CCE LTER Cruise: Webquest
Day 1
1. Why are scientists particularly interested in the California Current Ecosystem? Why is it special?
It is a coastal upwelling biome, and one of the most productive ecosystems in the world. It sustains active fisheries for fish and invertebrates, changes weather patterns and the hydrologic cycle of the Eastern US, and is important in the economy of many coastal towns.
2. What is the name of the research vessel they are on?
The Melville.
3. How much does the ship way when fully loaded?
2,526 tons.
Day 3
4. Summarize the process of zooplankton being captured by the MOCNESS.
The MOCNESS consists of 10 nets being sent to different depths, which each one at a different depth and only one open at a time. It catches various plankton from depths ranging to 0 ft. 1500 ft.
5. Explain the vertical migration of many zooplankton species. Why do they do this.
These species go deeper into the water during the day to avoid predators that find food with their eyes. At night, they go back up to the surface to eat phytoplankton.
6. What are phytoplankton?
Tiny plants that float in the water and are eaten by zooplankton.
Day 6
7. What information is collected by the SeaSoar? What are they specifically trying to find?
The SeaSoar collects information about water temperature, salinity and density, dissolved oxygen, and other things to determine how many zooplankton are in the water. They are trying to find the place where the California Coastal Current meets denser coastal water.
8. What does CTD stand for?
Conductivity, Temperature and Depth.
Day 10
9. What is the E-Front?
It is where the California Coastal Current meets inshore currents, so called because it looks like an eddy. (E)
10. Why does the sampling need to be conducted at night?
To ensure that the zooplankton are present at the sampling depth of 300 ft.
11. What is the epipelagic zone?
The zone of the ocean where light from the sun is at it's highest.
12. These samples were taken along the E-Front. Can you tell where the actual front is located? Tell where you see the sample change.
The sample changes in between the 5th and 6th glasses and in glass 6 itself, so that is probably where the front is located.
13. Explain how chlorophyll samples are preserved.
They are preserved by putting the water into bottles, pouring the water from each one into a different type or size of filter, then collecting the filter papers, preserving them in acetone and then freezing them.
Day 12
14. Where is the mesopelagic zone? Why are the organisms found here special?
A layer of the ocean that is very deep, between 200 and 1000 meters. Organisms that live here are often very strange-looking due to having to adapt to a difficult ecosystem and are hard to bring back alive, and thus are special.
Day 14
15. Explain why styrofoam cups attatched to the CTD shrunk when they where lowered to the depths.
Boyle's law states that if you increase the pressure, you will decrease the volume. When the cups were lowered to the deep zones of the ocean, the increased pressure down there caused the cups to shrink and lose volume.
Day 19
16. Why is iron so important to phytoplankton?
Iron is an nutrient that phytoplankton need and it helps them grow.
17. What kind of precautions are taken by the scientists on board to make sure that the water samples are not contaminated by metals on or around the ship?
They obtain their water from a special clean CTD device covered in plastic to prevent rust, and then put in bottles and pushed with gas through filters.
Day 21
18. How can scientists use poop to determine the biomass of an ecosystem?
They find fecal matter from zooplankton and find the amount of carbon in it, determining the amount of matter, or biomass, flowing through the ecosystem.
19. What is marine smow? How is it collected?
Marine snow is scat and other materials like phytoplankton that fall through the water column. It is collected by lowering vials of salt water that are denser than the salt water so that anything floating down the water column will float into the vials.
Day 24
20. Explain how long-lining is dangerous to marine birds.
Albatross see fish on long-line fishing lines, eat them, and get stuck on the bait and drown.
21. Describe fin whales.
They have a unique coloration and the position of their dorsal fins in relation to their blowholes is different than most whales. They eat larger zooplankton such as krill. They have not been commercially hunted because they are found so far off shore.
Day 26
22. What are copepods and what are they related to?
They are very small zooplankton related to crabs and lobsters.
23. Explain the two ways copepods are studied on this ship.
Their reproduction patterns are studied and pictures are taken of them.
Day 29
24. What is the bow dome? Where is it located?
The bow dome is an area with windows in it in the front of the ship and under the water where you can see the bioluminescence of zooplankton.
25. Would you be interested in spending a month at sea? Does a career in oceanography sound interesting?
I don't think I would like spending a month in sea, though I might be interested in an oceanography career.
26. Which part of this blog was most interesting to you? Why?
The part of this blog that was the most interesting to me was the procedure in which the marine scientists used to conduct there underwater research. It was interesting to me because it shows how the results have been obtained by the researchers.
1. Why are scientists particularly interested in the California Current Ecosystem? Why is it special?
It is a coastal upwelling biome, and one of the most productive ecosystems in the world. It sustains active fisheries for fish and invertebrates, changes weather patterns and the hydrologic cycle of the Eastern US, and is important in the economy of many coastal towns.
2. What is the name of the research vessel they are on?
The Melville.
3. How much does the ship way when fully loaded?
2,526 tons.
Day 3
4. Summarize the process of zooplankton being captured by the MOCNESS.
The MOCNESS consists of 10 nets being sent to different depths, which each one at a different depth and only one open at a time. It catches various plankton from depths ranging to 0 ft. 1500 ft.
5. Explain the vertical migration of many zooplankton species. Why do they do this.
These species go deeper into the water during the day to avoid predators that find food with their eyes. At night, they go back up to the surface to eat phytoplankton.
6. What are phytoplankton?
Tiny plants that float in the water and are eaten by zooplankton.
Day 6
7. What information is collected by the SeaSoar? What are they specifically trying to find?
The SeaSoar collects information about water temperature, salinity and density, dissolved oxygen, and other things to determine how many zooplankton are in the water. They are trying to find the place where the California Coastal Current meets denser coastal water.
8. What does CTD stand for?
Conductivity, Temperature and Depth.
Day 10
9. What is the E-Front?
It is where the California Coastal Current meets inshore currents, so called because it looks like an eddy. (E)
10. Why does the sampling need to be conducted at night?
To ensure that the zooplankton are present at the sampling depth of 300 ft.
11. What is the epipelagic zone?
The zone of the ocean where light from the sun is at it's highest.
12. These samples were taken along the E-Front. Can you tell where the actual front is located? Tell where you see the sample change.
The sample changes in between the 5th and 6th glasses and in glass 6 itself, so that is probably where the front is located.
13. Explain how chlorophyll samples are preserved.
They are preserved by putting the water into bottles, pouring the water from each one into a different type or size of filter, then collecting the filter papers, preserving them in acetone and then freezing them.
Day 12
14. Where is the mesopelagic zone? Why are the organisms found here special?
A layer of the ocean that is very deep, between 200 and 1000 meters. Organisms that live here are often very strange-looking due to having to adapt to a difficult ecosystem and are hard to bring back alive, and thus are special.
Day 14
15. Explain why styrofoam cups attatched to the CTD shrunk when they where lowered to the depths.
Boyle's law states that if you increase the pressure, you will decrease the volume. When the cups were lowered to the deep zones of the ocean, the increased pressure down there caused the cups to shrink and lose volume.
Day 19
16. Why is iron so important to phytoplankton?
Iron is an nutrient that phytoplankton need and it helps them grow.
17. What kind of precautions are taken by the scientists on board to make sure that the water samples are not contaminated by metals on or around the ship?
They obtain their water from a special clean CTD device covered in plastic to prevent rust, and then put in bottles and pushed with gas through filters.
Day 21
18. How can scientists use poop to determine the biomass of an ecosystem?
They find fecal matter from zooplankton and find the amount of carbon in it, determining the amount of matter, or biomass, flowing through the ecosystem.
19. What is marine smow? How is it collected?
Marine snow is scat and other materials like phytoplankton that fall through the water column. It is collected by lowering vials of salt water that are denser than the salt water so that anything floating down the water column will float into the vials.
Day 24
20. Explain how long-lining is dangerous to marine birds.
Albatross see fish on long-line fishing lines, eat them, and get stuck on the bait and drown.
21. Describe fin whales.
They have a unique coloration and the position of their dorsal fins in relation to their blowholes is different than most whales. They eat larger zooplankton such as krill. They have not been commercially hunted because they are found so far off shore.
Day 26
22. What are copepods and what are they related to?
They are very small zooplankton related to crabs and lobsters.
23. Explain the two ways copepods are studied on this ship.
Their reproduction patterns are studied and pictures are taken of them.
Day 29
24. What is the bow dome? Where is it located?
The bow dome is an area with windows in it in the front of the ship and under the water where you can see the bioluminescence of zooplankton.
25. Would you be interested in spending a month at sea? Does a career in oceanography sound interesting?
I don't think I would like spending a month in sea, though I might be interested in an oceanography career.
26. Which part of this blog was most interesting to you? Why?
The part of this blog that was the most interesting to me was the procedure in which the marine scientists used to conduct there underwater research. It was interesting to me because it shows how the results have been obtained by the researchers.