Mission #132: The Impact of Sharks on Coral Reefs
Monday, August 28, 2016
Isla Morada, Florida
Training:
We had to do a swim test today. I had to tread water for 10 minutes. Then I had to swim 400 yards (up and down twice on a football field) in 12 minutes. Finally, I had to swim underwater on one breath for 25 yards. I was tired!
We then had hours of safety briefings, where we learned about how the habitat works and what the science team is trying to accomplish. The3re are three experiments going on at the same time. The first one concerns how microscopic algae grow in coral reefs. The second experiment is trying to find out how sharks and the coral reef work together as in food webs and human impact. The third experiment is about the sharks themselves. They are using different sounds to see if they attract sharks to a certain area. Kind of like a duck call for sharks….. J
After lunch, I had to dive to show that I could take off put back on my mask underwater. I also had to demonstrate that I could share air with someone. Finally, I had to drag an “unconscious” diver 50 yards to a boat. I did get a break when the other diver had to pull me…lol.
Tomorrow we start training with two air tanks at one time. This thing weighs over 100 pounds on your back!!
What is so cool is that the NASA astronauts just finished training here. Hopefully, I get to meet some when they come back for their equipment!
More tomorrow!
We had to do a swim test today. I had to tread water for 10 minutes. Then I had to swim 400 yards (up and down twice on a football field) in 12 minutes. Finally, I had to swim underwater on one breath for 25 yards. I was tired!
We then had hours of safety briefings, where we learned about how the habitat works and what the science team is trying to accomplish. The3re are three experiments going on at the same time. The first one concerns how microscopic algae grow in coral reefs. The second experiment is trying to find out how sharks and the coral reef work together as in food webs and human impact. The third experiment is about the sharks themselves. They are using different sounds to see if they attract sharks to a certain area. Kind of like a duck call for sharks….. J
After lunch, I had to dive to show that I could take off put back on my mask underwater. I also had to demonstrate that I could share air with someone. Finally, I had to drag an “unconscious” diver 50 yards to a boat. I did get a break when the other diver had to pull me…lol.
Tomorrow we start training with two air tanks at one time. This thing weighs over 100 pounds on your back!!
What is so cool is that the NASA astronauts just finished training here. Hopefully, I get to meet some when they come back for their equipment!
More tomorrow!
Tuesday, August 29, 2016
Isla Morada, Florida
Today was a long day. We studied how to escape from the habitat in different types of emergencies. This included fire and loss of power. No Mr. Peek drill though. We had to be able to tell where emergency flashlights were located as well as portable breathing devices. These are all over the habitat in special places to be easily accessible wherever you are in the Hab.
Day Two
We started practicing with a double scuba tank setup. These are new to me but give double the air. They weigh about 100 pounds each.
Day Two
We started practicing with a double scuba tank setup. These are new to me but give double the air. They weigh about 100 pounds each.
We also worked on emergency procedures in case someone gets hurt both in the water and in the Hab. This includes how to share your own air with another person by switching off the mouth piece. This has to be done with masks on and with them off. The salt water really stings.
We are also leaning to tie different knots. I feel like a Boy Scout again. Additionally, we have to learn how to use certain rope tugs to communicate with the surface. They do get a bit confusing at the moment.
The weather is keeping us from diving too much but we hope tomorrow we get to go back out and practice. We can't go down to the habitat until we pass all the tests. This includes a HUGE math test with many tables to use to get information. Getting a problem wrong on these means you could die. I show all my work!!!! I also double and triple check everything. Hint....hint
Finally, all the scientists and I got to go over how the experiments will be conducted. It was very fun to see how they followed the scientific method to develop their plans to collect the data. I am hoping for lots of sharks!
Wednesday, August 30, 2016
Isla Morada, Florida
Day Three
The weather is still too bad to go out and dive. There are two tropical storms
Gaston and Hermine as well as Tropical depression 9 hanging out around Flordia making the waves swell. As of this moment, the waves are 8 feet high every 5 seconds.
The weather is still too bad to go out and dive. There are two tropical storms
Gaston and Hermine as well as Tropical depression 9 hanging out around Flordia making the waves swell. As of this moment, the waves are 8 feet high every 5 seconds.
Today insstead of going out diving, we took advantage of the time to practice working with all the hoses and valves on double tanks. We learned what to do if something leaks air or breaks. This included how to get back to the habitat sharing air with and without our facemasks on. This will be a lot harder in the water.
We then went outside, because it stopped raining for a bit,and worked on how to use lead lines to work away from the habitat. There are several bright yellow nylon ropes that lead away from the habitat that are anchored to the sea floor. The ropes are about four feet off the ground so you can see them. You are supposed to follow the ropes out and back so you don't get lost. (See picture at bottom of post.)
If you have to go away from the main ropes, we use leader lines (like big fishing reels) to attach to the main rope and then go off on an angle to what you want to look at. In these pictures, we are tieing the lines off to rocks so it does not "drift off" as it will in the water later. If you get lost down there it is a BAD thing. Because we are pressured at 50', we can not come up without being decompressed. You will get very hurt if you have to pop up to the top. More about that in a minute.
Finally, we learned how to fill a last chance floating help indicator. This is like a ballon that you inflate that pops to the surface to let the topside emergency divers know you need help. They then come down to help you. This will look much better when we practice under water.
Ok back to what happens if you surface without going through 17 hours of recompression.You get to go in one of the hyperbaric chambers. They place you inside the one on the boat first, they can increase the pressure to equal the undersea pressure you were at before the emergency. They will also have medical person inside with you to help you.
Ok back to what happens if you surface without going through 17 hours of recompression.You get to go in one of the hyperbaric chambers. They place you inside the one on the boat first, they can increase the pressure to equal the undersea pressure you were at before the emergency. They will also have medical person inside with you to help you.
When they get you to shore, they move you to a bigger chamber inside the building at the base.
When they get you to shore, they move you to a bigger chamber inside the building at the base.
I plan to avoid both places....
I am still practicing my rope signals. This is a way to communicate with divers and top side crew by pulliung on a rope in certain patterns. I have to pass this in order to go down. Yes, I have to take tests too.
This is a model of the aquarius habitat.
This is a model of the aquarius habitat.
This is a cross section of the teather from the top bouy to the habitat. It carries electricity, communications, and air down to the habitat.
This is a cross section of the teather from the top bouy to the habitat. It carries electricity, communications, and air down to the habitat.
As we wait for the weather, we are constantly rechecking how the science plan will change with the possibly less time. This is our map where sonar, cameras, and algae trays will be placed. The straight lines are the guide ropes that I talked about earlier. The yellow oblong object is the lab. The yellow round object is the noise maker we are using to test to see if certain noises bring in more sharks.
The blacklines going fromthe bottom left to the top right show changes in water depth. Where the black ines are really close together show cliffs or steep drop offs. Look really close at the one in the upper right!
The points all the way to the bottom of the map are 120-130 feet down!
Hoping for better weather tomorrow.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Isla Morada, Florida
Isla Morada, Florida
Day Four
Today was a minimal work day due to the weather. The waves are still too big for us to go in the water and demonstrate escape drills, buddy breathing drills, and being lost drills. Hopefully, tomorrow we can do these. The boat will try to go out at 8:00 am and see what the water is like at the site. If the water is good, then we will follow out on a second boat. Ther trip takes about fourty minutes to an hour each way.
Today was a minimal work day due to the weather. The waves are still too big for us to go in the water and demonstrate escape drills, buddy breathing drills, and being lost drills. Hopefully, tomorrow we can do these. The boat will try to go out at 8:00 am and see what the water is like at the site. If the water is good, then we will follow out on a second boat. Ther trip takes about fourty minutes to an hour each way.
Weather Sept 1 --We are off the Southern tip of Flordia..Under all the colors
At the base, we had to pass a written Saturation Diving Test. This was not too hard as the base crew had been drilling us ve3ry well on emergency procedures since we arrived on Monday. They then released us to work and study on our own.
Since we had some spare time and it was not raining. I helped our sonar man Ben set up his equipment and test it in the swimming pool. I learned alot about frequency, apature size and modulation of sound waves. He even let me run the sonar for a bit. It is so finely tuned that it can see fins and eyes on fish at distances of 100 meters.
On the left is the type of pictures the sonar produces. There are really two sonars in his set up.One for near distnace and one for objects further away. The sonars sit on a large tripod that can be adjusted for the sea floor.
In the next picture, you can see Ben's leg in the very bottom of the screen.
We had a great time chatting with my class as well as Mrs. Ott's, Ms. Powell's, and Ms. Paul's classes back in Enid. Even Ben got to participate as all the fifth graders asked fantasic questions about sonar and how it is used for marine research. That was really the highlight of my day!!!
In the evening, all the crew spent some time BBQing hamburgers and getting to know each other better, Finally, I had to spend more time memorizing the rope pull communication drills. This allows divers to talk to people on the surface by pulling ropes in a certain pattern. This is another test I have to pass. especially while underwater and in stressful situtations. Practice makes perfect :)
Here are the links to be able to tour the hab with Google Maps. Just click on them.
Outside--OUTSIDE TOUR
Inside----INSIDE TOUR
Hoping for great diving tomorrow. Hopefully I will be able to get some great pictures in as well!
Here are the links to be able to tour the hab with Google Maps. Just click on them.
Outside--OUTSIDE TOUR
Inside----INSIDE TOUR
Hoping for great diving tomorrow. Hopefully I will be able to get some great pictures in as well!
Friday, September 2, 2016
Isla Morada, Florida
Isla Morada, Florida
Day Five..Really Friday's Blog :)
We waiting until 9AM to see if we might be able to go out and do our test dives. ARHHH nope waves are still at 4'-6' high. Too high for us to go but the professionals did get to go down to Aquarius and start the systems and get it all turned on for us. They say it is 99% ready and will be ready when we go in on Wednesday.
In the mean time we got to practice underwater navigation with a compass. It was kind of funny since we did it in the parking lot....with a towel over our head to prevent us from seeing the target.
We did look pretty goofy.
We waiting until 9AM to see if we might be able to go out and do our test dives. ARHHH nope waves are still at 4'-6' high. Too high for us to go but the professionals did get to go down to Aquarius and start the systems and get it all turned on for us. They say it is 99% ready and will be ready when we go in on Wednesday.
In the mean time we got to practice underwater navigation with a compass. It was kind of funny since we did it in the parking lot....with a towel over our head to prevent us from seeing the target.
We did look pretty goofy.
While we were waiting for the seas to calm down, I got to chat with Mrs. Lisa Pitts' classroom in Duncan Okla. We used the old standby of Facetime for me to show the class around the dock where all the equipment is ready to do. They had some really good questions about pressure and saturation. FYI Lisa was a finalist for Oklahoma Teacher of the Year this year..so shout out to her!
As we wait, we do take to opportunity to get to know each other better. I am finding out so much about ocean life. In turn the scientists love hearing stories about life in fifth grade.They are excited to get to know my class better as well. Interesting fact.... scientists measure how fish return nutrients back to the ocean by...measuring their pee.... The catch them,put them in ziplock bags for a period of time, measure their urine output and what is in it, then let the fish go. More cool sfun facts are to follow I am sure!
As I wondered around the base, I did notice a cool painting tucked away in a corner. Mrs. Bartnick would be so happy. She loves the environmentalist painter Robert Wyland. He paints and sculpts ocean themed art. Here is is website....Wyland Website
He painted one for the Aquarius habitat staff based on the famous Cousteau mission.See more about that mission here.... http://time.com/cousteau/
Some of his building sized art can be seen here. He is an incredible artist.
In fact, there is a building painted by him in Key Largo just up the road from where I am staying.
Hoping for better day on Tuesday when we get to dive. As you can see, all our gear is on the boat or right next to the door ready to go.
Guess I will have to get in some scuba time somehow this weekend...
Later!
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
Isla Morada, Florida
Day eight
Sunday and Monday were days off here at the base. It was nice to relax, However today (Tuesday) it was back to work. We went out to the habitat area for test dives and emergency drills. Diving with double tanks is a bit more the single tanks I am used to. These weigh over 100 pounds. You always need help getting in and out of the water.
Sunday and Monday were days off here at the base. It was nice to relax, However today (Tuesday) it was back to work. We went out to the habitat area for test dives and emergency drills. Diving with double tanks is a bit more the single tanks I am used to. These weigh over 100 pounds. You always need help getting in and out of the water.
We were diving right in the area of the habitat but we could not see it.. The Life Support Buoy was right next to us. This is a floating buoy that sends down air, electricity, Internet, and radio to the habitat. As we were diving, the support boat crew was bringing down food and other items for the upcoming week.
I have to finish packing items tonight for them to take down for me. They actually put things in giant pressurized paint cans. They pressurize these things so they can take items down to the hab so the items do not get crushed by the pressure. At the surface you have one atmosphere of pressure on your body. At 66 feet you have three atmospheres of pressure on your body.
Computer hard drives do not work well at this pressure. The pressure pushes the hard drive plates together and they get over heated and stop working. In order to use a computer, you have to have a solid state drive. One with no moving parts, like an iPad or Surface. I am even bringing my iPhone. I am thinking of all kinds of cool science experiments we can do!
Finally, here is a cut away drawing of my new home.
Talk to you tomorrow!
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Isla Morada, Florida
First overnight in the Hab, we are officially Aquanauts! Whoot Whoot
We started this morning with a great breakfast. We have plenty of dehydrated camping food. Everything, from eggs and sausage to shrimp. The staff here even brought down snacks for us. We do get treated well. I even got to have some fresh pressed coffee for breakfast!
Today started the actual experiments. Aline had us separated into two teams, Frances and him. Ben and I were the other dive team.Each team would go out and place a set of five blades of grass in a marked grid. There are five grids in a low rugosity area (low current) and five in a high rugosity area. Each set of five was picked up during a later dive at around noon. The second set of grass blades was picked up again at about 4 o'clock.
Along with each plot of grass blades was a Gopro camera to record what ate the grass and how much was eaten. The grass that was recovered each time was measured to determine how much was eaten at each plot and in both the high and low rugosity areas. Aline's hypothesis is that when sharks are around they have a different effect on the fish eating patterns in the different rugosity areas. His data will prove this for him.
Aline and Frances placing a feeding site
Ben and I moving bricks to a new site.
This is what a feeding site looks like. Each clothes pin holds a blade of seagrass..kind of like candy to parrot fish I am told.
Frances taking a break :)
After working for about 90 minutes we head back home. for a break and more food! But before I go in I had to take a picture from outside our dinner window. You can even see the rest of the crew inside.
After posing for a quick picture we swim back to the habitat. In order to get in have to go under the entrance and then swim up into the wet porch area. This is kind of like holding a cup upside down in some water. there is air inside and the pressure keeps the water out.
As you swim underneath Aquarius there is plenty of fish to welcome you home.
The gazebo is a place to refill your air tanks underwater. It also serves as part of the emergency escape plan. Before the got a toilet working in the habitat it also had another use...
The gazebo is a place to refill your air tanks underwater. It also serves as part of the emergency escape plan. Before the got a toilet working in the habitat it also had another use...
The beauty of everything around here continues to astound me. This beauty is hanging out right at our doorstep.
Finally, a day would not be complete without a nice pose outside the lab.This was taken at the end of the second dive.
As a final note. I usually put this blog together at the end of the day.Everyone is asleep and I have a moment to myself to reflect. I had two great surprises for me tonight. The first is when a huge shark swam by the window. I guess I was a bit loud since everyone ran to come see. I guess our shark call is working! Check out his video from tonight!!!
As a wonderful way to end the night, one of more former students and also captain of the robotics team we conquered Oklahoma with texted me to say she was watching me on the live feed. we chatted a bit and she sent me a photo of her watching. Chey you are still awesome! Loved you in fifth grade and still love you now!
As I get ready for bed, I want to say goodnight to my favorite dive partner and wife, Kimberly and all of our children. Robby, Meghan, Ashleigh, Kayleigh, Carleigh,and finally Codyman!
Friday, September 9, 2016
Isla Morada, Florida
Isla Morada, Florida
Today the surface waves are particularly high. The waves are 6'-8' and strong enough to rock the hab even 60' down. The place has been swaying pretty well. In fact, one of the cameras was knocked over and we had to reset it.The FIU sign on top of the hab is now underneath the hab as well..along with a nice nurse shark! Even Ben's sonar tripod was knocked over today. It is too heavy for us to move so we will have to wait for the boat crew in the morning.
The waves make the buoy bounce around so much that the antenna on it has a very hard time keeping the Internet going for us. I tried to Skype with three schools today but could not maintain a good connection. Very frustrating. I did get to see my class and a few other classrooms briefly by facetiming them. It was very cool and also reminded me how much I miss my class.
In the morning Ben and I set up the cameras, and placed the seagrass in the closepins. Each blade is 10 CM long. We measure how much of the grass the fish eat. We compare feeding rates between high turbulence and low turbulence areas. This is done by measuring each blade of grass when we retrieve them and graphing out how much is eaten at each time and each site. Then we see how feeding rates in both areas change if there is a shark around. The Gopros on each site record what fish are eating the plants and if a shark swims in the area. The sonar also tells us what time and how big the shark was and about how many fish were at the feeding sites.
The waves make the buoy bounce around so much that the antenna on it has a very hard time keeping the Internet going for us. I tried to Skype with three schools today but could not maintain a good connection. Very frustrating. I did get to see my class and a few other classrooms briefly by facetiming them. It was very cool and also reminded me how much I miss my class.
In the morning Ben and I set up the cameras, and placed the seagrass in the closepins. Each blade is 10 CM long. We measure how much of the grass the fish eat. We compare feeding rates between high turbulence and low turbulence areas. This is done by measuring each blade of grass when we retrieve them and graphing out how much is eaten at each time and each site. Then we see how feeding rates in both areas change if there is a shark around. The Gopros on each site record what fish are eating the plants and if a shark swims in the area. The sonar also tells us what time and how big the shark was and about how many fish were at the feeding sites.
Ben is Happy his Sonar is working
I made Ben carry the heavy bag on this trip
Us peeking in to see what is cooking for dinner inside the hab....hope it is not fish
Setting up the survey plots
A finished plot
After a period of time, the grass and the cameras are collected on another dive around 1 PM. The grass blades are collected in marked ziplock bags so we can tell what plots they came from. During this dive we put out new blades of grass and fresh cameras to record for another set period of time,usually around 5PM.
During this last dive we collect up the grass blades again, as well as the cameras, for measurement and to see what ate the grass and if sharks were in the area.
Each time we come in from a dive we enter the habitat from underneath. This allows us to swim into the wet porch area. Unfortunately, a male sergeant major fish has been guarding a new nest of eggs. He has been biting Ben and me as well as pulling our hair. He is a brave little guy.
The Bossy Sergeant Major looks pretty but he does hurt when he pulls your hair and bites you!
Aline storing his gear under the hab
We did take a moment to pose for pictures of us outside the hab.. from the inside. :)
We do take a minute to have fun as well..
In the down time I got some email though. It was so neat to see a video a teacher took of her class reacting to the shark video I posted the other day. I got in a quick snippet of video chatting with them. Apparently, the thing to do is watch us on the cameras around the hab. I think we may be the experiment! I think it is so cool to be able to share this experience with classes around the world. I hope that they too become interested in science and especially how our oceans are something we have to preserve and safeguard.
As the day wore on, we had two visitors. One was Tearany Tiss, a journalist from National Geographic. She was scouting out the hab for a future full visit. She also told me that she is developing a game for kids called Animal Jam. I will have to check that out. I think she got Frances and Ben to do a short video that will be included in the game. Kinda Cool!
Finally as we ate dinner, our other guest showed up. A Goliath Grouper. He is about six feet long. He hung out outside our window for about an hour. We all took pictures with him! We got to see him slurp down a fish for his dinner. one second there is a fish, next just the grouper. We all yelled out when he did it. I still think he smiled at us as he swam off.
As I write this..about 11PM, there is a big shark swimming just outside the light of my window. He is teasing me by just staying a shadow tonight.
There is so much beauty down here. I have to share a few random photos with you from today.
Well I have finished my chai tea and it is about time to head to bed. Another big day tomorrow. This post will most likely go out in the morning since I can't get on the Internet to post it tonight. I hate going to bed here, because it means there is one less day in the wonderful, wonderful place. I could literally sit at this table and watch the fish all night long...and did until 1 AM!! :)
Saturday, September 10, 2016
Isla Morada, Florida
Isla Morada, Florida
Rough seas were still with us this morning. The support boat could not make it for the 8 AM dive. Might have been a good thing. I am still a bit sore from the rough dive yesterday. A few knocks and cuts but OK. I am definitely getting a leg workout! Especially when I swim carrying materials or even worse... bricks.
Not to waste time we decided to go through the three days worth of Gopro video we have. Big project! There are two hours of video on each Gopro twice a day and ten cameras at a time. a typical video shows what kind of fish are nibbling at the grass we leave them. It also shows if any predators like sharks, lionfish, or baracuda are around. We do get some cool pictures from the videos though. Here are a few...
Not to waste time we decided to go through the three days worth of Gopro video we have. Big project! There are two hours of video on each Gopro twice a day and ten cameras at a time. a typical video shows what kind of fish are nibbling at the grass we leave them. It also shows if any predators like sharks, lionfish, or baracuda are around. We do get some cool pictures from the videos though. Here are a few...
We make an excel spread sheet with the numbers of parrot fish and surgeon fish. We also count the sharks, barracuda, etc... These numbers are put into graphs to show how the fish interact. Do the smaller fish hide from the predators? Does the rougher water offer more protection than the calmer water? All cool things the marine biologists I am working with are trying to figure out.
we make lots of trips carrying things to set up the experiments.
The thoughts that the noise maker was not attracting sharks enough was brought up. SOOOO
we decided to make it more fun! We asked for some chum. Which is basically chopped up fish.. all smelly and slimy..but meat eaters LOVE it!
we make lots of trips carrying things to set up the experiments.
The thoughts that the noise maker was not attracting sharks enough was brought up. SOOOO
we decided to make it more fun! We asked for some chum. Which is basically chopped up fish.. all smelly and slimy..but meat eaters LOVE it!
This is our support diver bringing us boxes of chum, It was frozen so it wasn't too messy...yet.
The chum was hung in mesh bags on the guide ropes we have around the habitat. There was some immediate interest..
The best part was when the shark came over!
The sharks have been in the area since we pu the chum out. It is midnight here now.
I have to add that every time we come into the habitat we enter from underneath and into the wet porch. You never know what is waiting to greet you when you come home.
I have to add that every time we come into the habitat we enter from underneath and into the wet porch. You never know what is waiting to greet you when you come home.
As a final note.. I am still getting used to people I know texting me to tell me that they are watching me. Cool to know I have a fan club. lol
Tomorrow we will use more chum!! yea.. I think!
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Isla Morada, Florida