Saturday, 15 August 2015
By Rachel Teasdale
Weather: A mixture of bright, sunny with overcast skies. Light
winds.
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| Jason Elevator, used to transport instruments from the ship to the seafloor where ROV Jason can unload them. | |
What’s happening today? This morning we were in transit to Axial
Seamount and arrived about 3:30pm. We completed a CTD cast to collect water
Conductivity and Temperature at various Depths of the water column while we
are still far enough away from the volcano to get background levels. Later,
the Jason elevator was lowered to calibrate the underwater acoustic navigation
system. An elevator is basically a platform that is lowered to the ocean floor
to deliver or retrieve instruments or other gear that Jason can later unload
or load (see image at right), and later it is released to return to the surface.
We also launched a student-built unmanned sailboat that has GPS tracking (see
video and more about this in the upcoming Unmanned Sailboat blog).
Living and working at sea can be challenging, but the Thomas G. Thompson is
set up to make it as easy as possible. The Thompson is operated by the School
of Oceanography at the University of Washington, but is owned by the Office
of Naval Research. The ship is 274 feet long and has a 52.6 foot beam (width).
Normal cruising speed is 11 knots (12.7 mph) and the ship has space for 36 scientists,
in addition to its normal crew of 21 plus 2 marine technicians who support science
activities. The marine techs are invaluable in facilitating things like assisting
in deck operations to deploy instruments and equipment, setting up internet
and locating support equipment such as cables, batteries, and more.
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| Science team members at work in the Main Lab. |
Workspaces on board the Thompson (figure left) include four labs, including
the Main Lab where the Geology, Geophysics, Chemistry, and Sentry teams are
working (see image left); Jim Holden and colleagues use the Bio-Analytic
Lab and the Climate Control Chamber & Freezer for their work on microbes;
the Hydro Lab is occupied by the Jason Group; and the Computer Lab houses Chief
Scientist Bill Chadwick, the data management and outreach teams.
All science team members have access to an internal intranet where images and
data from the Jason and Sentry dives are stored. Updates on science activity
plans are posted on a white board in the computer lab, which is broadcast on
the intranet to keep everyone up to date. TV screens in the Main Lab and Computer
Lab project live video from cameras on the Jason ROV during dives, so everyone
on board can watch the action!
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| Map of lab spaces on the Thomas G. Thompson. |
Operations on the deck of TG Thompson are overseen by the ship’s crew,
in collaboration with the scientific team. Cranes lift instruments up and over
the side of the ship and lower them into the water where they can drop to the
sea floor. Sentry is deployed similarly, but once in the sea, it begins its
preprogrammed mission. Launch and recovery of Jason is overseen by the Jason
Expedition Leader using a crane to lift Jason and lower it into the sea. Jason
is piloted from the a “control van,” which is really a storage container
set up with the equipment needed to operate Jason, and space for the scientists
and Jason pilots to do their work during dives.
Science operations on the ship are conducted 24 hours a day and 7 days a week,
so scientists and the ship’s crew have shifts around the clock. During
Jason dives a science watch leader oversees the real-time operations of a dive
to accomplish pre-determined goals. For instance, a goal might be to collect
samples of the 2015 lava flows, but during the dive, the watch leader will decide
exactly which rock sample to collect, and work with Jason pilots to get the
correct sample. Jason has multiple video and still cameras to record each dive,
which are tracked in a log by two data loggers from the science team who are
also in the Jason van throughout dives. The science team rotates through shifts
that have them work 4 hours, then have 8 hours to do other work, eat and sleep.
Such shifts have not started yet, but will begin with the first Jason dive.
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| Lunchtime on Saturday 15 August 2015. |
We are especially lucky to have a wonderful kitchen (or “galley”)
crew on board the TG Thompson during this cruise. We are treated to a spectacular
array of food, throughout the day. Breakfasts include basic cereal, yogurt and
fruit, as well as hot food options such as French toast, quiche, and a variety
of eggs and breakfast meats. Lunches typically include a salad bar and hot food
items such as burritos and hamburgers. Dinners include salads and at least two
main course options. We had a full-scale Thanksgiving-style dinner two nights
ago and last night’s options were halibut and turkey pot pie along with
a variety of vegetables. Desserts are served daily, with each option a special
treat. Homemade cookies, éclairs, cake, ice cream and more have been
available in just the few days since boarding the ship. Meals are a great time
to catch up with shipmates on board, for work-related conversations, as well
as a chance to socialize and share stories of previous expeditions and to talk
about things going on back home. Stories of families and dogs are common topics
of conversation in the mess hall (see image from lunch on Saturday August 15
at left).
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| Science crew state room. |
Scientists have 2-person staterooms on the ship with bunks, storage, a sink
and access to a shared bathroom (“the head”). Most scientist staterooms
are on lower decks of the ship (see photo at right). The “around the clock”
work schedules are facilitated by having dark curtains around bunks. The ship’s
library houses a collection of technical and non-technical books, and the TV
room has a video library where the science and ship’s crew can relax while
