Daily Logs
Week 7

Sunday, October 14, 2001
Monday, October 15, 2001
Tuesday, October 16, 2001
Wednesday, October 17, 2001
Thursday, October 18, 2001
Friday, October 19, 2001
Saturday, October 20, 2001

Date: Sunday, October 14, 2001
Photos: Balloon Launch
Latitude: 15o S
Longitude: 89o W
Air Temp: 19.2.0 o C
Sea Temp: 19.3o C
Sea Wave: 2 - 4 ft.
Swell Wave: 4 - 5 ft.
Visibility: 8 miles
Cloud cover: 8/8
Science Log: - Wes Atkins & Robert Schaaf- Weather Balloons, University of Washington

Wes and Robert study the atmosphere. To do this they send up a big helium balloon that has a small box dangling from a string. In the box has an antenna that can communicate with up to 8 satellites, and several sensors that measure things like temperature, pressure, and moisture. The fancy name for this balloon and sensor package is called a radiosonde. The information that comes back to their computers is called an upper-air sounding. The data is graphed to show what's going on in that atmosphere, on that day, in that location. Wes and Robert are part of a team that launches balloons every 3 hours! The idea is that the more data they collect the more accurate their "profile" or picture of the atmosphere will be. Also, they look for changes in the atmosphere as the ship moves along its track.

Another thing Wes and Robert are also interested in the sizes of raindrops. Have you ever been out in a light, misty rain? Compare that feeling to the big fat raindrops during a thunderstorm. What makes some rain drops tiny and some raindrops really big? For this experiment they use a special paper soaked in a chemical called "meth blue". They put this out for a short period of time in a plastic tub. When the rain falls on the blue paper it leaves a mark which can be measured using a special tool - like a round ruler. They examine the sizes of the drops to learn about the clouds from which they came.

Travel Log: As you can tell from the data above, the sea is remaining pretty calm. The weather changes constantly from windy and gray to bright and clear. Every half hour is different. Today I saw a beautiful rainbow off in the distance.J (No pot of gold though.L) Still haven't seen any other ships out here. We are very much alone at sea. This suits some people on board just fine. The crew (meaning the people who work on the boat all year long) really enjoy the solitude. They generally get news via email and whenever the ship puts into port, which can be anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months. That's a long time to go without hearing from your loved ones! There is a phone on board, but it costs $10 for just 3 minutes! There isn't any TV on board but they do show 2 videos every night on a big screen in the lounge. There is a store on the ship where you can buy popcorn and candybars for the movie. Dinner is served really early (by my clock anyway) at 4:30! The kitchen closes by 5:30 so you better get your food by then or your on your own. The food is excellent, with a printed menu each day. I think the hardest working people onboard are the cooks! Can you imagine serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 50 people everyday? And they give us lots of choices too. Tonight we could choose from a complete turkey dinner (just like on Thanksgiving), Italian spaghetti with sausages, or salmon loaf.

Question of the day: How do updrafts affect the size of a raindrop? Do you think the size changes? If so, which way?

Keep in touch,
Jane

Date: Monday, October 15, 2001
Latitude: 19o S
Longitude: 85o W
Air Temp. 18.4 o C
Sea Temp. 18.6o C
Sea Wave: 2 - 3 ft.
Swell Wave: 3 - 4 ft.
Visibility: 10 miles
Cloud cover: 8/8

Science Log: Moorings
The overall purpose of this cruise called EPIC on the RV Brown is to collect data in a variety of forms that will allow scientists a better understanding of the science of climate change. In charge of this leg of the trip is a scientist from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts named Bob Weller. Although there is science going on all the time onboard, a major event of the cruise will be to retrieve and replace a mooring at 85W. A mooring is a type of buoy, something that is set into the ocean with a long rope that leads down to an anchor. Hopefully it stays put for a year and up to 4 years. Attached to the mooring are many, many scientific instruments that will collect data over a long time. This particular mooring is very large and has been in the ocean for a year. We expect to reach it sometime this afternoon and we will stay "on station" for 5 or 6 days until the job is done.

Much of the large equipment on board the ship is here solely for the purpose of retrieving this mooring. It weighs thousands of pounds and is extremely expensive. It is also a dangerous procedure when being lifted out of the water. Imagine the biggest crane you have ever seen at a construction site moving big things around. Now imagine that the crane and the items being moved are both bobbing on the water. That gives you an idea of what will be going on. Bob brought 3 men who are experts in this type of mooring operation along, Jeff, Willy and Paul. They have been training us on how to handle the ropes and the winches and some other equipment to make it go smoothly. It will take about a day just to lift it on board safely (several hours just to reel in the rope!). Then we spend the next day cleaning it and putting it away. I wonder what kinds of things will be stuck on it?

On board, there is a brand new mooring ready to be put into the same spot. That will take another whole day! Following that the scientists spend time making sure that all the instruments are working properly before we continue on our cruise.
During these days "on station" the other scientific groups will be launching balloons, studying clouds, taking water samples, and measuring wind speeds. The crew is hoping to go fishing near the mooring and have a bar-b-que! I'm just hoping for continued good weather.

Travel Log: As we travel east and change longitude we change time zones. So this morning, we "lost" an hour, which means we are now only 1 hour different that east coast time. Some people on board forgot to set their clocks and missed breakfast!

Question of the day: Sea life (mussels, barnacles, little fish) can be a problem for the scientists. They often attach themselves to the ropes and instruments and can interfere with the data being collected. Sharks may even bite into the cables and poke holes in them. Scientists are looking for ways to prevent this. Can you think of ways that might help?

Keep in touch,
Jane

Date: Tuesday, October 16, 2001
Photos: ETL group in Van and TV lounge
Latitude: 20o S
Longitude: 85o W
Air Temp. 19.8 o C
Sea Temp. 18.6o C
Sea Wave: 1 - 2 ft.
Swell Wave: 3 - 4 ft.
Visibility: 8 - 10 miles
Cloud cover: 6/8

Science Log: LIDAR - Brandi McCarty & Scott Sandberg, ETL
Light and sound. LIDAR and RADAR. Both of these are used by scientists to observe the world. RADAR uses radio waves and LIDAR uses light waves. In this case, Brandi and Scott, from ETL in Colorado, use light waves, rather than sound waves, to observe clouds. They have a fully equipped van that was placed on the deck of the RV Brown back in Seattle. Their major interest is observing the water vapor and wind velocity below and within stratus clouds. The instruments measure from 300 meters off the surface of the ocean up to about 4000 meters in the atmosphere.

Clouds have different functions. Depending upon how far they are away from the surface and what they are made from, clouds can act as a barrier to heat energy from the sun or as a blanket to keep heat trapped below.

Think of being in a hot desert. You would probably put on a light cloth to keep the burning sun out and keep you cooler. When the temperature drops though, you would want that cloth to keep your body heat in and not let it escape. Clouds are a lot like that. Mother Nature does a good job of keeping the planet at the right temperature. Now scientists want to figure out how she does it.

Brandi and Scott are working to collect lots of data that other scientists will use to make weather predictions. You can imagine that all the data that the ETL groups pull together from this trip could provide atmospheric scientists with lots of information to keep them busy for a long time.

Travel Log: R&R on the RV Brown
In the evenings many of the scientific members as well as crew members enjoy playing games or cards, reading, or doing needlepoint. However the primary form of entertainment on the Brown is watching videos. There is a big screen TV in the lounge. Crew member Mike puts out a schedule for the week of the videos that will be shown each night so you can plan ahead. He has hundreds and hundreds to choose from! Crew member Dave opens the ship store for us to buy popcorn or candy. The profits made at the store help to purchase new videos.

Question of the day: Why is it important for all the "portholes" (windows) on the ship to be covered during the night?

Keep in touch,
Jane

Date: Wednesday, October 17, 2001
Photos: Mooring Retrieval
Latitude: 10o S
Longitude: 85o W
Air Temp. 19.2 o C
Sea Temp. 18.6o C
Sea Wave: 2 - 3 ft.
Swell Wave: 3 - 4 ft.
Visibility: 10 miles
Cloud cover: 5/8

Science Log: Mooring Retrieval Day
Did you know that glass floats? Well it does when it's round like a balloon and full of air. Try putting a holiday ornament in a bowl of water. Did you know that glass can be stronger than steel? Well it is. That's why 80 air filled glass balls, each 17 inches in diameter, were attached to the anchor that was holding the mooring in place at 10S, 85W. They had to be strong enough to withstand the incredible pressure at 4000 m. below the surface. But when an acoustic signal was sent out to the hook that was holding the rope to the anchor, the hook released the anchor to the bottom of the sea and the balls floated to the surface in one big group. That was the first step in retrieving the mooring.

The big deal with getting the mooring on board the ship is that it all weighs so much. Just imagine the thick rope leading from the surface all the way down to the anchor. The rope alone weighs thousands of pounds! All along the rope there are science instruments that have been collecting and storing data about things like current, temperature, and salinity. So when the glass balls floated the bottom end of the rope, it allowed us to pull it in from the bottom up. A small orange boat called a RIB (reinforced inflatable boat) was sent out to hook onto the balls and guide them to the ship. They were hoisted onto the deck of the ship using a big winch. Take a look at all the simple machines in the photos! Pulleys, levers, inclined planes, wheels with axels, and so much more. Slowly the rope was brought in and wrapped along a big spool. Each instrument was carefully detached and catalogued. They will be carefully transported back to Dr. Weller's laboratory in Massachusetts where the information will be studied. The instruments from lower end of the rope came up nice and clean. The instruments that were attached to the middle part of the rope had a few creatures stuck on to them. But the instruments near the surface were covered with crabs and mussels and barnacles! How did they get there? Remember that the food chain often starts off quite small. The barnacles that you see in the photo started off as really tiny "plankton" that drift around until it finds something to attach itself to (like the rope!). Then they start to grow, attracting other sea creatures to feed off of them. In no time at all there is a complete food chain living on and around the buoy.

When most of the rope was onboard the RIB went back out to secure the mooring. This time I got to ride along! It was thrilling to be in such a little boat so far away from the Ron Brown. Even though the sea wave height was only 3 - 4 feet, the little boat got really knocked around! It was like an amusement park ride! You can see that I'm wearing my safety vest and hardhat and I'm holding on tight! We guided the mooring to the ship and then a big crane took hold of it and lifted it onto the deck. Finally the mooring was on board.

Travel log:
Today was a big day on board the Ron Brown. The mooring that was set out here a year ago was located and retrieved. To the uninitiated that may not sound like the biggest deal, but it really is an unbelievable undertaking that requires a lot of forethought, communication, equipment, and muscle. The safety aspects alone require so much preparation. Fortunately it was a successful retrieval and no one was hurt. Now we get to look forward to cleaning the instruments of all those barnacles!

Science fact: The "glue" by which a barnacle sticks (adheres) to something is one of the strongest adhesives known to man!

Keep in touch,
Jane

Date: Thursday, October 18, 2001
Photos: Daily activities and mystery package
Latitude: 20o S
Longitude: 85o W
Air Temp. 21.0 o C
Sea Temp. 19.0o C
Sea Wave: 2 - 3 ft.
Swell Wave: 3 - 4 ft.
Visibility: 10 miles
Cloud cover: 5/8

Science Log: - What lies beneath?
This is our third day "on station" at 85 W. Since successfully retrieving the mooring yesterday most of the scientists on board have been taking apart all the scientific instruments that came up with it. Their hope is that data was recorded all year long and that now they can transfer it to their onboard computers to bring home.

Along with that many people are preparing for tomorrow's deployment of the new buoy. There are many things to consider, such as the length of rope (4400 meters!) and the depth order in which the instruments are to be attached. Each instrument must be placed along the rope so that it hangs precisely at a certain depth. Furthermore, the barnacles that were attached to the instruments that were brought in yesterday really made it difficult to get at the sensors. So today many of us are painting the instruments with a special paint that barnacles and other sea life don't like. It's called "anti-foul" paint. It's used a lot on the bottoms of boats and such and it smells really bad! Hopefully it will make the buoy unattractive to barnacles.

The most important thing to consider though is where to put the mooring. X may mark the spot on a map, but it doesn't work in the ocean. Just like the land around you has hills and mountains and valleys and plains the ocean floor is not smooth. In general the depth of the ocean in this part of the world is 4000 to 5000 meters. But if you needed to sink something to the bottom it would be important to know that it's not going to land on an underwater mountaintop or be pulled down into a deep valley. The Ron Brown has a type of radar called the "sea beam" that looks straight down to the bottom of the sea and sends out acoustic signals. It measures how quickly those signals bounce off the bottom and return to the ship. This tells the computer how deep it is right there. It keeps doing this so the computer can form a picture of the bottom of the sea. It actually forms a map so the scientists can "see" where to drop the anchor.

TRAVEL LOG - MYSTERY PACKAGE
Shortly after completing our "web cast" while I was still on the bridge, the ensign on duty reported seeing an object in the water. We all took up binoculars and sighted a bright orange rectangular shaped object, about the size of a shoebox, that was floating off the starboard side. The captain quickly called the crew on deck and told them to prepare to retrieve the item as the ship approached. Of coarse everyone crowded around to see it being brought on board and was speculating as to what it might be. Drugs! Money! Perhaps a love letter! Because of its bright orange wrapping it was obviously meant to be discovered. Some speculated that it was just a piece of safety equipment that had fallen off a ship. The first thing we all noticed when it was lifted on to the deck was the barnacles attached to its underside. From this we inferred it had been in the water for several months, but because of the small size of the barnacles, probably less than a year. The captain came down and used a knife to cut it open. Alas, nothing but Styrofoam inside. We felt so let down!

In my broadcast today, I said I would give a t-shirt to the first student who could identify the signal flags on the back of the shirt. Look at the photo carefully, and if you think you know the answer, send me an e-mail. Be sure to include your name and teacher's name so I know how to contact you! Good luck.

Question of the day: Is it necessary to paint all the instruments that will hang along the rope with anti-foul. Should the ones hanging at 50 meters get the same amount as those that hang at 500 meters or 1500 meters? Why or why not?

Photo descriptions: Today's Photos: This is my roommate Claudia and a scientist from Ecuador helping paint the instruments with Anti-Foul Paint. This is a photo of the Sea Beam Radar that is mapping the floor of the ocean underneath the ship. Here are 2 photos of the mystery package that turned out to be nothing!Look carefully at the signal flags on the T-shirt. Do you know what letter each flag signals?

Keep in touch,
Jane

Date: Friday, October 19, 2001
Photos: Women working on deck
Latitude: 20o S
Longitude: 85o W
Air Temp. 18.8 o C
Sea Temp. 18.4o C
Sea Wave: 3 - 5 ft.
Swell Wave: 3 - 5 ft.
Visibility: 10 miles
Cloud cover: 7/8

Science Log: It's done! Everyone was up early and out on the fantail (the aft deck) right after breakfast. Although the waves were a bit higher today the sun was bright and the temperature mild. In the complete reverse order of how the old mooring was brought in on Wednesday the new mooring was deployed. People worked from 7 this morning 'till 4 in the afternoon to get this put out properly and safely. Near the very end, after paying out close to 4000 meters of rope, the glass balls were attached, next the release valve, and lastly the anchor. The anchor consists of 3 large solid steel wheels that weigh close to 10,000 pounds! What a splash it made when it hit the water! Now there is a sense of relaxation and success. Tomorrow the onboard computers will check for signals from the mooring and then we will be on our way.

Travel Log: Wildlife on board
Gordy Gardipe from the engineering crew says that oftentimes seabirds fly onto deck during the night. They are attracted to the lights on the ship and they fly directly into it. Sometimes they die but sometimes they just get disoriented. Gordy has a special box that he uses to capture the bird. He waits until daylight and then sets them free. He said he used to release them right away but often they would just fly right back and do it again. That's why he waits for sunlight.

Question of the day: What does a petral (type of sea bird) eat?

Photo Descriptions: Today's photos: The glass balls being deployed. The large metal cylinders at the end of the deck is the anchor. That's me in the small boat going out to the buoy. Women in hard hats on the deck.

Keep in touch,
Jane

Date: Saturday, October 20, 2001
Photos: Crew and my roommate
Latitude: 20o S
Longitude: 85o W
Air Temp. 19.7 o C
Sea Temp. 18.6o C
Sea Wave: 4 - 6 ft.
Swell Wave: 4 - 6 ft.
Visibility: 8 - 10 miles
Cloud cover: 7/8

Science Log: Several students have asked about seeing the stars in the Southern Hemisphere. Well I hate to disappoint, but I haven't seen one star on this voyage. There's a good reason though (and it's not because I'm in the lounge watching movies). One of the main reasons this cruise is in the Eastern Pacific is because a layer of stratus clouds almost always covers it. While that's not good for stargazing it's great for the atmospheric meteorologists on board. One theory is that the clouds have a cooling effect on the ocean by reflecting the solar radiation back upwards and letting little of it penetrate to the surface. But it really isn't completely understood at this time.

Additionally the southeasterly winds in this in this area cause the surface water to move away from the coastline allowing deeper water to move up to the ocean surface, creating an upwelling current. Upwelling currents replenish the surface layers with nutrients which is why the fishing and marine life is so plentiful along the coast. The shifts in the temperature of masses of water, along with the effects of the clouds are what the scientists onboard are hoping to understand.

What I have learned on this cruise is that the study of climate is very complex and that this area is particularly important. The Eastern Pacific may hold the key to a better understanding of the processes that affect the climate of the entire globe.

Travel Journal: The Chief Engineer Mike Gowan gave me a tour of the engine rooms today. He works down in the bottom of the ship and is responsible for overseeing all the major mechanics that keep the ship moving and habitable. There are 6 huge engines, air conditioning, water filtration, and sewage systems. It was really loud and we had to wear ear protection while we toured. He is assisted by Patrick,the Junior Engineer, and June, the "oiler". (Isn't it great to see women in the engineering room?!) Frankly I found it hard to conceive of working in that environment on a daily basis but they sure loves it.

Photo Descriptions: Today's photos: Chief Engineer Mike and me. Junior Engineer Patrick Oiler June Roommates - Claudia and me

Question of the day: How long will it take the Ron Brown to travel from here to Arica (800 miles) averaging 13 knots/hour?

Keep in touch,
Jane

Read Week 8 Logs

Note for educators: Although Jennifer and Jane's reseearch cruise ended, the EPIC research continues. Please use this web site, Jennifer and Jane's lesson plans, daily logs, the videos, and the photos to educate your students about climate, El Niño, and scientific research in general.

Consider this web site, as well as the TAO web site, a resource for teaching your students.

Many organizations and countries are involved in funding the EPIC Experiment. Primary U. S. funding is provided by The National Science Foundation and The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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