Monday, October 4, 2010

NOAA Teacher at Sea: Barbara Koch
NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow
Mission: Autumn Bottom Trawl Survey Leg II
Geographical area of cruise: Southern New England
Date: Monday, October 04, 2010

Weather from the Bridge

Latitude 39.94
Longitude -73.47
Speed 1.10 kts
Course 22.00
Wind Speed 34.25 kts
Wind Dir. 69.54 º
Surf. Water Temp. 19.70 ºC
Surf. Water Sal. 31.85 PSU
Air Temperature 15.80 ºC
Relative Humidity 88.00%
Barometric Pres. 1015.72 mb
Water Depth 45.00 m
Cruise Start Date 10/02/2010

Science and Technology Log

I visited the bridge of NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow to see how the ship is run. The bridge sits atop the ship and is the command center for all navigation and communications operations during the cruises. Windows surround the entire bridge, giving NOAA Corps officers a 360 degree view of the surrounding ocean. Here, Commanding Officer, Anne Lynch, and Junior Officer, ENS Kyle Sanders stand at the main bridge console of the ship. NOAA Corps officers chart the ship's course, control the speed, steer the ship, detect other objects in the ocean via sonar, monitor weather conditions, and communicate with others at sea, on the ship, and on shore from this console.


The Aft Control Station (ACS) is located at the rear of the bridge and overlooks the working deck. The ACS provides control of the Auto Trawl System to pull the research net at a constant and straight trawl. A closed circuit television improves the crew's visibility while operating the gear from the bridge. Here is a picture of the ACS control panel on the bridge and the research net on the rear deck.

Henry B. Bigelow is also equipped with two scientific SONAR systems used for gathering data on fish and plankton and for collecting oceanographic data, such as water salinity and water temperature. Transducers are mounted at the center of the hull and extend below the ship to take acoustic readings of water depth or the location of schools of fish. One of the SONAR transducers on this ship can work at depths as deep as 5000 meters and can detect objects under water as close as one meter or as far away as 800 meters. It also detects objects on the sea floor, as well as in the water column. This system is controlled from the bridge, as well.

A separate control panel is used to monitor and control power and water usage on board the ship. Two generators provide electricity for the ship. There are also tanks in the hull designated for different purposes, such as holding water, fuel, and potable water. This control board monitors all of the tank and power usage levels for the entire ship.



Personal Log

Today is my birthday! Spending my birthday aboard a NOAA research vessel is a great gift! Today is also the second day spent waiting for the seas to calm down so we can take more samples. Wind speeds are 34.25 kts. and the waves are about 11-16 feet high. The boat is rocking and rolling, and makes it very difficult to move around. The night watch is sleeping, so we cannot go in our staterooms, and we must be quiet everywhere we go. It is too windy to go outside on the deck, as well. The only thing we can do is wait in the lounge. The lounge is equipped with a television, two computers, couches, a conference table, games, movies, and reading material. Since it is my birthday, I have the honor of selecting one of the movies we will watch. That's a hard thing to do when you are with a group of people with so many different tastes and personalities. . . the "A Team" it is! It's great that the crew and scientists have a place to go for entertainment, because waiting for so many hours on end can start to get on everyone's nerves.

Luckily, the ship also has a workout room, which I visited briefly. It's very difficult to lift weights when the ship is rocking, and the elliptical machine seemed to run by itself. The stationary bicycle was a little easier to manage, and it felt good to move my legs after sitting for so long in the lounge.


However, I think the biggest morale booster for me, the crew and the scientists is the wonderful food that Dennis and Randy make in the galley. Their menus rival those of some finer restaurants I've visited, and we are treated to their artistry every day way out here in the ocean. I've truly been spoiled!