CRUISE REPORT

Cruise Number: MF00-01

FOCI Number: FOCI 0MF00

Ship: NOAA Ship MILLER FREEMAN

Area of Operations:

Bering Sea

Itinerary:

Dutch Harbor, Alaska — February 17, 2000

Dutch Harbor, Alaska — February 25, 2000

Participating Organizations:

NOAA — Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL)

NOAA — Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC)

University of Alaska — Fairbanks (UAF)

Chief Scientist:

Carol DeWitt, PMEL

Personnel:

Chris Baier, AFSC

Lisa Britt, AFSC

Sigrid Salo, PMEL

Stacy Smith, UAF

Loren Tuttle, AFSC

Objectives of Cruise:

Continue acquisition of long-term biological and physical time series

Recover and deploy moorings at FOCI site 2 and site 3

Deploy satellite-tracked drifting buoys

Summary of Operations:

CTD casts: 43

Bongos, 60 cm: 14

Bongos, 20 cm: 4

CalVET: 6

Ring.8m: 6

Mooring deployments: 1

Mooring recoveries: 2

Satellite-tracked buoy deployment: 2

Samples Collected:

Chlorophyll samples: 101

Lugol’s samples: 3

Microzooplankton samples: 6

Nutrient samples for Terry Whitledge (UAF): 173

Nutrient samples: 31

Quantitative tow samples: 28

Samples for NMML: 3

Zooplankton collected for stable isotope analysis (Stacy Smith - UAF): 8

Summary of Cruise:

After departure from Dutch Harbor, we steamed to site 2, in the Middle Shelf Domain. We recovered one UAF sediment trap mooring, F-99BSST-2F, and deployed one subsurface mooring, F-00BS-2A. The scheduled deployment of a UAF sediment trap mooring, F-00BSST-2S, at this site was canceled due to an air cargo delivery failure. Special thanks go to ET Scott Furnish for his efforts to create, without a schematic, a cable required for the sediment trap deployment - unfortunately the cable turned out to include a tattletale which required parts that were unavailable on the ship. A CTD cast (nutrients, chlorophylls), bongo tow, live tow and triplicate CalVET tows were taken at this station. A CTD cast (nutrients, chlorophyll) and bongo tow were completed at each of the four stations surrounding site 2. We proceeded along the cross-shelf line, completing the four CTD stations (nutrients). At site 3, we completed a CTD cast (nutrients, chlorophylls) and bongo tow. We then recovered a UAF sediment trap mooring. The scheduled deployment of the UAF sediment trap mooring at this site was also canceled. Triplicate CalVET tows, a single bongo tow and a CTD cast (nutrients, chlorophylls) were completed at the center station at site 3. A CTD cast (nutrients, chlorophylls), bongo tow, and live tow were complete at the north and south site 3 stations. A CTD cast (nutrients, chlorophylls) and bongo tow was completed at the western site 3 station. CTD casts were completed along the outer shelf line. At the shelf break, a CTD cast (nutrients, chlorophylls) and bongo tow were completed at the 200m, 500m and 1000m stations. Due to escalating problems with the port winch, CTD operations were switched to the port side. Thirteen CTD casts were completed using the starboard winch. It should be noted that CTD operations on the port side are not ideal due to the limited space available during recovery operations and due to the limited amount of wire on the port winch.

After the 1000m station, CTD casts were completed along the "L", heading towards site 6. At site 6, a satellite-tracked drifter (S/N 29057) was deployed. After completing the "L", we proceeded to the easternmost CTD line south of Amukta Pass. After the first two CTD casts were completed on this line, we were able to switch CTD operations to the port winch. Due to the Engineering department’s efforts, the port winch had been repaired and all CTD cast depth requirements were met. After the third CTD on this line, operations were stopped for approximately two hours due to weather conditions. We then were able to complete the remaining CTD stations on this line. Due to time considerations, we were not able to proceed to the westernmost CTD line south of Amukta Pass. We decided to proceed to Unimak Pass — deploying a satellite-tracked drifter (S/N 20932), north of Dutch Harbor, along the way. The first — easternmost- station at Unimak Pass, was crowded with fishing vessels and fishing pots — causing us to cancel the bongo operations. A CTD cast (nutrients, chlorophylls) was completed at the first two stations. At the second station, the weather declined — and combined with the currents — caused the bongo wire to increase dramatically. This combined with the slope of the ocean bottom — caused the bongo to hit the bottom although the bottom depth under the ship was 14 m deeper than the depth of the Seacat. This bongo tow was unusable and bongo operations were canceled after this station. After the next two CTD (nutrients, chlorophylls) stations across the Pass were completed, we proceeded to Dutch Harbor.

Specifics of operations:

Attachments: