CCE LTER Process Cruise- 2012
Hello, friends! Welcome to my website. Today in class, we are given worksheets and went to go work on our websites. We have to look at a website someone made about her being at sea, and answer questions our teacher gave us. You can go look at this website as well, if you want. I'll put it below, so you can check it out. The purpose of this is to help introduce students to how scientists may go about research collecting samples and data while out on a cruise at sea. This particular cruise employed a high school science teacher to go along to help out, learn about the processes and blog about her experiences. And with that, I'll see you later. Peace!
Here is the website I talked about earlier:http://cce.lternet.edu/blogs/2012/2012/08/01/day-1/
Here is the website I talked about earlier:http://cce.lternet.edu/blogs/2012/2012/08/01/day-1/
CCE LTER Cruise: Day 1- I'm on a boat!
1. Click on the California Current Ecosystem link- read about the research site. Why are
scientists particularly interested in this specific site? Why is it special?
> Scientists find it interesting because there is a lot of information that they would find
interesting. The scientists like that it shows what they found out, so they
could use it for future reference.
2. What is the name of the research vessel that they are on? Which educational
institution is the vessel a part of?
> The name of the ship that they are on is called Melville. Melville is from the Scripps Oceanographic Fleet.
3. How much does the ship weigh when it is fully loaded?
> When it is fully loaded, it weighs 3,026,000lbs or 2,516 tons.
CCE LTER Cruise: Day 3- Releasing the MOCNESS
4. On day #3, read about zooplankton are captured by the MOCNESS- summarize the process below:
> MOCNESS has 10 nets, opening and closing at a different depth each time. The MOCNESS can
be lowered from 0ft to 1500ft below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. From there, they collect all types of zooplankton.
5. Explain the "vertical migration" of many zooplankton species. Why do they use it?
> Vertical migration is a way for the plankton to avoid predators and conserve energy. They use it by
swimming down into the deeper waters during the day, and then come out at night when there are no predators around, to eat.
6. What is phytoplankton?
> Phytoplankton is a type of plankton that relies on photosynthesis. This group is
comprised mostly of single-celled algae, diatoms, and bacteria.
1. Click on the California Current Ecosystem link- read about the research site. Why are
scientists particularly interested in this specific site? Why is it special?
> Scientists find it interesting because there is a lot of information that they would find
interesting. The scientists like that it shows what they found out, so they
could use it for future reference.
2. What is the name of the research vessel that they are on? Which educational
institution is the vessel a part of?
> The name of the ship that they are on is called Melville. Melville is from the Scripps Oceanographic Fleet.
3. How much does the ship weigh when it is fully loaded?
> When it is fully loaded, it weighs 3,026,000lbs or 2,516 tons.
CCE LTER Cruise: Day 3- Releasing the MOCNESS
4. On day #3, read about zooplankton are captured by the MOCNESS- summarize the process below:
> MOCNESS has 10 nets, opening and closing at a different depth each time. The MOCNESS can
be lowered from 0ft to 1500ft below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. From there, they collect all types of zooplankton.
5. Explain the "vertical migration" of many zooplankton species. Why do they use it?
> Vertical migration is a way for the plankton to avoid predators and conserve energy. They use it by
swimming down into the deeper waters during the day, and then come out at night when there are no predators around, to eat.
6. What is phytoplankton?
> Phytoplankton is a type of plankton that relies on photosynthesis. This group is
comprised mostly of single-celled algae, diatoms, and bacteria.
CCE LTER Cruise: Day 6- SeaSoaring Away...
7. What information is collected by the SeaSoar? What are they trying to find specifically?
> The SeaSoar is used to identify the exact location of NEMO! JK, it's used to find the exact location of where the California Current meets up with the more denser coastal water.
8. What is CTD stand for?
> CTD stands for Conductivity, Temperature, Depth. They are sensors.
CCE LTER Cruise: Day 10- Ahoy E- Front
9. What is the "E-Front"?
> It's where the California Current meets up with the inshore currents. E-front as in eddy- front since it looks like a eddy from the satellite pictures they're getting fro NASA.
10. Why does the sampling have to be conducted at night?
> It had to done at night because they had to ensure that the zooplankton was present at the sampling depth.
11. What is the epipelagic zone?
> The epipelagic zone is when all the water would flow through the net leaving the zooplankton from the light
zone of the ocean to be caught in the net.
12. These samples were taken along the E-Front- Can you tell where the actual front is located? Draw an arrow where you can see the sample changes.
> The actual front is all the way over there, the dark one.
7. What information is collected by the SeaSoar? What are they trying to find specifically?
> The SeaSoar is used to identify the exact location of NEMO! JK, it's used to find the exact location of where the California Current meets up with the more denser coastal water.
8. What is CTD stand for?
> CTD stands for Conductivity, Temperature, Depth. They are sensors.
CCE LTER Cruise: Day 10- Ahoy E- Front
9. What is the "E-Front"?
> It's where the California Current meets up with the inshore currents. E-front as in eddy- front since it looks like a eddy from the satellite pictures they're getting fro NASA.
10. Why does the sampling have to be conducted at night?
> It had to done at night because they had to ensure that the zooplankton was present at the sampling depth.
11. What is the epipelagic zone?
> The epipelagic zone is when all the water would flow through the net leaving the zooplankton from the light
zone of the ocean to be caught in the net.
12. These samples were taken along the E-Front- Can you tell where the actual front is located? Draw an arrow where you can see the sample changes.
> The actual front is all the way over there, the dark one.
13. Explain how the chlorophyll samples are preserved.
> They needed to fill 4 bottles with water from each of the 8-sampling depths. Once the water was obtained, they went inside to filter the water, which consisted of pouring each bottle of water through a different type or size of filter paper, then collecting the paper, preserving the filter paper in acetone and freezing it.
CCE LTER Cruise: Day 12- Team Oozkeki
14. Where is the mesopelagic zone? Why are the critters found here so special?
> The mesopelagic zone is the area of water extending from 200 meters to 1000 meters. It is also referred to as "The Twilight Zone". The critters are special because these animals have had to adapt to their harsh environment that had lacked light and has a minimum amount of oxygen.
> They needed to fill 4 bottles with water from each of the 8-sampling depths. Once the water was obtained, they went inside to filter the water, which consisted of pouring each bottle of water through a different type or size of filter paper, then collecting the paper, preserving the filter paper in acetone and freezing it.
CCE LTER Cruise: Day 12- Team Oozkeki
14. Where is the mesopelagic zone? Why are the critters found here so special?
> The mesopelagic zone is the area of water extending from 200 meters to 1000 meters. It is also referred to as "The Twilight Zone". The critters are special because these animals have had to adapt to their harsh environment that had lacked light and has a minimum amount of oxygen.
CCE LTER Cruise: Day 14- Shrunken Cups
15. Explain why Styrofoam cups that were attached to the CTD shrunk when they were lowered to the depths.
> If you take any different types/sizes of Styrofoam cups and lower them into the ocean, where the pressure is greater than on land, the cups should shrink.
15. Explain why Styrofoam cups that were attached to the CTD shrunk when they were lowered to the depths.
> If you take any different types/sizes of Styrofoam cups and lower them into the ocean, where the pressure is greater than on land, the cups should shrink.
CCE LTER Cruise: Day 19- Trace Metal Group
16. Why is iron so important to phytoplankton?
> Iron is a nutrient that phytoplankton need.
17. What kind of precautions are taken by the scientists on board to make sure that the water samples are not contaminated by metals on or around the ship?
> They go into a "clean van" (trailer strapped on deck) and attach the water samples onto the plastic racks until they are tapped. They then pump nitrogen into the water samples and are put through a filter. Lastly, they are stored in containers.
CCE LTER Cruise: Day 21- Twinkle Little Scat
18. How can scientists use "poop" to determine the biomass of an ecosystem? Explain.
> Scientists uses poop to determine the biomass of the ecosystem by looking at the amount of carbon in it.
19. What is "marine snow"? Explain how it is collected.
> Marine snow is what scientists call all the scat and other materials (like phytoplankton) that fall through the water column. It is collected by lowering vials filled with salt water that is more dense (heavier) than the salt water in the ocean into the deep . These vials sit in the ocean at different depths, so anything that floats down the water column will float into the vial.
CCE LTER Cruise: Day 24- Marine Birds
20. Explain how long-lining is dangerous to marine birds.
> Long-line fishing is dangerous to marine birds because They will see a fish on the line, eat it, and get stuck on the bait, which results in them drowning.
21. Describe Fin Whales- What do they look like, what do they eat, why are they not hunted as much as other whales?
> We were able to identify them as Fin whales by their unique coloration and the position of the dorsal fin in relation to the blowhole. Fin whales were never hunted down, since they are found so far off-shore. They eat zooplankton, like krill.
16. Why is iron so important to phytoplankton?
> Iron is a nutrient that phytoplankton need.
17. What kind of precautions are taken by the scientists on board to make sure that the water samples are not contaminated by metals on or around the ship?
> They go into a "clean van" (trailer strapped on deck) and attach the water samples onto the plastic racks until they are tapped. They then pump nitrogen into the water samples and are put through a filter. Lastly, they are stored in containers.
CCE LTER Cruise: Day 21- Twinkle Little Scat
18. How can scientists use "poop" to determine the biomass of an ecosystem? Explain.
> Scientists uses poop to determine the biomass of the ecosystem by looking at the amount of carbon in it.
19. What is "marine snow"? Explain how it is collected.
> Marine snow is what scientists call all the scat and other materials (like phytoplankton) that fall through the water column. It is collected by lowering vials filled with salt water that is more dense (heavier) than the salt water in the ocean into the deep . These vials sit in the ocean at different depths, so anything that floats down the water column will float into the vial.
CCE LTER Cruise: Day 24- Marine Birds
20. Explain how long-lining is dangerous to marine birds.
> Long-line fishing is dangerous to marine birds because They will see a fish on the line, eat it, and get stuck on the bait, which results in them drowning.
21. Describe Fin Whales- What do they look like, what do they eat, why are they not hunted as much as other whales?
> We were able to identify them as Fin whales by their unique coloration and the position of the dorsal fin in relation to the blowhole. Fin whales were never hunted down, since they are found so far off-shore. They eat zooplankton, like krill.
CCE LTER Cruise: Day 26- Copepods...
22. What are copepods? What are they related to?
> Copepods are a type of zooplankton found in the Pacific Ocean. They are related to very small crabs and lobsters.
23. Explain the two ways that copepods are studied on this ship.
> One way was fishing for copepods. When the nets came in, someone sorted all of the animals under a microscope until she found female copepods. Each female would be placed in a little dish and monitored every hour to see if it laid eggs. If she did lay eggs, she was removed from her eggs, and then someone would watch the eggs for two days to see how many of the eggs hatched.
The other way was attaching a camera to the CTD. When the CTD is lowered, it'd take pictures every second. When the CTD comes back to the surface, someone spends a lot of time in front of the computer sorting all of the images from marine snow to copepods. Below are some of the pictures taken, you probably can't see very well.
22. What are copepods? What are they related to?
> Copepods are a type of zooplankton found in the Pacific Ocean. They are related to very small crabs and lobsters.
23. Explain the two ways that copepods are studied on this ship.
> One way was fishing for copepods. When the nets came in, someone sorted all of the animals under a microscope until she found female copepods. Each female would be placed in a little dish and monitored every hour to see if it laid eggs. If she did lay eggs, she was removed from her eggs, and then someone would watch the eggs for two days to see how many of the eggs hatched.
The other way was attaching a camera to the CTD. When the CTD is lowered, it'd take pictures every second. When the CTD comes back to the surface, someone spends a lot of time in front of the computer sorting all of the images from marine snow to copepods. Below are some of the pictures taken, you probably can't see very well.
CCE LTER Cruise: Day 29- Last Day...
24. What is the bow dome? Where is it located?
> The bow dome are windows located in the bottom of the front of the boat. It was made so you could watch marine life.
25. Would you be interested in spending a month at sea? Does a career in oceanography seem interesting?
> A career in oceanography sounds interesting, but I think I'll pass on the month at sea. I can barely stand a week at sea. I guess I would try it once, but I better find Nemo and SpongeBob there, or I want my money back! JK, but seriously, I would only try it once.
26. Which part of this blog was most interesting to you? Why?
> I fond the Styrofoam cup experiment the most interesting. I found it interesting because I learned that if you lower a Styrofoam cup, where the pressure is greater in the ocean than on land, the cups would shrink.
24. What is the bow dome? Where is it located?
> The bow dome are windows located in the bottom of the front of the boat. It was made so you could watch marine life.
25. Would you be interested in spending a month at sea? Does a career in oceanography seem interesting?
> A career in oceanography sounds interesting, but I think I'll pass on the month at sea. I can barely stand a week at sea. I guess I would try it once, but I better find Nemo and SpongeBob there, or I want my money back! JK, but seriously, I would only try it once.
26. Which part of this blog was most interesting to you? Why?
> I fond the Styrofoam cup experiment the most interesting. I found it interesting because I learned that if you lower a Styrofoam cup, where the pressure is greater in the ocean than on land, the cups would shrink.
I'm back! So did you like the information? I hope you learned something new today. If you didn't, then you are either really smart or you didn't read the information at all. For all the people who skipped the information, SHAME ON YOU! Anyways, seems to me I'm done here. Thank you for always reading my articles and I hope to see you reading even more. With that, I'm done. I'll see you soon. Peace!