Cruise Log ~ May 29: The Thomas G. Thompson, The Chief Mate, and The Rocket Man

Robert Symonds, the Chief Mate, on the bridge. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

Robert, the Chief Mate, was kind enough to give me a tour of the bridge.

(Photo by Mike Hansen)

For each cruise, an AB is assigned to be on watch with the mate, Mike Hansen was on watch with Robert. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)


Chief Scientist Mark Wells aka Rocket Man. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)



Bob was the AB on watch earlier in the day. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)


Because we were a riding in the trough a bit, the ship was rolling between 10° and 15° with an occasional tip to 18° or so. The "bug juice" dispenser is a good indicator of the pitch and roll of the ship.
(Photo by Kathy Hardy)

(May 29 pm, 2007): Tonight I’m organizing the sampling plan for May 31 and June 1. I am excited to have a day off tomorrow, but it also means more work to catch up with on the following day - good planning now is key.

A little bit about the ship. The Thompson was named for Thomas Gordon Thompson who was born in New York in 1888 and died in 1961. He received his PhD at the University of Washington (where the Thompson is based), was on the faculty there and was instrumental in the development of their marine sciences program. He was the first researcher to study seawater chemistry. For more information about the ship, you can go to the ship web site: [LINK]. Unfortunately, several of the web pages are outdated, but it will give you an idea of what the ship is like.

I asked the Chief Mate, Robert Symonds, if I might be able to come up to the bridge for more pictures and he was kind enough to show me around. The Chief, Second and Third mates split the watch on the bridge. Robert's watch is from 4-8 am and 4-8 pm. The Thompson is well equipped with high tech gear. She has two radar displays and three control consoles. On one console there are controls for the autopilot. One console has manual steering controls, one for each engine. The other console is used when the ship is on station and it can be set to automatically hold the position of the ship or the position can be controlled from the console with a joystick. There are other high tech gadgets as well. If other ships are within radar range, there is a display which shows the name as well as other pertinent information about the ship. All large vessels are equipped to send and receive this information.

A little about the crew. The Thompson, unlike most of the other large ships I have been on, has no boatswain. Which means, that in addition to the normal duties of a Chief Mate, Robert supervises the deck crew and all of the deck operations. When I said that seemed like a lot of work to me, he just shrugged it off, “It’s easy if you’ve got a good crew.” he said. He has been in this business for a long time and my impression is that it would take a lot to rattle Robert’s cage. Which means he is exactly the kind of person you want running the show when the going gets tough. It was nice of him to take the time to explain things and I really enjoyed talking with him.

And a little about the scientists: Mark Wells, (aka Rocket Man since the flare incident ) is the Chief Scientist on this cruise. He is on the faculty of the University of Maine School of Marine Science. Mark grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia and came to the University of Maine to earn his PhD. He left the Darling Center (the marine lab of the University of Maine where I work) shortly before I arrived. Eventually he returned to take a faculty position. A few years back I was looking for a change and Mark needed someone to manage his research lab at the Center, so I took the job. We have been on several cruises together over the years. Mark is a great person to work with and also a great cook, working several years as a sous chef.

As Chief Scientist on this cruise, Mark has more administrative and organizational duties than he would like and less time than he would like to actually do science. But, one of the perks of being Chief Scientist is that he gets a cabin on the 03 deck next to the Captain, far above the rest of us common folk.

Mark has been on many research cruises over the years as well as conducting research in Antarctica. When asked what his scariest cruise moment was, he related that once he and another marine scientist were deploying a sampling device on a line over the rail in rough weather. A wave came over the bow and when the ship rolled, a wall of water poured off the 01 deck and over the two men on the rail knocking them off their feet. Mark grabbed the line, hanging on while literally dangling in the air. He was finally able to reach down and grab the rail and pull himself back onto the deck. Fortunately, both men regained their footing and were safe. Even with modern technology and gear, if someone goes overboard in rough seas, it is very difficult to find them. This is why the Captain posts the Heavy Weather rules.
But enough oceanography, tomorrow I will be a tourist in Ketchikan!

Cruise Log ~ May 28: Give Me a Break!

Ketchikan, Alaska Mountainside. (Photo by Dane Wojcicki)

Ketchikan Ice Fields. (Photo by Dane Wojcicki)

The ice fields tower above the town of Ketchikan, Alaska. (Photo by Dane Wojcicki)

The bridge of the R/V Thomas G. Thompson. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

Radar display on the bridge. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN (May 28, 2007): I just returned from a science meeting in the main lab where chief scientist Mark Wells confirmed that we will indeed have a day of shore leave in Ketchikan! We will be arriving at about 10 am and will be staying until 9 am the following morning. I am sorry to say that four of the science crew will be leaving the ship in Ketchikan, including Peggy and Charlie. It will be a struggle to keep up with the incubations without them. Peggy is leaving us early to make it to her grandson’s high school graduation in Oregon.

Peggy and I can both be a little intense when we are working, but all in all the incubation work has been going really well. The only time we ever work together is on cruises, so we can get on each others’ nerves a bit. We both work for Mark Wells, who is based at the University of Maine but also has a lab in Santa Cruz. Peggy is Mark's only employee in Santa Cruz. Before becoming a marine scientist, Peggy worked as a paralegal for many years and was also involved in a women’s production company. She lives in California with her husband, 3 horses, 2 dogs and a cat who rules the house.

I am very excited about setting foot on Alaskan soil for the first time. I have always wanted to travel to Alaska. We have one day of shore leave and I plan to make the most of it. Terrance, who works in the galley, told us about some hiking trails and I plan to go online when the net is up and check out some web sites. Since it has been so dark and stormy the last few days, our incubation cultures of phytoplankton are growing very slowly (since they are photosynthetic, they require sunlight to grow just like terrestrial plants). This means that our sampling schedule is pushed back, which means that (Yay!) I have a light work load tomorrow! What that means is that all of us in the Wells and Trick labs will be able to spend the afternoon and evening exploring Ketchikan. We are all very grateful that Mark and the Captain are allowing the scientists and crew permission to disembark. After being thrown around the ship for the last 2 ½ days and being unable to even go out on deck, it will be a nice break. Even though the storm has largely dissipated, the ship is still rolling and pitching and walking upright is a bit of a chore.

I've had some requests for more pictures of the ship and crew, so I've included a couple of the ship here. Unfortunately I'm finding the crew rather camera shy. I'll see what I can do about posting more pictures and details about the ship.

And since we are on our way to Ketchikan, I have also included some photos that were taken by Dane Wojcicki during our last stop in Ketchikan. Dane is a MFA student at UM in Natural History Film Making and Photography. He is interested in underwater photography and is doing his thesis work on the Atlantic Salmon. Dane took some fantastic shots of the ice fields above Ketchikan and was kind enough to let me post three of them here.

Click on the link below to track the last reported location of our ship, the R/V Thomas G. Thompson. CLICK HERE TO TRACK

Email comments or questions to:mailto:kathleen.umaine@gmail.com

Cruise Log ~ May 28 pm: Riding the Storm to Ketchikan

The ship is operating under heavy weather rules. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

View from the bridge. Conditions have calmed from last night's 50 mph winds and 18-20-foot seas, but are still formidable. The storm was the result of 2 low pressure systems coming together in the north Pacific; we got out of Station P just in time. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

I snapped this shot of the crest of a large wave going by my cabin porthole on the 01 deck (the deck above the main weather deck). (Photo by Kathy Hardy)



The storm is generating some pretty big swells. That, combined with the speed of the ship and the heading we are on, meant that few on board slept well last night. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

The ship is rolling so badly that walking is tricky business. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN (May 28, 2007): The storm caught up with us in the wee hours of the morning. It was a sleepless night for most of the scientists and crew. The ship rolled and pitched continuously, with frequent shudders and the groan of metal on metal. The storm is raging on today. My cabin is on the 01 deck (one of the upper berthing decks) and there are some waves crashing by that look almost as high as the porthole. The storm is huge, covering most of the north Pacific.

I heard from the Captain at breakfast that the storm will be with us all the way to Ketchikan but shouldn’t get any worse. We have postponed whatever work we could. No one is allowed on the weather decks except for emergencies and then only after notifying the bridge. Everyone going outside must go in pairs and must be wearing life vests.

As I am writing this, the seas have calmed a bit, but the ship is still rolling so much that it is an effort to keep my chair upright. In the common areas, it is kind of funny to see everyone walking at an angle but it is the only way to stay upright. After a couple of days of this, we will all be ready for a break in Ketchikan.

Click on the link below to track the last reported location of our ship, the R/V Thomas G. Thompson. CLICK HERE TO TRACK

Email comments or questions to:mailto:kathleen.umaine@gmail.com

Cruise Log ~ May 27: Approaching 30-ft Seas; Autographing Al Gore's Head

The Al Gore Hat (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

As we finally leave PAPA, we have nearly 800 miles of open ocean between us and safe harbor at Ketchikan, Alaska.

A massive storm dominates the North Pacific and is threatening us with 20-30-ft seas.

OCEAN STATION P, NORTH PACIFIC (May 27, 2007): Things have been incredibly busy for the last two days. This afternoon everyone and his/her brother were in the bubble collecting clean water from the fish so they can finish their experiments and clean up before heading back to Alaska. Peggy and I are starting as many incubations as possible before we leave tonight. The latest we can leave PAPA to make it to Ketchikan in time is 0700 hours tomorrow morning. To make matters worse there is a large storm bearing down on us. We are now waiting for Mark Wells to fill the last of several carboys with seawater, then the crew can pull the fish back on board and hightail it for Ketchikan.

I can tell that some of the scientists are a little uneasy and I have to say I am also a little worried about facing a large storm out here at PAPA. We are nearly 800 miles from safe harbor at Ketchikan; a long way from help if we need it. But, I have a lot of confidence in the crew of the Thomspon, I am sure they could get us safely through anything.

The Dall’s porpoises are still playing around the ship. They are so fast, they pop up in one spot and reappear somewhere else in what appears to me to be a random pattern. I did get some ok video but no stills yet. The wind has picked up an it has started to rain too hard to take my camera out on deck, so no more photos tonight.....

We are finally underway. I think we are in for a rough night because at this point we can’t outrun the storm, so some time tonight it is going to catch up with us. I have heard that it is the remnant of a typhoon and that we may be in for twenty to thirty foot seas.

I also recently heard that Bill, the “teacher at sea” is going to turn fifty on this cruise! An occasion we can’t let go unnoticed.

I was disappointed to find out today that Charlie Trick is leaving us in Ketchikan. Al Gore is visiting the University of Western Ontario to open a new building and Charlie is facilitating the event. He bought an R/V Thomas G. Thompson hat for Al and asked people to sign it. If the former VP wears it, I will be right next to his temple!

Click on the link below to track the last reported location of our ship, the R/V Thomas G. Thompson. CLICK HERE TO TRACK

Email comments or questions to:mailto:kathleen.umaine@gmail.com

Cruise Log ~ May 26: Dall’s Porpoises; Charlie Trick, Superhero Scientist & Renaissance Man

Another sunrise at Ocean Weather Station PAPA (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

Dane, a student from UM, joining the cruise to make a documentary film and Natalie, one of Charlie Trick's students enjoy some down time in the main lab. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

Professor Charlie Trick poses with the CTD sampling unit. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

The long thin chain of phytoplankton cells at the top of the photo are Pseudo-nitzchia.

(Photo by Ben Beall)

We see an occasional ship out here. They are mostly container ships or tankers such as this one that passed by yesterday. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)




Partly due to the lack of phytoplankton, the water at PAPA is an azure blue. It is also cold! Only 40 degrees Fahrenheit. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

OCEAN STATION P, NORTH PACIFIC (May 27, 07): We started our first incubations at PAPA yesterday. The nutrient levels are really high here, but because of the shortage of iron, not much grows in the water. We periodically dip a net over the side to catch phytoplankton. Our net samples show that they are here but none present in large numbers. Pseudo-nitzchia is apparent in the net tow. Partly because of the low numbers of phytoplankton, the water is an azure shade of blue that I have never seen in Maine. It looks a bit like tropical water, though not exactly.

In the morning a pair of Dall’s Porpoises were speeding back and forth along the starboard side of the ship. They have a very distinctive dark gray and white coloration. I wasn’t able to capture a picture of high enough quality for the web. They came back in the afternoon, but I was stuck at the filtration rig and missed them.

The sun actually poked through the cloud cover for a few minutes, I finished the filtrations in time to step out on deck and watch the gray skies return. I can discern a pattern in the weather at PAPA: fog, mist, clouds, rain, a few rays of sun, a patch of blue sky, fog, mist, clouds, rain, a few rays of sun, a patch of blue sky… Now that I think about it, not so different from May in Maine. Of course without the black flies. And without the trees and the flowers and the green grass.

It is actually pretty warm out here, surprising for being so far north this time of year. We are at between 50° and 51°N lattitude which on the East Coast is at the top of Newfoundland and the air temperature is still 50-60°F during the day.

We have basically been going in large circles collecting water for various experiments from the "fish".

In the afternoon one of the other scientists alerted me to a tanker going by on our port side. I was a little surprised to see another ship out here. But, Robert, the Chief Mate says we aren't that far from the shipping lanes.

Today, I spent 12 hours in the clean room "bubble". I was setting up the stable isotope experiment that I mentioned earlier. There were some swells and the ship took a few good rolls while I was in there. My bottles and solutions went sliding. It’s a bit of a challenge to pipette a chemical addition into a bottle when it is sliding by like a drink across a bar.

Also, it’s tiring to be in the bubble all day; there are three huge HEPA filters running all the time which is noisy and with the motion of the ship and the fact that most of the work can’t be done sitting down, a day of work in there can seem like two or three. At least today some other people were in and out, LeAnn and Tracey, and Eric and Morgan were all working at various times in the bubble. Morgan is an undergraduate at UM who is joining us on this cruise and has really helped out a lot.

The weather is... you guessed it! Overcast, damp, foggy, misty and gray.

Charlie Trick is one of the Professors whose lab is participating in this cruise. He grew up in Cuiahoga, Ohio, which he says is famous for having its river catch on fire in 1968. Gotta love the sixties. He is at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. He and Mark Wells are the masterminds of the incubation experiments and both have graduate students on the ship.
Charlie and I first sailed together several years ago. On that cruise, we were working in the radiation van with radioactive iron-59. He was showing me how to do filtrations of the radioisotope and I was a nervous wreck. I hate working with iron-59. Particularly when the radiation van is rolling. At one point, the hose that carried the isotope waste came loose and the isotope spilled on my boot. Fortunately I was wearing rubber boots. I can remember Charlie on his knees washing off my boots with radiation decontaminant. I think I made him do it three times.

In addition to being a successful scientist and a great shoeshine, Charlie is an all around good guy. When Peggy and I need an extra hand he is always willing to help out. He was helping me carry the forty or so bottles from the experiment that I set up today out to the incubator on the fantail, when a fire alarm went off. I was pretty sure it was not a real emergency, because the fire alarms on the ship are really sensitive and go off if someone showers without closing the bathroom door. When an alarm goes off, we all go to our cabins, grab our survival gear and muster in the main lab. Charlie said, “Go get your gear!” and grabbed the bucket of bottles that I was carrying. By the time I got my gear and arrived back in the lab, Charlie was already back with his own gear. Somehow he had put my bottles in the incubator, secured it, ran and grabbed his gear from his cabin and made it back to the lab before me which was quite a feat considering that his cabin is next to mine!

Besides having superhuman speed and being very helpful, Charlie is involved in a lot of really cool research; things you wouldn’t expect an oceanographer to do. He is chair of a program called Ecosystem Health. The idea being that human health and ecosystem health are integral. A healthy environment creates healthy people who create a healthy environment. He is involved in projects ranging from mercury contamination studies and developing clean water technology for First Nation (the Canadian equivalent to our term "Native American") tribes to a project in Tanzania that has enabled women there to start a yogurt making business which provides healthy food and income for their families.

Charlie is not your typical marine scientist, that's for sure.

Another day down. Most of the time out here I have no idea what day of the week it is because it really doesn’t matter. Every day is the same. So, essentially we work for 30 days straight. And unfortunately, I do not get overtime pay. Instead, I get comp time. I usually take a month off after a cruise. But this year I am thinking maybe the month of August...

Cruise Log ~ May 24: Circles or Figure Eights?

We will be collecting lots of sea water from the clean sampling fish during our stay at Station P. This boom holds the sheave for the kevlar sampling line running to the fish.

(Photo by Mark Wells)

OCEAN STATION P, NORTH PACIFIC (May 24, 2007): We are at Station P and collecting liters and liters of clean water from the fish for our experiments. The ship is slowly going in large circles. At one point Charlie suggested we do Figure Eights to break up the monotony. For the next day or so we will be in overdrive completing our work at Ocean Station PAPA and then securing the lab and gear for the trip back to Alaska. Depending on the heading, the net can be unreliable while the ship is underway, so it may be a day or two before my next post. We've been told that we will have an afternoon and overnight docked at Ketchikan Harbor. I'm excited to be going ashore in Alaska as I have always wanted to go and never have.

Cruise Log ~ May 23: Never Trust a Scientist with a Flare Gun

Albatross at Station P. (Photo by Traci Haddock)

Ocean Station PAPA: 50-deg N / 145-deg W; There is a strange fog here, bright but gray. Those who have been here often say it never goes away. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

Some things just don't go well together, like the Chief Scientist and a flare gun. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

OCEAN STATION P, NORTH PACIFIC (May 23, 2007): This morning I tested out a clean filtration rig which I will be using to filter an incubation experiment that I am starting when we get to Station P. I will be adding stable isotopes of iron and copper to sea water samples. Iron isotopes are forms of iron that differ in their molecular weight. Stable isotopes are nonradioactive isotopes. Because their molecular weight is different than the most common form of iron, they can be detected by a sophisticated instrument we have at UM called an ICPMS (inductively coupled mass spectrometer). I will be binding the 2 stable isotopes of iron to 2 different chemicals. The use of stable isotope analysis will allow me to see if the organisms can utilize the iron bound to these chemicals. The filtration rig uses compressed air to force the sample out of the bottle and through an inline filtration rig, which keeps the sample from being exposed to any contaminants. It is a good thing I tried it out with water first instead of using real samples. There were several leaks and water was squirting everywhere. It looked kind of like the guys that do the Belagio Fountain with Mentos and Diet Coke, only not so pretty. I still have to practice a few more times before the real thing.

This afternoon, there was a Laysan Albatross soaring back and forth behind the ship. A few times it got pretty close and it was huge. The wingspan is the same as a bald eagle.

This afternoon there was a bit of excitement. While on the ship, we have weekly training sessions or drills. Today’s drill was on flares and several people got to try shooting off a flare. Unfortunately, something went awry when Chief Scientist Mark Wells stepped to the back of the fantail to shoot off his flare. It hit the A frame and ricocheted back through the crowd of assembled scientists and crew and hit the portable lab that sits on the front of the fantail, burning a hole in the paint. Fortunately the crew were ready with fire extinguishers and no one was hurt, but it took a few seconds for the smoke to clear and for shocked bystanders to regain their composure.

Tonight we are at Ocean Weather Station P or PAPA as we call it. It is roughly N50 W 145. About 900 miles from land. There is a strange fog here, bright but gray. Those who have been here often say it never goes away.

I am glad that we will only be out here for four days.

Cruise Log ~ May 23: Life Aboard The R/V Thompson

I took this picture of the Thompson last fall from the work boat. It is included here because I like it.
(Photo by Kathy Hardy)

The galley (Photo by Bill Caddigan)

Pam, one of the ABs on the Thompson. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN (May 23, 2007): One great thing about these cruises is meeting and getting to know the crew. There are some great people on these ships. From what I hear, there is better money to be had on commercial ships, but most of the crew are here because they prefer to be on research vessels. Sort of like me, I could make more money working in a commercial lab, but here I am in the middle of the ocean.

One of the crew that I have had he pleasure to sail with a couple of times is Pam, who is an AB. She grew up in a Pennsylvania mining town. Before she began working on research vessels, she worked on a coal ship in the Great Lakes. She was telling me that one ship she worked on hauled coal on lake Superior to a coal fired power plant. It was 1000 feet long and held 50,000 tons of coal! There were three of these ships that made the trip to that same plant each day to supply a total of 150,000 tons of coal for one day’s power output! Talk about greenhouse gases!
Pam and the other ABs keep the ship clean and in good repair. They also operate the ship's cranes and other heavy equipment. She is the only female crew member currently on the Thompson. Pam is up and about early and is always busy. The only time I see her not working is sometimes at night or mid afternoon if we happen to be taking a break at the same time. I like Pam, we always have interesting conversations in the galley and we have had some awesome gripe sessions as well!

Speaking of the galley. You may wonder what it is like. It’s like a mini cafeteria with 5 tables. There are special chairs that are weighted on the bottom so they won’t tip. When it is really rough, the tables are covered with plastic mesh that keep everything from sliding off. There are snacks out 24 hours a day and there are soft drinks and juices in the fridge that we can help ourselves to. I have never been on a research cruise that had bad food and this is no exception. It is almost impossible to not gain weight with the combination of tasty food and being confined to the ship. Dan is the Head Steward and he and his crew do a great job with the meals.

Because of the satellite internet, it is possible to keep in touch with friends and family on land. I have heard stories from the early days of oceanography when researchers were out of touch for an entire cruise. Having the luxury of email is great and it allows for things like this blog.

Modern technology also allows anyone that is interested to track the Thompson's course online at LINK

I really miss my dog, though. Becasue even though she is the most intelligent dog ever, she hasn't yet mastered email. I also miss plants; large green plants; something bigger than phytoplankton. Out here there are no flowers, no trees, no lawn, nothing even remotely springlike. The ship is a totally man-made iron and steel environment.

I am fortunate in that I have never really gotten seasick. If it is really rough, sometimes I feel a little queasy, but never really sick. There are so many sea going people that get violently ill in rough seas without some sort of medication. I am really glad that I am not one of them. Athough, whenever I make a statement like I just did, someone always says, "Just wait, someday the conditions will be just right and you'll be seasick like the rest of us." It reminds me of a thing that we Mainers do if we get an unexpectedly tolerable day in the winter. If someone says, "What a beautiful day!" Someone else will always pipe up with, "We're gonna pay for it later!" But, I guess I have the luck of the Irish and hopefully it will be with me even when I get hit with that perfect combination of seasickness conditions.

May 22: Twelve Knots for PAPA

I am fortunate this cruise to have a private cabin with a desk! This is where I write my blog and work on data analysis. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

LeAnn Pritchard (front) is another Maine native on the cruise. She grew up in Machias. LeAnn and Traci Haddock (behind LeAnn) are students at the University of Rhode Island. Here they are filtering seawater samples. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN (May 22, 2007): We had no incubations to set up or sample today, so it allowed me some time to catch up on data analysis and house keeping. Our clean bubble had gotten a little dirty. I spent some time this morning cleaning it again. As we go further out to sea, the iron content of the sea water becomes much less, such that any little bit of iron contamination could ruin our samples. So, we have to keep the clean bubble extra clean.

We are doing about 12 knots steaming for PAPA station. When we are speeding through swells, you get a sense of weightlessness as the ship falls out from under you, followed by a sensation of instantaneously gaining about 50 pounds as the ship rises again. Walking a straight line is a challenge as your muscles are constantly overcompensating one way or another. It’s kind of like trying to walk a straight line after having way too much to drink.

A few people have disappeared at various times throughout the day, probably to a bout of seasickness or exhaustion. I feel sorry for those on board who never seem to shake the seasickness and spend their entire time at sea looking green around the gills.

The sky is gray and overcast and it has been raining off and on throughout the day. The sea is a monotonous dark blue gray.

Much to my surprise, there are several native Mainers on board besides myself.
Bill Caddigan (for Bill’s picture see yesterday’s blog posting) is a teacher from Bethel, Maine who is funded to come along on the cruise and incorporate what he learns here into a curriculum for his students. Check out his web site at http://www.teacheratsea.mainelearns.org/. Bill really seems to be enjoying his time at sea.
Eric Roy is a student from UM. For Eric’s picture see my May 12 blog posting. Eric is studying and building sensors that detect chemicals in sea water. He is measuring iron and copper concentrations at the very low levels that are present in seawater on a cutting edge instrument designed and built by a Maine company called Waterville Analytical.
LeAnn Pritchard grew up in Machias. She is a student at the University of Rhode Island with Dr. Bethany Jenkins, who is one of the professors on the cruise. She is studying iron uptake mechanisms of diatoms. Diatoms are phytoplankton that have hard shells of silica. LeAnn is a pleasure to go to sea with. She’s really nice, capable, intelligent. She works hard and is conscientious. What more could you ask? Traci Haddock, although not from Maine, is also in the Jenkins lab. As well as working on her own projects, she has been helping us with chlorophyll filtrations now and again when we are swamped.
We also have lots of Canadians on this cruise. At least 7 that I can think of, including two of the professors.

Because we are going full speed ahead, most of the scientists had a little time for relaxation during the evening hours. I joined a game of Trivial Pursuit 80s version. It wasn’t a great night for me as it was a Canadian version of the game and I think I must have slept through the 80s, at least concerning politics, movies, television.....

May 21: Swirling Eddies and Lullabies

The Haida Eddy seen as a sea surface height anomaly in this satellite image.

Mark Wells, the Chief Scientist and Bill Caddigan, a teacher from Bethel who is along for some hands on marine science, help repair the CTD.

(Photo by Kathy Hardy)

Scientists and crew repair the CTD which had a damaged cable.

(Photo by Kathy Hardy)


A northern fur seal visited the ship throughout the day. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS, BC (May 21, 2007): Today we are checking out an eddy. We are about 25 miles off the coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands. The eddy is called a Haida eddy and consists of a counterclockwise spinning column of in shore water that has broken away and is moving out into the open ocean. These eddies may be an important phenomenon in the transport of nutrients and organisms to the open ocean. This eddy also gives us an opportunity to see how the in shore organisms caught up in the eddy respond to the changing nutrient levels as they are carried offshore. The eddy is about 70 miles across and 6000 feet deep. We are taking sea water samples and setting up several incubation experiments in the area. The Haida eddies can exist as distinct entities for months or even years.

I usually take an early morning stroll around the decks; this morning I saw a few petrels, but they zip by so fast I couldn’t tell what kind they were. I noticed a fulmar later in the day. We were visited throughout the day by a northern fur seal, which frolicked in the prop wash and came up to the side of the ship when people were on the rail. By evening, several others had joined in and many of us were lucky enough to watch them rolling and splashing as the pink hues of the setting sun flickered on the waves.

Another day of incubation set up and sampling ended. We have gotten a lot done in the first few days of the cruise. Tonight we start steaming for Ocean Station P (PAPA).

The seas have remained amazingly calm. Tonight as I sit in my bunk writing late into the night, the ship is gently swaying back and forth, with a slow easy rhythm. I can hear the music the night crew is playing in the lab one deck below my cabin, only occasionally discernable above the continuos rumble of the ship. There is something peaceful and secure in the fact that on the ship people are up and about in the middle of the night. In the fact that someone is on watch on the bridge plotting a safe course; that someone is down in the engine room making sure all is well. I feel safe and at ease tonight and the motion of the ship is rocking me to sleep.....

Cruise Log ~ May 19: The Acetone Bubble and the QCs

Rob, the Marine Technician with Bethany Jenkins and Bill Caddigan in the computer lab where the data from the CTD is collected.

The Queen Charlotte Islands (Photo by Bill Caddigan)

Deployment of the CTD (Photo by Bill Caddigan)

The CTD sits on the deck. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

From a distance, the Queen Charlotte Islands look very volcanic, much like the Hawaiian Islands.

(Photo by Kathy Hardy)

QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS, BC (May 19, 2007): Peggy and I, with a little help from our friends, sampled 2 of our incubations and measured chlorophyll levels from the samples that we collected yesterday. To keep the extracted chlorophyll samples from degrading while we are processing them, we have to keep them in the dark. So, we build a “black bubble” out of garbage bags, where we do our measurements. It lets in just enough light so you can barely see what you are doing, but not enough to ruin the sample. So, picture yourself stuck in a big black trash bag that smells like acetone (nail polish remover) and you will get an idea of what chlorophyll analysis is like. Peggy and I had 8 hours worth of samples to read in the bubble. Needless to say, without help we would have either succumbed to madness or a close second, boredom

After taking some time this morning to troubleshoot the CTD unit (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth), we are back on schedule just outside the Queen Charlotte Islands. The CTD is a large submersible instrument that collects samples and takes sensor readings at various ocean depths (see picture). The tube-like bottles around the perimeter collect the water samples. They are open as the CTD is lowered over the side of the ship and descends through the water column. When the desired depth is reached they are triggered to close by the technician in the control room in order to capture the water sample. In this way, water can be collected from any depth for analysis in the on-board lab. Besides temperature and salinity, other sensors are also attached to the CTD; this morning we were having trouble with an oxygen sensor. The Thompson has 2 Marine Technicians who work with the scientists and maintain the shipboard science equipment and computers.

The fog mingled with clouds over the Islands. From my vantage point they looked a lot like the Hawaiian Islands, only covered with evergreens instead of tropical trees.
I really can’t get over the fact that it is 10 pm as I write this and the sun is just dipping below the horizon. It was already light when I woke up at 6 am. It makes me think, though, of how dark it must be in the winter time. Again today, we have been fortunate to have calm seas which makes the lab work much easier.

Cruise Log ~ May 18 (Part 2): Ketchikan, Alaska

Ketchikan (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

Bill Caddigan took this awesome picture of the crew lowering the work boat in Ketchikan.

Leaving Ketchikan for the open ocean. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

The departing First Assistant Engineer, Paul, climbs down to the small boat for the short hop to shore.

(Photo by Kathy Hardy)

Graduate students: Natalie, Ben and Bill from Univeristy of Western Ontario and Lisa from the University of Maine. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

Boats in Ketchikan Harbor (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

CLARENCE STRAIT, BC (May 18, 2007): In Ketchikan we dropped off our First Assistant Engineer Paul (another "Maineiac"), who was flying back to his home in Portland. I have been surprised over the years at how many of the crew of different research vessels actually live in or have relatives in Maine. We also picked up a new AB and a film maker from the Creative Services department at the University of Maine who is shooting a promotional film for the Department of Marine Sciences. He will be with us until we return to Ketchikan in two weeks. We will have to get used to having a camera wandering about the ship.

On the way back out of the Strait, a humpback whale surfaced a few times very close to the ship. Just another splash picture for me.

One of the members of the science crew received the news via email that her father in law had become gravely ill and wasn’t expected to make it through the night. She had only a few hours to decide if she would disembark in Ketchikan or continue with the cruise. Even though her departure would have caused hardship for those left onboard, all were supportive of her decision, whatever she decided to do. It is nice to work with people who have their priorities in order. In the end, with her husband’s insistence that he was ok dealing with the situation alone, she decided to stay.

This incident though, illustrates one of the realities we face when we go on a cruise like this. Soon we will be a couple of days from land. There will be no way to leave immediately. I think, in the back of our minds, we all worry about something happening while we are at sea and not being able to get home.

Tonight we are headed back out to the open ocean.

Cruise Log ~ May 18 (Part 1): Visiting Ketchikan, Alaska

Sunrise in the Clarence Strait (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

Snow covered mountains in the early morning light on the way in to Ketchikan

(Photo by Kathy Hardy)

I snapped this shot on the way to Ketchikan. Not exactly sure if this is a mine encampment or a very small town. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

Sea Planes were continuously taking off from and landing in Ketchikan Harbor. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

Boats moored in Ketchican harbor (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

Ketchikan, AK has the look of an Alpine Village. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

A Motor Lifeboat from USCG Station Ketchikan. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

One of the cruise ships at anchor in Ketchikan. (Photo by Kathy Hardy)

CLARENCE STRAIT, BC (May 18, 2007): I woke up early this morning and snapped some pictures as we entered the Clarence Strait on our way to Ketchikan, Alaska. It was just after sunrise and there were very few people about the decks. It was cold with a wintry wind.

The scenery became more dramatic as we wound our way up the Strait to Ketchikan. Snow covered mountains towered over the tiny town, contrasting with the new spring leaves on the shore side trees. Three cruise ships sat at anchor in the harbor and there was a constant roar of seaplanes taking off and landing on either side of our ship. Bald eagles soared overhead and disappeared into the evergreen covered hills. If you ignore the jagged mountain peaks behind them, the hills surrounding Ketchikan actually look a lot like western Maine.

Ketchikan is a cute little town that kind of reminds me of a village in the Italian Alps. There is also a cute little ferry that takes people and vehicles from the town across the channel to the airport which looked to me to be only a few hundred feet.