Teacher Logbook:
Tuesday August 1, 2000

Carol's Observations
Today was the highlight of a very memorable cruise. A new mooring was set out with the instruments that will take data for the next year at Axial. Scientists will then retrieve the mooring. Watching the mooring being assembled is a mesmerizing event. Working from a set of plans, the ship's crew and science team lay the instruments and floats on the stern deck. The 1300-pound anchor with a length of chain starts the process. The anchor consists of two railroad wheels. A chain is attached to the anchor. An a-frame hoist lifts the anchor to the surface of the ocean. Next comes more chain and the bright yellow EG&G acoustic release. This is the instrument that releases the mooring for recovery. The instruments must be recovered so the year's data can be downloaded. More chain is attached along with a double glass ball float encased in a hard hat of yellow plastic. Red synthetic rope is hooked to the chain and an instrument is attached. The rope makes it easier to attach the instruments with tie-wraps. Anything that turns can work its way loose in the constantly moving ocean. As a result, all the plastic tie-wraps are secured with black tape. Anything held by a bolt and nut is secured with a cotter pin.

As the mooring grows in length, the completed sections snake their way into the ocean. The mooring's working end is held fast to the ship by a rope with several wraps around the capstan. The process continues as chain, rope and instruments are added. The same type of instrument was attached at several different places along the mooring. This allows for readings at different ocean depths. The instruments used were mini-mapers, remote current meters, miniature temperature recorders, and an osmosampler. The chain continues until a set of glass floats and a red flag is attached. A rope with a quick release hook travels through the pulley on the A-frame and supports the mooring over the stern of the ship. The mooring hovers above the desired location on the seafloor. At that point I yanked on the rope to allow the mooring to anchor to the seafloor. It happened very fast and it was surprising how quickly the mooring traveled out of sight.

A big thank you to the ship's crew and scientists for allowing me to have this experience. Join the Teachers-At-Sea tomorrow for more exciting happenings at sea.

Mary Beth's Observations
Many of you may be asking how we are sending all these emails and pictures while we are at sea. Today I would like to introduce you to command headquarters, a computer lab controlling much of the daily activity of the ship. The lab serves many different functions.

The computer room has the necessary equipment to produce bathymetric sub bottom profiles. Bathymetric sub-bottom profiles are created by sending a 3.5 kHz burst of sound, or a "ping" to the ocean floor. The ping, within the hearing range of humans, sounds like a bird chirping. The ping is reflected back to the ship allowing the computers to paint a picture of the ocean bottom.A Sea Beam 2100, operating at 12kHz, is an instrument used to map the ocean floor. The Sea Beam 2100 produces contour, color coded maps which are used by the scientists on a daily basis.

All tows and casts are controlled from the CTD computer. The computer, located near the maps, is used to monitor nephelometer voltage, depth, altitude above the ocean floor and temperature anomaly while the CTD is in the water. The computer provides real-time data from the CTD as it ventures to the bottom of the ocean. Several other computers are located in the main computer lab. These computers are used for a multitude of tasks including data analysis, word processing, emailing and of course, playing some games. We are able to send out email twice a day via satellite.

From the picture you could almost imagine the computer room is located on land. In reality, when you look around the lab you realize many precautions have been taken to protect the sensitive equipment from rough seas. The large Bathymetric and Sea Beam computers are mounted to the floor. Desktop computers are mounted using stainless- steel platforms. The chairs have suction cups on the bottom to prevent rolling away from the computer. Doors and cabinets are locked. Safety is a number one concern of the crew of NOAA Ship Ronald H. Brown. Well, until tomorrow, good bye from the "Computer Room."

Carol releasing the mooring to the bottom.

Mary Beth at one of the many computers in the main computer lab.