged behind the ship, the person running the remote can open individual nets at whatever depth they wish, giving them a very specific sampling of any layer in the water column. We sent the MOCNESS down to a depth of about 80 meters or so and while hauling it back up, opened a net every ascending 20 meters. It is very interesting to see what lives at which level in the sea, especially the large jellyfish that took up most of the room in the collecting tube for the top 20 meter sample. I was able to help launch and retrieve the contraption, as well as collecting the specimens we pulled out, and I get to help out again. The thing is, since I'm out on the deck helping launch equipment, I have to wear this big, puffy orange suit called a mustang suit. Supposedly if you're knocked off of the ship, this will help you float and keep you a little bit warmer, and thus keep you alive longer, than if you had fallen in with no protective layers on. While I don't have any pictures of this yet, I'll get some so you only have to wait a little bit longer. Also, if you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me via my e-mail address at cm3620@lyon.edu.

Setting Sail and First Science Sampling

Post written by Charlie:

Greetings blog readers! It was an exciting day today, what with us shipping out into the Bering Sea and all. This morning started out at seven with some breakfast and then a crisp hike up a mountain via an old WWII trail that never seemed to end. [From webmaster: here is a picture of a war memorial in Dutch Harbor with the beach and volcanoes visible in the background]. It stretched up far enough that we eventually encountered snow, and since it was July, we decided to take a picture of ourselves with it. After a couple hours, with us on board, the ship was pushed out of the dock and we moved out into the Sea under our own power, and I was on the second highest deck watching it all. We had some bird and marine mammal spotters out with us as we chugged out of the harbor and they spotted, among other things, Harbor Porpoises, Horned Puffins and Tufted Puffins. It was rather chilly in the afternoon, especially with the wind whipping to and fro but it was exciting just to be able to be part of it all. As we watched the island pull away from us, we turned our eyes seaward only to see past the dark cloud cover to the far out water, bright with sunlight.

When all that excitement wore down, I retreated below decks to the science labs. We still had gear to get ready and giant water bottles to clean, so that's what we worked on for the remainder of the day. Sometime during the afternoon, we reached our first sampling station. We dropped down our CTD, which is a large instrument that measures the depth of the water, the phytoplankton density, the water temperature, etc. This information was relayed to us in the science lab on a monitor and several of us were gathered around it, watching it as it dropped to the sea floor, recording data all the way.

We were also able to participate in a couple of emergency drills, in the case of what else than an emergency. The first was a "man overboard" drill, where the alarm sounded and the voice over the P.A. system told us to go to the scientists lounge for roll call to determine if any of us took a chilly tumble. After roll was called and the crew dragged in the dummy, we were subjected to over an hour of speakers over various topics like ship safety, tech services, galley issues, etc. Afterwards we were able to do an "abandon ship" drill, where we marched out to the helipad/flight deck and assembled into our little life raft groups, so if something absolutely horrific happens to the ship to make us abandon it, we will know what to do. Hopefully nothing like that will happen but it's always nice to know that it can. Anyway, while I wait for the next trawl after dark, which should be around one in the morning, I'm going to get a little rest. I hope you will join me next time and have a great fourth of July.

Travel and Unloading the Gear

Posting written by Charlie:

The ride from Maryland to Dutch Harbor was something of a long one, especially from Minneapolis to Anchorage, however each of the three flights was smooth and there were no problems. There were a few spots where the clouds decided to part for amazing views of the mountains and even a few glaciers. While I had a window seat, I was right in the middle of the wing so my view was a bit confined to what I could see over the engine and behind the wing. Anchorage was a very beautiful city to be in and the weather was wonderful, being around 60 or so degrees.

[Here is a picture of the Healy, docked in Dutch Harbor.] I am now moved on board the Healy and have started moving all of our research gear out of the holds and up to our benches. The holds are very crammed with everyone's gear and ours just happens to be in the very back of the mass, necessitating a climb over the other gear to get to ours. Eventually, after swinging around on the ceiling supports to get what I needed, we set up most of our gear and took a small break. It's cold enough here to make your breath fog up but when you get to moving on here, you can work up a sweat very easily. Anyway, we sail out of Dutch Harbor tomorrow and the adventures should begin then. Keep checking in on here, as I'm sure that when things start happening, there'll be more interesting things to speak about. Have a good evening and thanks for reading.

Additional Cruise Perspectives

Posting by the MOGEL webmaster:

In addition to Charlie's blog, another online journal for the cruise will be made by Ms. Jillian Worssam. Ms. Worssam is a teacher in Flagstaff, Arizona. She is participating in the cruise as part of the POLAR TREC (Teachers & Researchers Exploring & Collaborating) Program. POLAR TREC was created as a project of the International Polar Year (IPY--read more here) through the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). In this program, a K-12 teacher participates in polar field work and research as a means to enhance science education. The teacher connects with their classroom and community while in the field through internet journals and podcasts/webinars, then spreads their polar research knowledge into the classroom upon their return. You can read Ms. Worssam's journal and find out more about the POLAR TREC program here.

And They're Off!

Another post from the MOGEL webmaster:

I happen to know that Charlie likes maps as much as I do, so I'm sure he won't mind me posting this nice view of the Bering Sea that I got from Google Earth. [Google Earth is amazing, by the way, so if you like maps I strongly encourage you to download the program.] The area where Charlie and the others will be sailing is outlined in the white square.

The MOGEL sailors are now making their way to Dutch Harbor, Alaska (see lower place-marker on map for location), and they should arrive sometime today. The ship should also arrive today or tomorrow, and we will check in with Charlie once he's on board with an internet connection.