Return of the Tuna!

And....we're back! Back in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM), on the hunt for larval bluefin tuna (BFT)! The next two legs of our survey will be focused on finding patches of bluefin larvae (Thunnus thynnus), and studying the biogeochemical habitat in which we find them. We are joined by some familiar collaborators from the University of Miami-RSMAS, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR), and the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO), as well as some new team members!

A glimpse of some of the new equipment we'll be using!

Why is this important? Well, you may know that BFT are one of the mostly highly sought after fish in the commercial industry, as they are large, delicious, and highly valuable. But this also means that they are being over exploited - which means that the levels at which they are currently fished are not sustainable long-term. Atlantic BFT are highly migratory species (HMS), distributed throughout the northern Atlantic Ocean. However, they migrate south to the GoM and the Mediterranean Sea to spawn only once a year during the summer months.

The FORCES lab studies the early life stages of tunas in order to tell their "origin story." Why do the adults travel miles and miles to this specific area? Are there certain oceanic features that provide a protective nursery habitat for the larvae and increase their chances for survival? Are there certain biochemical gradients in these waters that help the larvae grow faster or more fit for surviving the pelagic environment? How will forecasted changes in this environment affect larvae in the coming decades?

LOTS of water filtration will be involved!

We are incredibly excited to be embarking upon a brand new set of surveys with several new partners in order to start to answer some of these questions.  We even more thrilled that our new research team was selected as one of the few projects funded by the NOAA RESTORE Act Science Program! This Science Program funds "research, observation, and monitoring to support long-term sustainability in the GoM ecosystem, including fish stocks, fish habitat, and fishing industries" (for more on the program, click here). The FORCES Lab at the NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center teamed up with Scripps Institute of Oceanography, Florida State University, and the University of Hawaii at Manoa to examine the "Effects of nitrogen sources and plankton food web dynamics on habitat quality for larval BFT."  Together, we will use net tows, satellite data, oceanographic models, and drifters, to find patches of bluefin tuna larvae in the GoM and then we will follow these patches over the next few days. Every day we will sample (around the clock!) the in situ conditions and characteristics of the patch, in order to obtain a bottom-up understanding of BFT recruitment in the GoM. We will share with you more as we keep drifting with the tunas!

We can't wait to share this new journey with you!

Don't worry, we'll still show you loads of sunsets at sea

Coral Reef Fish in USVI: Where do they come from?

Figure showing the dominant flow modes a) cyclonic
 and b) anticyclonic flows around St. Croix
(Source: AMSEAS Model)

If you've ever been to the Caribbean, you've seen white sand beaches and clear blue waters - perfect for snorkeling and SCUBA diving to see the coral reef systems beneath the surface. These reefs demonstrate incredible diversity of fish, crustaceans, cephalopods, and many other organisms. As larval fish biologists and oceanographers, we are interested in where coral reef fish spawn, and the oceanographic processes that transport larvae to their ultimate settling location, the coral reefs.

Though the US Virgin Islands are relatively small, the oceanographic features surrounding them can be quite complex. The southern-most island, St. Croix, is geographically isolated 50km from the northern islands by a 4000m-deep trough, and we hypothesize
that its position affects how waters flow into and around the northern islands (St. Thomas and St. John).

We devised a sampling plan which should help us understand the flow near the shelf break south of St. Thomas and St. John, specifically if there is connectivity between inshore and offshore areas, or if there is a barrier between them.

L-R: Sennai, Jess, Tanya, and Dan throw SVP drifters off the stern.

Our stations are positioned at inshore, slope, and offshore locations:

A plankton sample!
Photo credit: LTJG Norton

• Oceanographic Eulerian data: ADCP, CTD, and XBTs will provide data on the temperature, salinity, and velocities of the water column being sampled. With water velocities we will be able to calculate potential vorticity, which will give us an idea of the ability of the flow to spin. These instruments sample from the surface to the ocean floor! Our Eulerian metrics are important to better understand the physical nature of the inshore and offshore environments where our fish larvae live. 
• Oceanographic Lagrangian data: SVP and biodegradable drifters will be deployed at each segment on the transects, and will transmit through satellite a time series of speed and direction of the currents. We are deploying the drifters in pairs to be able to compute relative dispersion, which is a measurement of the separation of two surface particles (e.g. larvae) drifting in the ocean. Our Lagrangian metrics are important to better understand the inshore and offshore transport of our fish larvae. 
• Biological data: Bongo plankton nets will be towed, sampling from the surface to the ocean floor. Fish larvae from these samples will give us an idea as to what species of reef fish are spawning in these areas. These biological metrics are also important to quantify how the nature and transport within inshore and offshore environments affect fish larvae.  
Oceanographic data: ADCP, CTD, and XBTs will provide data on the temperature, salinity, and potential vorticity of the water column being sampled. These instruments sample from the surface to the ocean floor!

The CTD is brought back on the ship by ST Stephanie
Photo credit: LTJG Norton

We are very excited to see the results of this study! Upon completion, we will be able to better understand the specific mechanisms which drive interactions between fisheries and the environment in the USVI, and hopefully be able to gauge the effectiveness of current fisheries management strategies, while developing methods for improvement. 

Another Year Complete!

A post-storm sunset captured from the beach in St. Croix, while the Foster (far left) is docked in port

Another cruise is in the books! We can't believe it's over already! This year's cruise was defined by balancing new sampling techniques and research goals with familiar methods and regions.

We made history by becoming the first federal vessel to dock in Havana, Cuba, since the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries, but also returned to the familiar U.S. Virgin Islands, where we sampled for the 7th year. We updated our usual pre-determined sampling plan in order to explore the dynamics of ever-changing mesoscale eddies, yet maintained the integrity of historical sampling sites. We welcomed new faces on board, including Cuban observers, and rekindled relationships with colleagues from years past.

Some final stats for Legs 1, 2, and 3 combined:

Sarah and Alexis rinse down the S25 net

• CTD casts = 121
• S10/S25 net tows = 105
• Bongo tows = 41
• Neuston tows = 17
• MOCNESS = 74
• mini-Bongo tows = 66
• drifters deployed = 13
• plankton samples collected = over 500!
• countries visited = 4 (U.S., Cuba, Mexico, Jamaica)
• collaborating countries = 7 (U.S., Mexico, Cuba, Japan, Spain, France, Dominican Republic)
• collaborating institutions = 15

We still have lots of work left to do - unloading the ship, unpacking, cleaning, and repairing all our gear, sorting over 500 plankton samples, identifying larval fish, processing CTD files, running chlorophyll and isotope samples, and more! While we get back to work, check out some of our final images and videos from the last leg of the cruise, and be sure to check back for more next year!

Thanks for reading and sharing in our NF-16-02 adventures!

Leg 3! L-R: Omar, Trika, Sennai, Dan, Alexis, Aras, Mara, Ryan, Alex, Kathryn, Sarah, Adrianne, Angela, LaTreese

Aras patiently filters the mini-Bongo sample through find mesh funnels

Time-lapse: MOCNESS retrieval! 

(Video by Mara Duke)

Time-lapse: S25 tow - this was in very shallow water so you can see the ocean floor!

(Video by Mara Duke)

Adrianne and Angela deploy the CTD while ST Nick directs the winch operator

Ryan takes water samples from the CTD rosette bottles (top), then treats them so the
oxygen concentration can be measured back in the lab (bottom).

Omar (L) rinses the S25 neuston net, while Adrianne and Kathryn hold it steady.
Safety first! Everyone wears hard hats and PFDs, and are tethered to the deck with a safety line.

Day Shift Rules! Mara, Sarah, Sennai, and Alexis take a selfie in their safety gear.

Night Shift makes you crazy! LaTreese, Adrianne, Alex, Omar, Angela, Aars, & Kathryn started work at midnight everyday!

We're done! See you next year!!

Featured Scientist: Angela Ferrá-Elías!

Today's featured scientist, and final guest post for NF1602, is Angela Ferrá-Elías, from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez! Angela is new to our cruise team, but quickly became one of us - we have loved sailing with her! Read more about her research and passion for her field!

Angela presents her research at the American
Meteorological Society Annual Meeting

"¡Saludos! My name is Angela Ferrá-Elías, a graduate student from the Marine Science Department at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez (UPRM). Since I was 10 years old, I have been in love with the weather, ocean and the atmospheric phenomena. It was at this age, while attending 6th grade in elementary school, that I said, “when I grow up, I want to be a meteorologist”. This has been my dream since then and pursuing this dream, I completed a degree in physical science and a curricular sequence in Atmospheric Science and Meteorology in May 2013. During my years as an undergrad student I worked as a summer intern in the Geological and Environmental Remote Sensing Laboratory (GERS Lab) with Dr. Fernando Gilbes in the Geology Department at UPRM. Through these internships I combined my knowledge in meteorology with oceanography and remote sensing techniques. These opportunities opened my way to graduate studies in Physical Oceanography and with these opportunities came a new passion... the oceanography.

"As a masters graduate student I’m trying to focus my research and studies experience in the relationship and interaction of the ocean and the atmosphere. My research focus is based in the detection of mesoscale eddies in the eastern Caribbean Sea using sea water bio-optical properties. The objective is to identify if some bio-optical parameters are goods trackers for mesoscale eddies.

L: Angela deploys a CTD with Omar; R: Angela and Aras rinse down the mini-bongo net

"Because of my type of research I’m always behind the computer working but I really like and enjoy going out and doing some field work! This is why this experience aboard the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster is so exciting for me…. I’m going out! Finally, I have the opportunity to be in the field and learn new things. Even if I have experience working with the CTD, the best way to learn is by practicing and with this opportunity I definitely have much more experience.

Meteorology and Climate Change
workshop at US Fish & Wildlife
Service, Cabo Rojo, PR

"In my free time I enjoy going to the beach, doing some snorkeling, watching tv series and “dormir” (sleep)! But I also enjoy educating. This is why I work as marine educator in Sea Grant Puerto Rico and outreach coordinator in AECiMa (Asociación de Estudiantes de Ciencias Marinas). With all the experience and the knowledge obtained in this oceanographic expedition I definitely have more outreach activities to coordinate in my beautiful Puerto Rico. 

"Thanks for this amazing opportunity aboard the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster!" 

Thanks for reading all about our amazing guest scientists from NF1602! Keep checking back this week for some fun microscopic critters, and our final cruise post! 

Leg 2 Wrap Up!

"Leg 3" of the survey has officially started! Nancy, as we affectionately call the ship, departed from St. Thomas and is currently sampling in and around the US and British Virgin Islands as well as Puerto Rico for the next couple of weeks to continue our larval reef fish monitoring in the area (EST 2007-2011, 2013 and 2015!). The focus of this survey is quite different than the previous month (chasing eddies, lobsters and tunas!) and we will continue to share our journey along the way.

So to wrap up the first portion (NF1602), our Legs 1 and 2 chief scientist shared some of her thoughts:

John, our SEFSC Principle Investigator (PI) on the back deck

Evidence of our very international sci-crew

"The past month aboard the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster has been compiled with unforgettable moments! After many years of trying to have a port visit with our neighbor country (Cuba), we successfully docked in La Habana as well as in Cienfuegos!! As marine scientists, we are often ultra-focused on the science, but often the social angle gets lost in the mountains of paperwork we have to navigate to accomplish our research. Our trip to Cuba was possible thanks to many many people in the University, as well as multiple people in both of our governmental institutions - each doing their part to inch our collaborations forward. Our blog portrays the most fun aspect of going to sea, but just to set foot on the ship, A LOT happens behind the scenes!

"So without much further ado, THANK YOU to all that made the month of MAY possible! If you are one of those people reading the blog (you know who you are), we truly appreciate your efforts and hope you enjoyed the blog so far!"

We have some May photos for your enjoyment... stay tuned for most of June as Nancy returns to the eastern Caribbean!!

Miami-Cozumel (Leg 1)
L-R: Ofelia, Lulu, John, Yoandry, Raul, Aki, Grant, Jason, Matthieu, Leif, Atsushi
Front: Sarah and Estrella

Cozumel-Cienfuegos (Leg 2)
L-R: Estrella, John, Trika, David, Aki, Leif, Cati, Ofelia, Jason, Ryan
Front: Raul, Yoandry

Yoandry, Grant, Lulu, and Raul pose during a station on the back deck

Selfie!! Leg 1 scientists on the back deck at the end of the leg.

Cati, Ofelia, Raul, and Aki take in the view from the bridge deck as the ship pulls into Cienfuegos, Cuba.

L-R: John, Raul, Jason, David, Leif, Ryan, Aki, Trika, Cati, Ofelia, and Estrella in Cienfuegos.

Megastations!

The second portion of our research survey ("Leg 2") is complete! Over the course of ~3 intense days, we worked around the clock and deployed 104 XBTs, conducted 14 CTD casts, and completed 27 MOCNESS, 19 Neuston, and 6 mini-bongo tows - all in order to better understand the mesoscale eddies that had formed in the south of Cuba, and how these dynamic water masses may impact larval zooplankton and fish! (see this post for more about what we were looking for!)

While we are currently enjoying a little break from sampling, we'd love to share with you some images of the last few days....

Planning in the dry lab to discuss our super-intense sampling strategy! Leif leads the discussion in the dry lab!

Left: Ryan carefully plots the next station
Right: Megastations! Our white board gets full, listing all the planned station events

Resultant velocity vectors showing the speed (vector length) and direction of the currents as we traversed
the anticyclonic (rotating clockwise) eddy. Vector colors indicate sea surface temperature. 

Nets! Top: Sr. Survey Tech Samantha supervises the deployment of the MOCNESS
Bottom: Scientists Leif and Jason deploy the  Neuston net

When you've been up all night working, things get a little silly!
Top L: Jason, Aki, and Yoandry celebrate their 5th MOCNESS tow of the day! Top R: Estrella models the new cruise uniform. Bottom: Jason is excited to have run another successful MOCNESS tow! 

We're done! Scientists Jason, Estrella, and Yoandry celebrate the end of Leg 2 with a back deck selfie! 

Featured Scientist: Professor David Lindo-Atichati!

David prepares to deploy an XBT on the back deck

The incredible science that we conduct each year on our cruise would not be possible without our diverse international collaborations. We'd like to continue to introduce you to some of the brilliant people who help make our cruises a success! Today's featured scientist is David Lindo-Atichati, Assistant Professor at City University of New York and Guest Investigator at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

"I am a tenure-track assistant professor at City University of New York and, while I am primarily focused on research, I very much enjoy teaching. At CUNY I am developing a new graduate course in Physical Oceanography, and a new undergraduate course in Meteorology. I love conveying to students my own excitement about the importance of the ocean in our daily lives, and I relish awakening their curiosity on the interdependence of the physical, chemical, and biological systems in the ocean.
"My focus on this cruise will be on the physics of the sea. I study ocean eddies, which are rotating bodies of water that make up the weather of the sea. The diameter of these features range from 1 kilometer to a few hundred kilometers. These invisible islands of water bring together and mix ocean life while swirling like a hurricane. In a nutshell, the data I will obtain from this cruise will allow me to look at the evolution of unexplored ocean eddies South of Cuba.

"My research, in conjunction with an international network of collaborators, grapples with questions at the frontiers of physics, biology, and chemistry in the oceanic systems. I approach these questions from a multidimensional perspective that includes theory, observation, and modeling. By weaving these three approaches together, my research program is specifically designed to understand the interactions between oceanic circulation, marine ecosystems, and marine pollutants at very fine scales.

"This marine expedition aboard the Nancy Foster to South Cuba is a unique opportunity for me to rigorously test predictions of ocean models and satellite altimetry products with the massive set of in situ observations that we are collecting in the region. Most importantly, this expedition will lay the foundations to further study the dynamics of three semi-permanent eddies locates south of Cuba and evaluate their profound impacts on the transport of water masses and marine ecosystems South of Cuba and downstream into the Gulf of Mexico."


The FORCES Lab has been privileged to work with David for many years now, and is thrilled that he was able to join us again on this historic cruise! Thanks for sharing a bit about yourself and your research!

Chasing Eddies!

As Leg 2 begins, we are extremely excited to begin sampling a mesoscale eddy located south of Cuba! Oceanographic features like these eddies can be very important habitats for larval fish, and we want to explore why and how this changes for different fish species.

NOAA Ship Tracker shows the Foster's unusual track line.
Scientists deployed XBTs en route in order to find the eddy.

There are four major ways mesoscale eddies can affect larval fish:

1. Larval distribution – baby fish can get caught in the eddy circulation (entrained) or be transported by eddies to other bodies of water.
2. Eddies also impact how much and what types of prey are available for the larvae to eat, which can in turn affect fish growth.
3. Larval fish can move up and down in the water column depending on the time of day (diel vertical migration), and this behavior may be impacted by eddy circulation patterns.
4. In addition to active transport, eddies also generate thermal variations in the environment that affect biological rates.

Left: one of many XBTs deployed on Leg 2
Right: Physical oceanographer Ryan Smith gets real-time
temperature data from an XBT.

On this leg of our survey, our station plan will be very different from our approach on Leg 1, as we'll be employing an "adaptive sampling" strategy. Usually we spend weeks before the cruise planning our sampling stations, however, mesoscale eddies are very dynamic oceanographic features, constantly changing and evolving, so we'll need to modify our sampling plan on the fly based on real-time analysis of the data we observe. In order to find the boundaries and "center" of our target eddy, we will consult daily satellite imagery and altimetry data, as well as our own in situ measurements of ocean currents and temperature. We'll also use hull-mounted and acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCP) to determine the upper ocean current velocity, and temperature profiles from conductivity, temperature, depth (CTD) casts and expendable bathythermograph (XBTs) deployments to analyze the upper ocean thermal structure. All of these data together will help us to target the center of these circulation features, where we'll begin our sampling! Following this we will also sample along the edge of the eddy circulation (at its frontal boundary), and finally we will sample an area of common water outside of the eddy for comparison. 

While adaptive sampling can mean managing a lot of different types of data in real-time, it is extremely rewarding when the clues that the data provide direct you to the target area you are looking to sample!

Left: Scientist Cati Mena and Professor David Lindo prepare to deploy an XBT!
Right: David shoots an XBT off the stern - see it mid-air!

Plankton sample collection is only the first step! Once we get back on land, we’ll spend months sorting through samples, removing and identifying fish larvae and their prey. Then some of those fish larvae will be measured, their guts dissected (using VERY tiny tools!), and their otoliths (ear stones that have marks like tree rings!) analyzed to determine the growth and age of the fish. Finally, all of this information will be combined with the physical oceanographic data (which also has to analyzed) in order to answer our questions. It will be a lot of work but worth it when we get to present the final results and conclusions!

Images of the many steps of plankton processing: a. Unsorted plankton takes patience and a trained eye to find all the larval fish! How many can you spot? b. Once sorted, larvae must be identified - these are baby blackfin tuna. c. Individual fish can have their guts analyzed - check out how full this baby swordfish is! d. Otoliths can tell you how old a baby fish is, if you have a powerful enough microscope, that is. This otolith is less than 1mm in diameter!

Finding the Features

A Battle on Many Fronts

Where is the best place to catch fish? Alas, a question that plagues not only the fisherman, but the fisheries oceanographer as well. Ocean conditions and transport mechanisms play a vital role in the lives of the fish (and other creatures) that dwell there. Hours after spawning, ocean currents are sweeping fertilized fish eggs away from their spawning location. If the temperature is just right, the eggs hatch into larval fish where ocean features such as eddies will ultimately determine if the fish will find its favorite food and grow into an adult.

How do we find these ever-changing phenomena so we can study the effect they have on larval fish? Well...we have some tools.

Satellites

You may find it strange that we use satellites orbiting hundreds of miles above the Earth to find habitat for larval fish that can only be examined under a microscope, but it’s true! From the deck of a ship, one patch of blue water often looks like the next, which is why we call on instruments such as the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) to do our sensing. A radiometer is a high-tech piece of equipment mounted on an orbiting satellite that detects radiation which can be used for remotely determining cloud cover, or, in our case, sea surface temperatures. Our collaborators at Roffer’s Ocean Fishing Forecasting Services, Inc. (ROFFS^TM) analyze the satellite data to provide us with a picture of where the boundaries between distinct water masses (“fronts”) are. The color image below makes it easy to see the fronts differentiated by surface temperature. 

Satellite image and analysis analysis from ROFFS showing sea surface temperature (SST), currents (blue arrows), completed/planned stations (pink Xs) and future possible sampling locations (red Xs)

We know certain species such as Atlantic bluefin tuna often spawn near fronts, so this helps us in determining where the best areas to sample for larvae are. But satellites have their limitations. Despite the Caribbean’s reputation for sunny beaches, the clouds do occasionally roll in and prevent the satellites from “seeing” the ocean surface.

Circulation Models

While satellites provide accurate, near-real time information, sometimes it is useful to get an estimate of what the future holds. Ocean general circulation models such as the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) use environmental inputs and complex mathematical formulas to produce predictions of ocean parameters such as Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and the speed and direction of ocean currents. 

HYCOM model output for sea surface temperature (degrees Celsius)

HYCOM model output for ocean currents (arrows show direction, colors show speed in cm/second)

While the model is not a perfect predictor, it proves useful on cloudy days or when you want to do some advance planning which is almost always necessary on a ship that has a maximum speed of 10.5 knots (~12 mph).

Ship Data

Having the support of satellites endlessly gathering data and computers constantly running models are great assets to what we do…but so is having access to a high-tech research vessel! Flow through sensors show real-time sea surface temperature and salinity as the ship is sailing and echo sounders are pinging the bottom and displaying a precise depth. But perhaps the most important tool aboard to detect frontal zones is the Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler, also known as the ADCP.  

ADCP output from the 2015 survey across the Yucatan Channel. The ship's track is in black with the direction and size of the arrows showing the direction and speed of the current. Color indicates SST.

The ADCP uses sound waves and the Doppler Effect to measure how fast water is moving in the water column. What does all this jargon mean? It means that we can detect the speed and direction of the current directly below the ship…while the ship is moving! So once we consult the satellite images and model outputs, the ADCP confirms that we have arrived at the right spot. Then it is time to tow some nets…

Let's get Sampling!

North of Havana, Cuba, the sampling is officially underway! 

One goal of this first leg is to better understand the oceanography around Cuba, especially the northern and western regions. For hydrographic modelers in the U.S. working in the Gulf of Mexico and Straits of Florida, this region is of great interest since access to empirical data from around Cuba has been lacking and these waters are tightly connected to surrounding U.S. waters. One way to visualize this connectivity is through the deployment of satellite-tracked surface drifting buoys ("drifters"). Like a high-tech message in a bottle, the drifter floats along with ocean currents periodically communicating its position and other data such as temperature to passing satellites.

Research Associate Akihiro Shiroza deploys a drifter off of the Nancy Foster in 2015

The image below shows the paths of some drifters deployed off of the Yucatan in Mexico in 2006. As you can see, not all of them ended up in the same place. Some ended up in the Gulf of Mexico, one returned to the Caribbean south of Cuba and the other ended up in the Atlantic following the Gulf Stream! This illustrates how fish spawned in similar areas can end up very far from each other.

Drifter trajectories from a larval study in 2006. Each color represents one drifter. Open circles are start points and stars are end points.

Over the first week of sampling we were able to collect lots of physical data - information about currents, temperature, and salinity - as well as biological samples. These biological, or plankton, samples included tuna larvae and possibly even a couple of bluefin tuna larvae (though, of course, we need to confirm these identifications with genetics once we return to the lab!). These physical and biological data were collected from areas of upwelling to the west of Havana and on the eastern end of Guanahacabibes Peninsula (western-most point of Cuba) and also from a mesoscale eddy located on the western side of the Loop Current.

Plankton collected on NF-16-02. From top left to bottom right: Amphipod, larval anglerfish (Ceratioidei), larval blackfin tunas (Thunnus atlanticus), larval squid, larval lobster, larval lionfish (Pterois volitans)

Areas of upwelling are very important for life in the ocean as the deeper waters that are flowing up to the surface bring with them lots of nutrients. Once these nutrients reach a depth where sunlight can penetrate, they are taken up by phytoplankton to help them grow and reproduce and, thus, primary productivity is increased. These areas of increased productivity are great for zooplankters that eat the phytoplankton. And, in turn, as zooplankton (such as copepods) grow and reproduce, these areas become great for larval fish that each the copepods. Those increases in nutrients move right up the food chain! 

Collecting plankton is hard work! Top: Ofelia, Atsushi, and Aki rinse down the net. Middle: Lulu and Raul prepare the sample for sorting by rinsing out the cod end (grey PVC with holes). Bottom: Lulu and Estrella diligently sort through the plankton, pulling out any fish species of interest.

Mesoscale eddies are also significant oceanographic features for very similar reasons. The dynamic flow patterns associated with eddies include areas of upwelling. In addition to the upwelling, the recirculating nature of the eddy currents can sometimes retain weak-swimming plankton within the eddy feature, and, therefore, near those areas of increased productivity. Mesoscale eddies are found throughout all of the world’s oceans and since the advent of satellite techniques that allow us to observe the ocean over large spatial and temporal scales scientists have begun to recognize that eddies may be critical to much life in the ocean. Our work on eddies on this cruise has just begun……stay tuned for much more in depth sampling of mesoscale eddies on leg 2!

The FORCES Awaken

NOAA Ship Nancy Foster alongside in Havana, Cuba

The Nancy Foster is underway once again with an eager compliment of scientists ready to comb the Caribbean for plankton! As with last year the Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) is partnering with the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) to tackle this year’s scientific objectives.

The first part of the 2016 survey (NF-16-02) will be working in waters around western Cuba and east of the Yucatan Peninsula. The focus of this part of the survey will be to continue our study of the distribution and abundance of Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABT) and other tuna larvae in the Gulf of Mexico and western Caribbean Sea. In addition to tuna larvae, the 2016 survey will sample other larval species found near regional coastal reefs including snapper, grouper, parrotfish, and spiny lobster larvae. The goal is to understand the role that the major current systems play in the dispersal/retention of these species and identify possible spawning locations, examine growth and survival of larvae, and increase our understanding of species recruitment to benthic habitat.

The second part of the 2016 survey (NF-16-03) will take place in the vicinity of the Virgin Islands (VI). During this part of the survey, we plan on sampling water properties, currents, and dispersal and transport of fish larvae in the VI and neighboring regions. Results from the survey can enhance our understanding of regional spatial variation in the supply of fish larvae between managed and non-managed areas.

The mighty Neuston net soars again

While the research area and sampling methods may seem similar to last year’s project, we can assure you, our loyal reader, that new and exciting things are in store for 2016! One major change that happened since last year is a rebranding of the very lab that brings you this blog. Say goodbye to the SEFSC’s Early Life History (ELH) Lab and hello to the Fisheries Oceanography for Recruitment, Climate, and Ecosystem Studies (FORCES) Lab! During its humble beginnings, the ELH lab was focused on larval fish taxonomy (i.e. the description and classification of larval fishes) but in the years that followed our work has expanded to a point where now we use tools such as biophysical models, genetics, and isotope analysis to look at the role larval fish and plankton play in the ocean ecosystem in an effort to protect and manage our valuable ocean resources.

The first days of any cruise are indeed hectic as the science party begins to regain their sea legs and shake the rust off. As we put our first nets in the water and deploy our inaugural CTDs north of Havana, Cuba, here is a recap of what the Foster has been up to since we embarked in Miami.

Castillo de los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro

NOAA Ship Nancy Foster arrived at the U.S. Coast Guard Base Miami Beach on May 2^nd, at which point the controlled chaos began. Scientists and crew worked like ants to load all of the necessary equipment and supplies for almost two months at sea; nets, frames, CTDs, hundreds of sample jars, drums of ethanol, drifters, microscopes, computers, liquid nitrogen, fuel, FOOD! Members of the science party flew in from all corners of the world; Mexico, Spain, Japan… Last-minute generator repairs completed…Amongst the chaos we also managed to host a 6^th grade class for a field trip aboard the vessel. Somehow, everything got done and on May 7th, lines were tossed and NF-16-02 and the Nancy Foster were underway! Next stop: Havana.

The day long transit to Havana gave us some time to catch up with each other, (re)familiarize ourselves with the ship, and discuss the upcoming sampling plan. We also took this time to test all of our science equipment. We stopped to deploy our nets and CTD to make sure all of the electronics were functioning properly and went over deployment and recovery procedures (it is a true group effort!).

A Havana icon

The Nancy Foster arrived in Havana on May 8^th to embark the last two members of our science party. The crew and science party enjoyed the prestige of being one of the first U.S. Government vessels to pull in to Havana in a very long time. For more pictures and information on the Nancy Foster's visit to Cuba click here, or here.  With our Cuban colleagues aboard, the Foster left Havana on May 10^th en route to station 001.  Although the weather was less than ideal, we were hoping that our excitement to get the survey started would soothe our seasickness (but if that doesn’t work, there is always sea sickness medication).

Stay tuned as our exciting 2016 survey unfolds. If this is your first Nancy Foster Chronicle, feel free to browse previous years’ blogs to get an idea of what we are all about!

Clyde keeps a watchful eye on the ship