Cozumel Open House: Guest Post by Lourdes Vasquez Yeomans

Dear readers, today we feature a guest post written by one of our long-time collaborators Lourdes Vasquez Yeomans (Lulu!). While the ship was in Cozumel, we opened our doors once again to another group of enthusiastic students that wanted to learn a bit about our research in the region. Lulu's post is in Spanish, please ask (in the comments) if you have any questions and I will be happy to answer them.

La M. en C. Lourdes Vasquez Yeomans con nuestros
 invitados comparte sobre su experiencia en la campana NF1602

Desde el 6 mayo al 19 del año en curso, la M. en C. Lourdes Vásquez Yeomans de la Unidad Chetumal participó en el crucero oceanográfico a bordo del buque Nancy Foster. Durante 14 días de travesía se obtuvieron muestras de plancton en el NE de Cuba y norte del Caribe mexicano con el objetivo de localizar áreas de desove de valiosos recursos pesqueros, sobre todo atunes, dorados y picudos. También se midieron variables físicas y registraron procesos oceanográficos. 

Estudiantes, profesores, e investigadores con la oficial ENS S. Thompson

El 19 de mayo el Nancy Foster arribó al puerto de Cozumel y el día 20 abrió sus puertas a miembros de la comunidad académica de Quintana Roo recibiendo la visita de estudiantes del Instituto tecnológico de Chetumal (ITCH) y la Universidad de Quintana Roo (UQROO).  También participaron de este recorrido, varios  miembros del personal administrativo de la Unidad Chetumal de ECOSUR. La oficial Ensign Sara Thompson dio una clara explicación de las maniobras y equipos de navegación del buque. Adicionalmente los científicos participantes en la travesía explicaron los objetivos centrales que justifican la realización de este tipo de cruceros de investigación, se explicaron también el funcionamiento de los equipos utilizados para los muestreos biológicos en la columna de agua así como para la obtención de las variables físicas medidas con equipos oceanográficos especializados.  Todo ello implica un esfuerzo coordinado de equipos bien definidos de trabajo que cubren dos horarios de muestreo. 

Lief comparte detalels sobre el esfuerzo de multibeam del Banco San Antonio

Los estudiantes, profesores y personal participante hicieron diversas preguntas sobre las actividades realizadas por los científicos especialmente las que implican el reconocimiento de las especies objetivo, medición y toma de fotografías,  sobre las fuentes de financiamiento para lograr cubrir los costos de un buque de este magnitud, así como de los equipos utilizados para las mediciones de variables físicas. Manifestaron su interés de participar en una de las últimas estaciones de trabajo, si vuelve el Nancy Foster el próximo año, dijeron “queremos subir al NF ver directamente como trabajan los científicos!” una propuesta  para los jefes de campaña John Lamkin, Estrella Malca y Ryan Smith.

Eloy y Lulu explican la maniobra de la MOCNESS abordo

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!

Blog guest post: Ofelia Morales Fadragas and Yoandry Montes Pérez, our Scientists from Cuba

In honor of our multi-lingual collaborations, we'd like to share this post about our special guest scientists in both English and Spanish! Scroll for your language of choice!

Spanish:

En este crucero los investigadores Ofelia y Yoandry fueron invitados a participar en la expedición del barco Nancy Foster con el objetivo de compartir con nosotros sus conocimentos sobre la hermosa isla de Cuba y de conocer las características hidrometeorológicas de los mares de Cuba y sus alrededores.

Above: Ofelia sorts through plankton on the microscope,
Below: processing samples for trophic studies

Una de las lineas de investigacion de este crucero oceanografico se relaciona con la abundancia y la conectividad de las especies marinas con las características físicas de la zona con los Estados Unidos, el Golfo de Mexico y el Caribe Occidental. Al mismo tiempo, el plan de muestreo se modifica segun las metas cientificas y las condiciones hidrodinamica de la zona, principalmente las corrientes marinas. 

MSc. Ofelia Morales Fadragas del Centro de Investigaciones Pesqueras (CIP) que realiza evaluaciones biológicas-pesqueras de la langosta (P. argus), para el manejo y conservación del principal recurso pesquero de Cuba, y con gran interés en la evaluación de la conectividad de la especie en el Atlántico.

El Ing.Yoandry Montes Pérez de GEOCUBA Estudios Marinos (GEOEM) dedicado a la oceanografía física, que ha participado en cruceros realizados en el Norte y Sur Occidental de las costas de Cuba, Canal de Yucatan y Golfo de Mexíco. 

Yoandry on the back deck ready for the next station

Durante este crucero del Nancy Foster Yoandry nos comparte que: me he interesado y he ejecutado las mediciones del CTD, del ADCP de casco realizando mediciones datos en tiempo real, los ADCP colocados en la rosseta del CTD, los XBT y la batimetria hecha en el Bajo de San Antonio, de especial interes porque no se habia realizado nunca una batimetria en esa zona con Multibeam.

Esta expedición es una gran experiencia y sentimos gratitud de poder participar y compartir con el grupo cientifico y con la tripulacion en investigaciones marinas de conjunto con la NOAA, el departamento de CIMAS de la University of Miami, el Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO) y ECOSUR de México.


English:

Ofelia and Yoandry were invited to participate in the research expedition aboard the Nancy Foster in order to share their knowledge regarding the beautiful island of Cuba and to gain a better understanding of the hydrological characteristics of the island and its surroundings.

One of the research objectives of the oceanographic survey is to examine the abundance and connectivity of marine species along with the corresponding physical characteristics of the region between the U.S., the Gulf of Mexico, and the Western Caribbean. In addition, the sampling strategy is adapted depending on the scientific question and the hydrodynamic conditions of the area, mainly real-time ocean currents.

Ofelia in the dry lab

Ofelia Morales Fadras (MSc) joins us from the Center for Fisheries Research (Centro de Investigaciones Pesqueras, CIP). This institute carries out Caribbean spiny lobster (P. argus) stock assessments with the goal of improving management and conservation of Cuba’s main fisheries resource. They are also very interested in assessing the connectivity of the Caribbean spiny lobster in the Atlantic with relation to Cuba.

Yoandry Montes Perez (Ing.) joins us from GEOCUBA Estudios Marinos (GEOCUBA Marine Studies). GEOCUBA is dedicated to physical oceanography in and around Cuba. Yoandry has participated in multiple surveys carried out both in the North and Southwestern Cuban coastline, in the Yucatan Channel, and in the Gulf of Mexico.

During the Nancy Foster survey, Yoandry shared with us: "I was very interested in the physical component of the research survey and I have been able to carry out CTD, real-time ADCP, LADCP (connected to the CTD rosette), XBTs, and observe the Multibeam mapping that took place in the Banco de San Antonio. This mapping was very special because it had never been carried out in this region."

This survey has been a great experience and we are grateful that we were able to participate along with NOAA, CIMAS (University of Miami), the Instituto Espanol de Oceanografia (IEO), and El Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR), Mexico. We were able to share with the scientists and with the crew throughout the cruise.

(L-R): Scientist Leif, Sr. Survey Technician Samantha, and Guest Scientist Yoandry with the CTD on the back deck

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!

Sharing Our Knowledge

One of the FORCES Lab’s favorite things about our research cruise is the ability to invite groups of young, bright students onto the ship to experience first-hand the science that we’ll be conducting. This is a really unique, one-in-a-lifetime experience for these lucky middle and high schoolers, and we’re thrilled that they get to not only explore a government research vessel, but delve into the exciting world of larval fish ecology!

An iPrep student checks out tiny larval fish on the microscope

For this year’s research cruise, we've scheduled three events to share our science with students and educators at each of our port stops. In Miami, 40 middle school students from iPreparatory Academy and their teacher, Nicole Rasmuson, boarded the ship just days before we set sail for Havana, Cuba. We provided background on why we study larval fish to begin with (did you know less than 1% of fish eggs actually survive to adulthood?), what kind of things we’d be doing on the cruise (Bongos! Neustons! Mocness!), then let them experience what life is like working in a plankton lab! Using microscopes, students sorted through tiny plankton, searching for any fish hiding there. The kids then tried their hand at larval fish taxonomy, looking up close at the tiny fish to find clues to what their identifications might be. Clues can be found in the baby fish’s body shape, pigmentation, and location and number of spines. Many were shocked to learn that the tiny (4-8mm) fish they were looking at would grow into huge adults, like tunas and mahi mahi!

ENS Pickens shows the students around the back deck, along
with their teacher extraordinaire, Ms. Rasmuson

The kids were also treated to an up-close and personal tour of the ship that would be our home away from home for the next few weeks. Ensign Chris Pickens served as tour guide, and taught the students all about the NOAA Corps and what it’s like to live on a ship for months at a time. The students got to explore the bridge, and even adjust the levers that steer the ship! The Foster has two Z-drives, which allow the officers to move her easily from side to side.

The kids find out what it's like to steer a ship by rotating the Z-drives on the bridge.
Can you spot the steering wheel?

We had a blast with iPrep – thanks for letting us share our microscopic world with you!

iPrep students and teachers pose with the FORCES Lab in front of the Foster

 Stay tuned for pictures from our next event in Cozumel, Mexico!

Mapping the Unknown

During leg one we took a break from our normal operations to collect some data for our friends and colleagues at the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. NOAA is responsible for the conservation and management of over 170,000 square miles of America's most iconic natural and cultural marine resources designated as National Marine Sanctuaries. Sanctuaries seek to preserve the extraordinary scenic beauty, biodiversity, historical connections and economic productivity of our most precious underwater treasures.

Like the United States, every country in the Caribbean has it's own special Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that they work to conserve for future generations. Cuba is a shining example with 126 Marine Protected Areas and boasting some of the most pristine and healthy coral reefs in the Caribbean.

Map of the newly designated Sister Sanctuaries - Guanahacabibes and Banco de San Antonio in Cuba, and Florida Keys and Flower Garden Banks national marine sanctuaries in the United States.

As you know from previous posts, the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico are connected by ocean currents. In an effort to conserve our interrelated marine ecosystems, NOAA, the US National Park Service, and Cuba’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Environments signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on November 18, 2015 that aims to facilitate cooperation on the science, stewardship and management related to Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). This was a historical agreement between two neighboring countries only recently resuming diplomatic relations. The MOU included a Sister MPA program that recognizes the important connections among the newly designated Sister Sanctuaries - Guanahacabibes and Banco de San Antonio in Cuba, and Florida Keys and Flower Garden Banks national marine sanctuaries in the United States. And the sharing of scientific research and outreach information promoted by this program will hopefully lead to increased protection of our delicate marine ecosystems.

Evolution of bathymetric mapping technology. 

While in the vicinity of Banco de San Antonio, we temporarily pulled in our plankton nets and switched on the multibeam echo sounder to make a bathymetric map of Banco de San Antonio. Bathymetry is essentially "underwater topography" and these maps illustrate the three-dimensional features (relief) of the sea floor. Although this type of work is out of our range of expertise, the crew of the Nancy Foster are experts. Survey Technicians Nick and Samantha have conducted hundreds of miles of mapping and specialize in turning the data collected into beautiful topographic maps. In fact, this type of bottom mapping is the sole mission of many NOAA ships who tirelessly survey the ocean bottom and provide this information to to the general public in the form of nautical charts that allow safe passage to all U.S. ports for both commercial and recreational boaters.

Bathymetric map of  Banco de San Antonio created from Nancy Foster survey data overlaid on a nautical chart, color corresponds to depth (warm=shallow). Charted depths in meters.

Three dimensional closeup of the southeastern portion of Banco de San Antonio. Red bumps likely correspond to coral formations.

The images produced through the Nancy Foster's work will provide information about the habitat and terrain on this very interesting feature that contains high biodiversity, including many species of fish, sponges, and corals. The bathymetric map will direct future research that will use methods such as underwater cameras, SCUBA divers, and possibly ROVs (remotely operated underwater vehicles) to explore in more detail the habitats on Banco de San Antonio.

Mowing the lawn: The Nancy Foster's track can be seen in orange as progress is made during mapping. The speed, direction and spacing of every pass over the bank is crucial to getting the highest quality data and requires an experienced bridge team.

Senior Survey Technician Samantha Martin monitors progress of the Nancy Foster's effort to map Banco de San Antonio.

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…