Sound Predictions 2009

Finale

2009-08-05T08:38:00.005-08:00

Back ashore, even the hard times seem great, as we settle in to normal day-to-day work. Thanks to all the folks in the field and behind the scenes for such great work. Photos taken by Captain Dave Janka, Deborah Mercy, Scott Pegau, Jim Pettigrew, Rebekka Federer and Leslie Abramson. Music by Mark Halverson and Kerstin Cullen.

Last Night on the Auklet

2009-08-02T11:52:00.002-08:00

Mark and Kerstin playin' old favorites, as the sun set yesterday evening. Our last night on the Auklet was filled with laughter, music and finally, sleep!

Winding Down

2009-08-01T18:37:00.003-08:00

Another beautiful sunny day out on Prince William Sound. We are all so grateful for the light breeze and blue skies. Today, we continued our normal operations, but with an eye toward cleaning-up, as tomorrow is our last day in the field. By Sunday evening, we will all be back in Cordova, and then starting Monday, we can begin to further analyze our data. But for now, we get one more delicious meal on the Auklet and one more night at sea, rocked to sleep by the seas and sounds of nature.

Glider Operations

2009-07-31T17:59:00.006-08:00

The Alena K finally joined us from Cordova on Wednesday to help with drifter deployment/retrieval and ctd transects. The Alena K is a platform for launching the two AUVs (Autonomous Underwater Vehicles) that are part of the Experiment. These photos are of the glider, a special type of AUV which moves up and down in the water column by changing buoyancy. Wings allow steerable gliding, thus horizontal propulsion. The vehicle glides without an engine, taking oceanographic measurement , and, at the surface, fixes its position via GPS and communicate via satellite. Every morning the crew of the Alena K sends these AUVs out on their mission and then picks them up at a pre-determined spot in the evening.

SUN!!!!!

2009-07-31T17:29:00.005-08:00

We had a glorious day aboard the Auklet. Heading down to Northern Montague we saw a humpback whale, lots of Dall's Porpoises, a pod of Resident (fishing eating) Orcas, all the more spectacular becuase a great ball of hydrogen and helium plasma was visable in a blue sky. Luckily videographer Deborah Mercy, from the Alaska Sea-Grant Marine Advising Program, was there to see it all as we did CTD casts and Biological Sampling.

We had just put the CTD cast in the water of Green Island when a humming bird buzzing at full speed zoomed into the Auklet's cabin. The confused bird needed help finding its way out (i.e. not via the closed windows), so we had to delay sending the instrument down and help it to freedom.

-Kerstin

Public Event in Valdez

2009-07-30T09:19:00.008-08:00

On Tuesday, a public event was held in Valdez where researchers presented the experiment and the findings so far to a crowd in the Valdez Civic Center. The presentation was followed by an open house on the dock where people could view the oceanographic equipment. It was a great success with a lot of interest from the public. The attendance included Valdez Mayor Cottle, House Representative Harris, Commissioner Hartig of the DEC, the US Coast Guard, and many others.

Top left: Dr. Yi Chao of NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab shows wind direction produced by different models. Top right: Dr. Carl Schoch describes surface currents from HF radar.

Bottom left: School children from Cordova model an ROV used to clean up oil spills (popcorn) in the Valdez harbor while Dr. Scott Pegau and Molly McCammon watch on.

Bottom right: Nancy Bird and Torie Baker answer questions and serve refreshments on the Alena K.

-Darcy D

Stowaway on the Alena K!

2009-07-30T09:16:00.003-08:00

Yesterday, a stowaway was discovered aboard the Alena K... Pete Puffin! He looked hungry so Scott fed him some Mike and Ikes (although his favorites are fish, squid or crustaceans). Turns out, Pete is pretty handy as an oceanographic researcher. He knows a lot about circulation in the Sound, can use a marine radio and perform a CTD cast. Learn more about Pete Puffin's adventures in Alaska's currents in the children's book, Pete Puffin's Wild Ride, by Libby Hatton.

http://www.alaskageographic.org/store/products/pete-puffins-wild-ride-cruising-alaskas-currents

Weird Science

2009-07-29T18:21:00.003-08:00

Drifter retrieval can be difficult at times. Finding the small buoys in a large area, such as Prince William Sound, is challenging. And sometimes, when we DO find the drifters, getting them out of a tight spot is even tougher! Jim Pettigrew, from UC Santa Barbara, has to get creative in this video...

The Auklet is Right on Track, Back on Transect

2009-07-28T11:47:00.007-08:00

Yesterday we got back to work after a restful break in Valdez. The weather was still a little stormy but we were ready for it.

Today has been relatively balmy, not much wind or rain. We even saw some orcas on our transect! Doing biological sampling in this calmer sea was quick and rather enjoyable, no falling or spilling sample bottles or bouncing lead weights.

We also did our last plankton net, bringing up, among other cool critters, a beautiful comb jelly.

Currently we are waiting as a giant cruise ship crosses our transect. We will continue along the EW line for the rest of today.

Kerstin

PORPOISES!

2009-07-28T07:38:00.006-08:00

Monday brought some friends to the Vixen! Here, two Dall's Porpoise came to say hello and surf the bow wake of the boat. Dall's Porpoises are in the Porpoise family. Porpoises, unlike Delphinidae (or dolphins), have spade shaped
teeth, blunt rostrums (snouts), and are generally smaller than dolphins. Captain Dave said that if were to be reincarnated as an animal, that would be the one-- then he could eat fish all day and swim fast.

Hometown Girl Makes Good!

2009-07-26T17:29:00.004-08:00

Kerstin Cullen, our youngest crew member, hails from Valdez. As the biological technician onboard the Auklet, Kerstin takes CTD casts as well as performing biological sampling with plankton nets and Nansen bottles (water samplers designed to fill a a prescribed depth).

Kerstin is the ship's "Morale Officer", keeping our spirits up and laughing through the roughest of weather. We appreciate her local knowledge and are excited to visit Valdez on Tuesday for the public demonstration of the Field Experiment. In this podcast, Kerstin tells us how she found her passion for the ocean and discusses her studies in college and their applicability to our project.

Update from the Vixen

2009-07-25T18:07:00.007-08:00

Today was another long day chasing drifters on the Vixen. Captain Dave drove us over 100 nautical miles! This was the calmest day of the Experiment so far, and we were happy to explore the southern part of the Sound. Dave showed us a beautiful "hidey-hole" on Disc Island. Knight Island was another favorite of the day.

We picked up the 40 meter drifters, as well as two 10 meter drifters. Unfortunately, we couldn't find one of the 10 meter drifters. After a 2 hour search, we decided to move on, frustrated. A lunch of nice, hot soup warmed us up again and it was out into the central Sound to deploy another bunch of drifters.

All in all, a successful day- and a night in Valdez to refuel and restock!

Glider Success!

2009-07-24T20:32:00.001-08:00

The glider is finally in the middle of the sound. We started the day with the launch of the REMUS glider for another pass up the channel to Cordova. After another flawless launch we went to pick the glider up because it was too light and could not dive below the thermocline (depth where water temperature changes dramatically). We added some weight and steamed out to the deployment site since the ocean was actually relatively calm. We dumped the glider in and it swam away, happy to be in the middle of the sound where it was supposed to be. Glider positions and plots can be found at http://marine.rutgers.edu/cool/auvs/?page=deployments under RU21.

Ian

Thanks USCG!!

2009-07-24T20:15:00.009-08:00

Steve and Hank, from UAF, made it out to both HF Radar sites yesterday afternoon thanks to the USCG who flew them out in one of their SAR Jayhawk Helicopters. (Although they probably would have enjoyed being lowered to the HF sites by cable, like in this photo-- they had to actually land the helicopter before they could unload!). It got your attention though, didn't it?

They were able to reset, refuel and reboot both of the sites and get data delivery back online. They sent kudos to all in the Sound for all their hard work in such gnarly weather conditions. Keep your fingers crossed for a weaker storm cycle this weekend.

Bringing People Together: Twice daily conference calls

2009-07-24T13:02:00.007-08:00

During the course of the 2-week field experiment, a lot of coordination needs to happen. Scientists in the field need to be aware of everyone's physical lcoation in the sound, the status of the scientific instruments, and current weather conditions. Modelers on shore need to communicate about incoming data. Those in Anchorage and Cordova need to be able to provide updates to the public, and assist with logistics.

Above: Nancy Bird at the Prince William Sound Science Center in Cordova

Twice daily at 8am and 8pm, everyone who has access to a phone joins a conference call to get the latest scoop. Over the past week, calls have come from the middle of stormy Prince William Sound (yes, there is internet and cell service out there!), Cordova, Anchorage, Fairbanks, California, New Jersey, and even Johanessburg, South Africa. Rob Campbell phones in from Cordova while monitoring incoming data.

Sound Predictions in Anchorage: Is that a glider heading up Cook Inlet? Darcy Dugan is on the lookout. Molly McCammon stands by on the phone. Hmmm….what’s the wine.com box doing there?

-Darcy D

An interested public in Cordova!

2009-07-24T12:24:00.009-08:00

Thanks to the efforts of Torie Baker, the local community can view Sound Prediction information and updates just walking down the street. Torie is the local outreach faculty with Alaska Sea Grant and her office windows looking out onto Main Street showcase images, website updates, and the daily blog. An unused CTD on loan from researcher Rob Campbell is to the right, with an arrow pointing to an explanation. Folks are stopping by to read and learn more. Thank you Torie for getting the word out! And if you are in Cordova, come check out the display!

Torie shares info in Cordova with interested passers-by.

(note: rain does not diminish interest in Prince William Sound marine escapades)

-Darcy D

Drifter Tracks

2009-07-23T07:30:00.007-08:00

Here are the tracks of our drifters since our deployment last Tuesday afternoon. The graphic on the right is of the drifters which tell us the circulation at 1 meter depth. The plus sign is the most recent position. Each dot represents a 10 minute interval.

These drifters are driven primarily by wind direction, so you can see that they have moved north. The orange track seems to have been taken by either tidal forces or fresh water movement.

The lower map shows the tracks of two 40 meter drifters. Initially, tidal forces dominate the movement of currents at depth, but as the wind increases, its influence also increases. Even at 40 meters deep, the wind begins to have a larger influence on the drifters. The curliques are tidal cycles, while the northeasterly movement of the tracks denote wind influences.

Chasing Drifters

2009-07-22T23:34:00.001-08:00

The wind howled all Tuesday night, while we slept safe on the Auklet. This morning we woke to more gray skies, driving rain and gusty weather. We decided to do more short deployments on the Vixen in McPherson Passage (as we did yesterday). The Vixen returned to raft up with the Auklet for lunch and to make a plan for the afternoon. The decision was made to send the Auklet out to chase some of the drifters we had deployed on Tuesday. Our data suggested that the drifters had grounded and were washed up on a beach or rocky shoreline somewhere.

Our search for the drifters took us to Perry Island, in the far western part of the Sound. Mark Halverson, an oceanographic researcher at the Science Center played banjo to make the transit go quickly. Kerstin played the guitar. Once we arrived in the area, we began looking for our drifters. This elaborate game of hide-and-seek took the rest of the afternoon, and into the evening. It turns out that an orange drifter the size of a bowling ball is sort of difficult to find in Prince William Sound! I believe the needle in a haystack proverb accurately describes the challenge. It seemed like there were thousands of nooks and crannies where they could be hiding from us.

Captain Dave Janka launched the Zodiac and Leslie and Kerstin (technicians from the Science Center) went along to cruise the shoreline and search for drifters. We found two out of three today, which is quite good, considering the conditions. To understand just how hidden these drifters can be on the shoreline, watch this video of Kerstin clambering up onto the rocky shore to retrieve one of our surface drifters. The music in the background is some of Mark's banjo pickin'. Kerstin's guitar chords can also be heard backing him up.

Update on Alena K

2009-07-21T21:43:00.002-08:00

The AUV group from Cal Poly is still in Cordova, but they have been getting out during the day. Today we ran a short Remus AUV run from a very freshwater area across a front to a salty area. We then we ran down to test the glider once more before releasing it. We were a bit brave and launched it near shore for a short test flight. It didn't manage to go very far and when it came up it went against the wind straight for a set of rocks! Unfortunately we don't have pictures because we were kind of busy trying to get it to safety. We picked it up and got lucky in that the weather let us out to the middle of the channel where we released the glider.

The weather continues to go downhill here, but we are hoping to sneak out in the morning and find a protected spot to send the Remus out for the day.

Posted by Scott Pegau

Meet Rebekka Federer

2009-07-21T21:18:00.003-08:00

Rebekka Federer is a Masters student at University of Alaska, Fairbanks, where she conducts research on Eider sea ducks at the Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward. She is currently working with the Prince William Sound Science Center as the bird and mammal observer aboard the Auklet. Listen to her talk about the project and the significance of her work to this experiment.

Watch a Drifter Deployment

2009-07-21T16:00:00.002-08:00

In this video, Rebekka Federer (a seabird and marine mammal observer with the Prince William Sound Science Center), Kerstin Cullen (a biological technician with the Science Center) and Jim Pettigrew (with the University of California, Santa Barbara) work on the deck of the Vixen deploying a drifter. The white "kite" functions as a sea anchor. It hangs below the orange and white buoy below the surface at a depth of approximately 1 meter. This sea anchor "drives" the buoy, so the motion of the buoy tells us the speed and direction of the current at a depth of 1 meter.

In this video, we are essentially still within our anchorage! It is so rough in the central Sound that we are getting good data and great training just in the fairly sheltered waters of Mc Pherson Passage between Peak and Naked Island.

HF Radar is Temporarily Down

2009-07-21T15:51:00.001-08:00

The HF radar is down at Knowles Bay site. The researchers at University of Alaska Fairbanks suspect that there is a problem with the hardware. This means that Hank, who is on standby in Cordova, will need to head over to check things out as soon as the weather calms down.

Mark J

PWS Data & Model Visualization Made Public Via Google Earth and Cloud Computing

2009-07-21T08:31:00.003-08:00

Applied Science Associates (ASA), an international environmental consulting firm, has enabled public access to real-time data from the 2009 Field Experiment through Google Earth. You can see ROMS Data (Dr. Yi Chao), WRF Data (Dr. Peter Olsson), and HF Radar (Dr. Mark Johnson) plus ASA drifter simulations using these model data (sources: http://ak.aoos.org/aoos/fieldexp/data_by_pi-researcher.html).

ASA has integrated data from PWS experiment's ocean observing systems and models to create Google Earth KML files. Amazon technology makes the integration of large datasets possible by dividing the work among computers based in data centers around the globe. This is called "cloud computing". The Google Earth link:http://asascience_pws.s3.amazonaws.com/PWS_DATA.kml

New data sets are being added and improvements are being made all the time so be sure to check back regularly. Let us know if you have comments or suggestions: contact David Stuebe (of ASA)

--Posted by Lee Dooley (ASA)

Update on the Alena K

2009-07-20T21:46:00.001-08:00

We are safe and SOUND back in Cordova. After leaving port today we headed out to launch the glider north of Hawkins Island. The glider had trouble flying after the initial test runs, but did not provide any clues to what the problem may be. We went to Windy Bay to run some more test flights and hide from the wind. The glider seemed to correct itself and ran great, but Rutgers needs to look at the data and make sure it will be ready to fly tomorrow. We are planning to do a short practice run in the morning and then launch the glider around 14:00. Good luck to everybody tomorrow.

-Ian

Update on the Vixen

2009-07-20T21:38:00.006-08:00

Today on the Vixen: The weather forecast was grim, but we gritted our teeth and decided to check out the Sound. The Vixen loaded up and left Cordova at around 11:30am. Aboard was Carter Ohlman and Jim Pettigrew, from University of California, Santa Barbara, Leslie Abramson, from the Prince William Sound Science Center and Captain Dave Rentel of the Vixen. Initially, the conditions seemed pretty good, but this was misleading as we were heading downwind (basically surfing and going the same direction as the wind and waves). We were able to deploy one round of drifters, though it was rough and wet. Then we turned around and headed north for the second deployment. Ugh! Heading into the wind was too much for us, the waves were as tall as the Vixen! Things started getting a bit crazy, so we decided to stay safe and head for cover. We ran in to Naked Island, our rendezvous point with the Auklet and spent the rest of the afternoon tracking the drifters we had deployed.

Now we are rafted with the Auklet, warm, dry and happy. We had Copper River Red salmon for dinner, with pesto pasta and broccoli. And, of course, Captain David Janka finished off with ice cream. We heard that the Alena K had some troubles with the glider and ended up missing their weather window, as conditions worsened throughout the day. They will sleep in their beds tonight in Cordova. We hope we see them tomorrow or Wednesday, but with gale warnings forecasted for tomorrow, we may not see them until later in the week.

Vixen and Alena K Departures

2009-07-20T21:14:00.005-08:00

It was dark and gloomy in the harbor this morning as we loaded the boats. Rain and wind squalls moved through with periodic lightening of the sky (for very brief moments). The Vixen left about 11:30 am and the Alena K was gone by 1:30 p.m.

One fisherman asked Andy Craig (capt. of the Alena K) what the "missile" he had on board was all about. Mark Moline gave a short description of the glider (aka the "missile") to Andy's son before they left... and the missile's tail fin later proved to be an excellent "table" for a piece of pizza.

-Written by Nancy Bird

Rough Weather

2009-07-20T15:54:00.001-08:00

Hey all,
Currently we are doing extreme blogging so you should be proud. The waves are too rough for anymore ctd casts in the central sound, so after NS3 we decided to head east and do the OB line. There are swells from the south and chop from the north east, so the further south the Auklet went the worse the conditions became.
-Kerstin

APRN Radio Broadcast

2009-07-20T15:50:00.004-08:00

In case you didn't hear it live, here is a link to the Alaska Public Radio Network (APRN) radio piece on the project, including pieces of an interview with PI Scott Pegau: http://media.aprn.org/2009/ann-20090717-05.mp3

PLEASE NOTE, CORRECTION: JPL in fact was NOT involved in the 2004 experiment as mentioned in this story. The model that performed poorly in 2004 was the Princeton Ocean Model developed by another group. The data assimilation modeling capabilities of Dr. Yi Chao's team at JPL are now being tested in this 2009 experiment.

- Darcy D

Update from the Auklet!

2009-07-20T08:17:00.001-08:00

Hi Everyone

We're right in the central sound now...conditions are worsening. Dave estimates 3-5 ft swell on average, whitecaps, and 25 knot winds. We skipped a CTD cast because the boat was rolling to severely!

We're motoring westwards towards Naked Island hoping the conditions will get better as we move west.

Mark H

Auklet Underway

2009-07-20T08:12:00.003-08:00

Crew member Chris waves as the Auklet leaves the Cordova Harbor on this pretty wet morning! On board are Captain Dave Janka, Mark Halverson, Kerstin Cullen and Rebekkah Federer (and Chris). On the right, the Auklet departing with the PWS Science Center building at the right of the frame.

Even with the damp weather (and more threatening in a day...), spirits were high. Along with plankton nets, CTDs and computers, at least one guitar and banjo were loaded on board (just in case there's "down" time).

After a safety briefing, the boat left at just after 9 a.m.

They'll do hydrographic and some biological sampling later today, weather permitting... the winds were calm as they pulled out but have kicked up in Cordova this afternoon.

Cordova Open House

2009-07-18T08:10:00.001-08:00

We had a great turnout for at the Cordova Open House late Friday afternoon! Held at the PWS Science Center's warehouse, the public was invited to see the oceanographic equipment that will be deployed this week, and also meet some of the scientists and technicians participating in the experiment. About 40-45 people stopped by during the two-hour event and many seemed very impressed with the glider, AUV and drifters. Pete Puffin watched from a perch on a crate as the Open House visitors looked at the gear and asked questions about how it works and what the data results will tell us. Among the crowd were fishermen, resource managers, some long-time residents, and several visitors from Anchorage who were in Cordova for a Native Village of Eyak sponsored conference on alternative energy options the community might explore.

ROMS Model

2009-07-15T09:01:00.007-08:00

Ocean circulation in Prince William Sound is driven by an intricate mixture of buoyancy, wind, tidal, and remote forcing. A research team led by Dr. Yi Chao from the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) and including Dr. Xavier Capet from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has developed a Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) for the Sound that can forecast surface currents, tides, and temperatures, as well as track waterborne nutrients or pollutants. The image shown here is a ROMS prediction of sea surface temperature in Prince William Sound. The 2009 Field Experiment will determine the accuracy of ROMS forecasts. For more information on the ROMS model, check out http://www.aoos.org/fieldexp/tools/ocean.html

Right now, JPL ROMS team is working hard to get ready for the daily ROMS prediction of the Prince William Sound 3D circulation and tides. You can find the most updated ROMS prediction at the JPL web page: http://ourocean.jpl.nasa.gov/PWS. The team plans to post a six-hourly "nowcast" and the 48-hour forecast daily on this webpage, so check-in as often as possible!

Currently, the JPL ROMS team is creating their forecast based only on satellite measurement of sea surface temperature from national centers. Once the HF Radar installations start sending data to the team in California, they will assimilate them into ROMS so that the nowcast and forecast can be improved. Once drifters are deployed in the Sound, they can start comparing the actual ocean circulation with the ROMS model prediction.

A good ROMS ocean circulation forecast depends heavily on an accurate atmospheric forecast, including wind, air-sea heat flux, and rainfall. Working with Professor Peter Olsson at UAA, the ROMS team will also display real-time comparisons between the observed wind and predicted wind (generated by another model called the Weather Research and Forecasting model, or WRF) to assess the accuracy of the atmospheric wind prediction.

Bears!!

2009-07-13T11:37:00.006-08:00

I asked Steve how he and the HF Radar team deal with bears in the field. Aside from the standard protection: pepper spray, whistles and freon horns, he offered this advice.

Log Entry

2009-07-10T13:55:00.004-08:00

Thursday morning, we put the finishing touches on the HF Radar installation and cleaned up the site. The crew is still ahead of schedule and in great spirits. In the afternoon, we transited to Shelter Bay and checked out the site. To our consternation, the wind had knocked over both huts and they were pitched forward,half suspended in the trees and pitched over a small cliff. Whoops!

We hauled 16 batteries, 4 drums of biodiesel and a generator up the steep beach. Then, we decided to have go at turning the huts back over. We attached a line to the mast (where the antenna is attached) and started the hauling process. As soon as the tension began to lift the hut, snap! The line parted, and Mark called an end to operations for Thursday.

Back onboard the Auklet, we regrouped and put some food into our systems.Not long after, a group of humpback whales put on a show for us, blowing, breaching and waving. What a spectacle! We all turned in pretty early and have awoken to our first grey, rainy day.

2009-07-10T09:14:00.001-08:00

Log Entry: July 6-8

2009-07-09T11:15:00.004-08:00

July 6, 2009. 20:00 hrs PWS HF Radar Experiment Day 1

The UAF HF Radar crew drove down to Valdez with 5,000 lbs of gear and met the research vessel, Auklet at 9am in Valdez. We unloaded most of the lighter equipment from the trailer at the dock due to low tide and then used the commercial fishing fleet’s crane to load 8 barrels of biodiesel, 32 batteries, the generators, CODAR equipment, spares, satellite dishes and all the tools to put everything together. We left the dock at 12:30am and arrived at Knowles Bay by 5pm. First trip to shore at 5pm and worked until 8pm. We took ashore 4 containers of biodiesel, tools, power panel and genset. We also cleared brush, started dismantling the A-frame and huts, and got ready to set things up. Flat calm conditions today were near perfect for beach landings with our heavy gear.

July 7, 2009. 21:24 hrs PWS HF Radar Experiment Day 2

Today we started with a superb breakfast of French toast and sausages before spotting a black bear on the beach 100 m north of our site. We kept our bear spray at the ready on our first beach assault of the day. Once ashore, the final touches were put on clearing out the A-frame. That 600 lb genset was a bear to move! The old Starband satellite dish was removed and the Hughes Net dish installed. By lunchtime, the new genset was well on it’s way to being installed, and we nearly had high speed internet. We took advantage of the high tide after lunch to move 16 batteries to the beach, one of us (Steve) even carried two 70 lb batteries at once. By the early afternoon, the CODAR antennas were installed, the batteries all checked out and the Hughes Net Satellite was found. Mark worked assertively with the fuel pump, earning excellent remarks all around.

By the end of the day, the high speed internet was installed, the genset was working, and the CODAR is almost there. David Janka had an awesome dinner ready of Alaskan shrimp, red beans and rice. We followed up a steamy hot day of work with an appropriate swim call and are now basking in a hazy glow of exhaustion.

July 8, 2009. 18:23 hrs PWS HF Radar Experiment Day 3

Eagle and bear on beach in the morning. We set up SeaSonde electronics and installed/tested biodiesel generator. Leslie Abramson from the Prince William Sound Science Center arrived today by float plane.

Success. Our first data was collected and sent to Fairbanks!

Shrimp scramble for breakfast and burgers (beef, Garden, and/or salmon) for dinner.

Captain Dave Janka and the Auklet

2009-07-09T10:33:00.004-08:00

To learn more about Captain David Janka and the Auklet, check out http://www.auklet.com/

What's the Status?

2009-07-09T09:58:00.005-08:00

What's the current status of the Knowles Head HF Radar project? Dr. Mark Johnson tells us...

Meet Rachel

2009-07-09T09:13:00.008-08:00

Rachel Potter, Research Analyst at University of Alaska, Fairbanks, explains how HF Radar works. What's that thing on her head, you ask? It's a bug net-- something I wish I had been smart enough to take along with me on my visit to the Auklet!

Mark Discusses Model Accuracy

2009-07-09T09:13:00.004-08:00

HF Radar data will be used to build a model which predicts future ocean currents. When we deploy the drifters during the field experiment (in a week-and-a-half), we will be able to compare the model predictions with the actual tracks of the drifters. I asked Dr. Mark Johnson, the Principal Investigator from University of Alaska, Fairbanks, about how far into the future the model can accurately predict surface circulation.

Notes from the Field

2009-07-08T17:14:00.003-08:00

I made it to Knowles Head today! The cable modem seems to have spotty coverage and I wasn't able to send any posts from that connection. The connection for the HF Radar site is up now and I am posting from here. I'll find out soon if it works!

The team from UAF is making good progress and hope to finish up at this site within the next day or two. Then, it's off to Shelter Bay. I will try to attach a photo of Rachel, Hank and Steve (from UAF) working at the site. You can see that even with good weather, being out in the field is challenging. Coming soon: meet the HF Radar team, the Auklet and crew, and my float plane ride out to the Sound!

Meet Leslie!

2009-07-07T16:33:00.004-08:00

HF Radar Link

2009-07-07T16:22:00.002-08:00

For those of you who would like to read about HF Radar, check out the AOOS web site for the field experiment:

http://ak.aoos.org/aoos/fieldexp/tools/radar.html

Leslie

Cordova at Dawn

2009-07-07T13:55:00.004-08:00

Another beautiful morning in Cordova at the Prince William Sound Science Center. See my video to view the serenity of town at 8am. Today, I am getting packed and ready for a float plane trip out to Knowles Head, where the research vessel Auklet is working. I will be joining Mark Johnson and his team from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, as they install HF Radar in two areas of the Sound. Join me tomorrow to see video from my flight and meet the crew!

The 2009 Field Experiment

2009-07-07T09:42:00.003-08:00

From July 19 to August 3, Prince William Sound will be the setting for science at sea, as scientists from the Alaska Ocean Observing System and the Oil Spill Recovery Institute will evaluate the effectiveness of various forecast models in predicting wind, waves, and ocean circulation in Prince William Sound. The team will:

deploy drifting buoys throughout the Sound to measure the speed and direction of surface currents, and measure how well the model predicts ocean conditions
follow the tracks of buoys that mimic Coast Guard Search and Rescue targets and oil spill trajectories
deploy autonomous vehicles to travel the Sound and collect data

Follow along as we report from the field!

Photo: This view of Jack Bay near Valdez, looking southwest into Valdez Arm, is typical of the Sound's intricate coastline. (Prince William Sound Science Center)