CCE LTER Process Cruise- 2012
- Scientists are particularly interested in this specific site because it is a coastal upwelling biome found along the eastern majors of all major oceans basin. It is special because they are among the most productive ecosystems in the world/
- The name of the research vessel that they are on Melville. The educational institution is the vessel a part of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
- The ship weighs 3,026,000 pounds or 2,516 tons when it is fully loaded.
- First, the MOCNESS is lowered about a quarter mile deep into the ocean. Then, drag the net close to the boat and the plankton get funneled down the "tentacles" to the cod-end.
- The vertical migration of many zooplankton species is when zooplankton migrate to the lower levels during the day so they are less visible by predators that rely on vision. Then, at night the zooplankton sneak up to the surface and snack on phytoplankton safely.
- Phytoplankton are plants of the sea.
- The information collected by the SeaSoar is water temperature, water salinity, density, dissolved oxygen and other things involved to determine the quantity of zooplankton in the water. The SeaSoar is specifically trying to identify the exact location of the California Current meets more denser coastal water.
- CTD is Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth.
- The "E - Front" is the front where the California Currents meets the inshore currents.
- Sampling needs to be conducted at night because they can ensure the zooplankton was present at the sampling depth.
- The epipelagic zone is one of the layers of the ocean where 90 percent where all ocean life lives and needs light to photosynthesize.
- The actual front is the last sample cup. The arrow would start at the last sample and go left.
- The chlorophyll samples are preserved by filtering the water, which consisted of pouring each bottle of water through a different type or size of filter paper, then collecting the paper, preserving the filter paper in acetone and freezing it.
- The mesopelagic zone is right after the epipelagic zone known as the twilight zone, which is 1,000 meters from the surface. The critters found here are so special because these are the homes of the bioluminescent creatures twinkle.
- The styrofoam cups that were attached to the CTD shrunk when they were lowered to the depths because when you get low to the depths the pressure is low so it crushes the styrofoam cups.
- Iron is so important to phytoplankton because they use it as nutrients.
- The kind of precautions taken by the scientists on board to make sure that the water samples are not contaminated by metals on or around the ship are they use special equipment that is covered in plastic that obtains clean water.
- Scientists can use poop to determine the biomass of an ecosystem by setting each different vials filled with salt water that is denser than the ocean water and anything that floats down there, it will float into the vial. When it gets back to the surface, he filters out any zooplankton that swam in the trap.
- Marine snow is scat and other materials like phytoplankton. It is collected by the vials.
- Long-lining is dangerous to marine birds because they can eat the bait on the line, then it will hook them and in the end it will drown.
- Fin Whales filter their food through brush-like bristles called baleen. They arent hunted as much because they are found so far off shore. They have unique discoloration and the position of the dorsal fin and the blow hole.
- Copepods are a type of a zooplankton that is commonly found here in the Pacific Ocean. They are related to crabs and lobsters.
- The two ways that copepods are studied on this ship is going fishing with bongo nets, then she sorts out all of the other animals under a microscope, if she finds female copepods, she will watch until she lays eggs. She then will watch the eggs until they hatch to see how many eggs hatched. The second way is putting a UVP (underwater visual profiler) under water and taking pictures. After, they bring it back to the surface, they sort out the copepods from marine snow.
- The bow dome is windows in the bottom of the front of the boat. It is located at the bottom of the front of the boat.
- Yes i would be interested in spending a month at sea. The career of oceanography seems interesting.
- The most interesting part of this blog was how copepods are studied on the ship.