1 August 2013 First Station: Hanna Shoal in the northern Chukchi Sea

Journal

Join the Polar research team as we use technology to join Dr. Carin Ashjian this summer as she continues her research in the Arctic! I will be posting Dr. Ashjians journal details of this summer's research expeditions. We first catch up with her onboard the icebreaker U.S.C.G.C. Healy and then will follow her onboard the R/V Anika Marie where she and her team members will continue their Barrow-based research studying the oceanographic conditions of the bowhead whale habitat.

Sunset over the Diomedes in Bering Strait. Onboard the U.S.C.G.C. Healy. July 2013. Photo courtesy of Dr. Carin Ashjian.

We are bearing down on our first station on Hanna Shoal, in the northern Chukchi Sea. The ship is abuzz, with groups of scientists converging on their equipment on the back deck to prepare it for tomorrow and putting the finishing touches on the laboratory set-ups. Seven hours to station. The ship is moving smoothly at 14 knots through an amazingly benign and calm Chukchi Sea.

Interesting clouds over the Chukchi Sea. Onboard the U.S.C.G.C. Healy. August 2013. Photo courtesy of Dr. Carin Ashjian.

We have been sailing north for the last three days. The science party has been relaxed, planning work and setting up but also enjoying a game of cards, a movie, and meeting new people. Now, all has changed. The activity has ramped up to a feverish pitch in the labs. Only 7 hours to go…and sleep is required too!

During our transit through the Bering Sea the seas were very calm. We had some periods of fog that disappointed our marine mammal and bird observing teams who were hoping for several good days of observing from the bridge. The sun has broken through as we moved through the northern Bering, through Bering Strait, and into the Chukchi Sea. Today was a gem of a day, with clear blue skies and fair seas, almost sparkling.

View from the bridge forward during the fantastic weather of this afternoon. Onboard the U.S.C.G.C. Healy. August 2013. Photo courtesy of Dr. Carin Ashjian.

Late this morning we came into a veritable garden of gray whales in the southern Chukchi Sea. From the bridge, one could see whale blows across a broad swath of the seascape. Whales feeding in pairs, whales head lunging, whales socializing, whales snorkeling (swimming just under the surface).

Together with the whales were the small phalaropes, birds that were exploiting the messy eating of the whales. Gray whales feed primarily on amphipods found on the sea floor but as they come to the surface to breath and force water out of their mouths some of their prey escapes and is available for those little birds. What a treat to see those whales!

Last night we conducted a test station in Bering Strait. We wanted to put some gear over the side to practice using the winches and sampling before we reached our study area so we could identify any problems and become accustomed to working together.

The first CTD cast of the cruise goes over the side! The CTD is a frame with sampling bottles (gray tubes) and a suite of sensors. It is lowered to near the sea floor and then bottles are closed at specific depths on the upcast to collect water. “CTD” stands for “Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth” and refers to the primary sensors that measure those parameters (conductivity is used to estimate salinity). Onboard the U.S.C.G.C. Healy. August 2013. Photo courtesy of Dr. Carin Ashjian.

We had hoped to do the station in the mid-afternoon, but because of fog, the ship slowed earlier in the day and we arrived at the Bering Strait station at ~2300. It was quite a busy station despite there being no benthic sampling. The zooplankton sampling activities (my group) concluded in the wee hours of the morning (0200) and we moved off to the north again.

Now that night has fallen, a heavy fog has descended on the Chukchi Sea, shrouding the ship in gray. Tomorrow is going to be in interesting day.