Wrapping up the Sea life

Hey gang,  Monday night about 11:00 pm shiptime.  Awesome couple of days.  Yesterday was beautiful day on the North Pacific.  We spent a lot of time on the steel beach during our break times. Had group pictures taken so we all have some great memories to share.  Spent the day in class doing some geology that I cannot wait to bring back to my students at Northwest.  Finally saw some wildlife.  We had a sea lion swimming along side the ship.  It was pretty neat.  Had a whale visit today but didn't get a picture.  As nice as yesterday was today was complete opposite.  Today we had 15 ft waves that really got us to rocking.  It was unbelievable how much different the surface was today compared to yesterday.  Lots of energy out there today.  We are winding things down as tomorrow morning they will start bring the camera up from about 1200 meters below.  All in all it will take about 24 hours to bring up the pipe and camera and wind up back at the dock in Victoria.  I do beleive that we are ready to get back on solid ground.  Anyway, that is about all for now.  Catch you tomorrow. 

Saturday Night on the Seas

Hey gang,  a lot has been happening since last I blogged. The SCIMPI is planted.  Everybody is pretty excited.   A few of us School of Rockers got to help get the SCIMPI planted so we all had a part in the history of this new technology.  They will come back this way in about 3 weeks and collect some data.  The engineering and science that is going on is unbelievable.  We are sitting on the shelf about 50 some miles from the coast of Vancover Island.  In about 10 minutes we are going to put the logging apparatus down another drill hole.  The logger is lowered to the bottom of the drill hole that is about 200 meters below the sea floor.  They will than raise the logger up to the top and then lower it again.  The logger collects data as it is lowered and pulled back up.  The data it collects on the way up is what they really want to collect.  This entire process will take about 8 hours. 

After this we are going to drop another mini SCIMPI that the crew calls the SHRIMPI.  It is very similar to its counterpart but different in the fact that it is only about 20 meters long.  They are going to drop it to the floor and then see what happens. 

Found out today that we are probably going to be heading back to Victoria late Monday night or early Tuesday morning.  We will still be on board but able to hit the hotspots in Victoria come evening. Jon Lewis, the resident geology Dr., has set up a chance for some of us to go mountain biking.  Should be an interesting experience.  I have met some super people.  The other School of Rockers are pretty cool.  I know that I will keep in touch with them after this experience is finished.  Getting lots of great ideas from all of them for class next year.  Just got back from outside and the full moon is beautiful.  Haven't see any whales yet but who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Well gang, until next we visit, keep feet on the ground and your eyes toward the seas.

Theres a hole in the bottom of the sea!!!

Tuesday May 21, today is the day that the crew goes fishing.  Fishing for the cork.  We spent most of the morning watching the recovery of  cork 858G.  My classmates and I had a front row seat to the whole show.  Never mind the fact that the show was 2431 meters below the ship.  It was an experience in frustration as time and time again the retrieval head was unable to hook up with the cork head.  They had to keep moving the ship right, left, etc a few inches a time to try and catch the cork.  After a few hours of trying they brought the pipe back up.  Once they got it to the surface there was some damage done.  We will know in about an hour if they decide to try it again. 

Meanwhile up on the beach deck we were preparing the SCIMPI for its journey to the bottom of the sea and beyond.  It is a newer and more hi tech version of the old cork system. This is the first attempt to use the SCIMPI.  Years from now when they are talking about the SCIMPI system of collecting date from under the seafloor, I will be able to say that I was there and helped with the very first one. 

The seas are getting a little rougher right now.  We are seeing ocean swells up to 10 ft high.  That means the ship will rise up 10 ft above sea level and then drop to 10 ft below sea level.  It is as fun as any roller coaster I've ever been on.  They also are expecting a gale tomorrow, which means stronger winds. What a rush that should be.  

I haven't told you about the meals.  WOW, brisket, pork, pineapple ham, fish, and anything else you an think of.  It is an adventure every meal time just to see what they are serving. 

Well gang I better head on upstairs because tomorrow is going to be another full day of high seas adventure on the JOIDES Resolution.

Until next time keep you feet on the ground and your eyes to the seas. 

Somewhere upon the sea!!!!

Hey gang, its Monday 8:30 pm seatime.  Had an awesome day today. Finally made it to our first site.  We are going to attempt to replace a cork.  For you landlubbers, that means we are going to pull a long tube with scientific instruments from the seafloor and then replace it with newer instrumentation.  The cork has been down there for about 16 years.  Here is what you would have to do to simulate this mission.   Your job, should you decide to accept, would be to go to the top of  the Empire state building with a whole lot of drinking straws and a piece of gum.  You would put those straws together and with bubble gum on the bottom of that chain of straws try to pick up a penny that has been placed the ground 112 floors below you.  Mission impossible, right?  WRONG!!!!
These people on the JOIDES Resolution research ship are about to do that tonight.  Once they hook up to the cork on the seafloor it will take about 2 hours to pull it up.  We are on a mission of "firsts!"  They are using a new camera system that has never been used before tonight.  Also the second "first" is the employment of the SCIMPI rig.  It is a brand new, state of the art, cutting edge technology that will be placed beneath the ocean floor.  From its position it will send back data about what is going on done there.  And I am here for all of it.  WOW!!!!

As you can tell I am in ADHD heaven.  There is so much stuff going on here it blows my mind.  I will be in touch again tomorrow.

Until then keep your toes in the sand and your eyes on the sea. 

Anchors away!!!!

   Bringing the North Pacific seafoor to the Ogallala aquifer. Here we go School of Rock 2013. Getting ready for the trip of a lifetime. We are currently sitting at the dock in Esquimalt Bay, Victoria, BC, Canade. We have spent the last 2 day getting used to the ship and learning all about JOIDES Resolution research ship. We are shipping out today(Sun May 19th) at 6:00 pm. I cannot wait until we are out there in the open ocean and looking at the deep ocean biosphere. Interesting side note. Of the 13 teachers involved with SOR, 10 of them are associated with virtual schools. WOW, a classroom with no students. Today we are also doing some cool stuff in the microbiology lab. Culturing some microbes. Being on the JOIDES Resolution is an ADHD rush for me. So much stuff to look at and so much going on. We are doing some cutting edge research out here. Well gang I better back to the lab. I will keep you posted. Unitl then, I will see you topside.

JOIDES Resolution

Well gang, 4 days until I fly out of Kearney to Vancouver, BC, Canada for the trip of a lifetime.  Spending 2 weeks at sea on a scientific research ship.  I cannot wait.  I will keep you posted throughout my trip.  Until then see you topside.