Today on the blog: Kiana returns!

Kiana rinses the Bongo-90cm 

Today, one of our youngest scientists, Ms. Kiana Ford shares a brief post. This is Kiana’s second cruise aboard Nancy Foster and has been volunteering in our lab since January 2017. She is now a Senior at the University of Miami's RSMAS and got back from an amazing semester abroad with the UGalapagos & Isabella Oceanographic Institute in Ecuador just a few days before the ship started its journey.

Kiana makes friends with the locals in the Galapagos, Ecuador

Kiana shared with our blog “my goal for the cruise is to help find some bluefin tuna! I would also like to be comfortable jumping into any science role during the cruise, from deploying nets on the back deck to running the computer programs in the dry lab. My favorite experiences from participating in the oceanographic surveys is to get to know other scientists and crew members, and seeing how everyone contributes to some aspect of the expedition. My research goals when I return to land is to complete my senior thesis examining larval lobster populations collected in southern Cuba during NF-16-02-03. This summer I am eager to begin my internship with  Harbor Wildwatch, a non-profit organization in Gig Harbor, WA. They organize outreach events to educate the public on marine and environmental topics." 

Thanks Kiana! She disembarked during our port-stop in Pensacola, but we will see you soon in the NOAA FORCES Lab in the Fall semester.

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!

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

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