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S-189 Cruise Report

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S-189 Cruise Report Cruise Report S-189 Scientific data collected aboard SSV Robert C. Seamans San Diego – La Paz – Puerto Vallarta 16 October 2003 – 24 November 2003 Sea Education Association Woods Hole, Massachusetts To obtain unpublished data, contact the SEA data archivist: Erik Zettler, Science Coordinator Sea Education Association P.O. Box 6 Woods Hole, MA 02543 Phone: 508-540-3954 ext. 29 800-552-3633 ext. 29 Fax: 508-457-4673 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.sea.edu 2 Table of Contents Ship’s Company 4 Introduction 5 Table 1: Student research projects, cruise S-189 6 Table 2: Academic lectures and activities 7 Data Description 8 Figure 1: S-189 cruise track 8 Figure 2: Locations of oceanographic sampling stations 9 Table 3: Oceanographic sampling stations 10 Table 4: Surface station data 15 Table 5: Neuston net tow data 16 Table 6: Hydrocast bottle data 18 Scientific Results: Student Abstracts 22 Figures 3-25: Selections from student research papers Tables 7,8: Selections from student research papers 3 Ship’s Company SSV Robert C. Seamans, Cruise S-189 Nautical Staff Elliot Rappaport Captain Pamela Coughlin Chief Mate Ben McKee Second Mate Carter Cassel Third Mate Gray Stockmayer Engineer Jonathan Cedar Assistant Engineer Christopher Wang Steward Gillian Faustine Deckhand Scientific Staff Kara Lavender Chief Scientist Jim Watkins First Assistant Scientist Sarah Piwinski Second Assistant Scientist Cina Loarie Third Assistant Scientist Students Natalie Ashton Northeastern University Lauren Burk University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Katherine Cohn Oberlin College Meredith Costa University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Kyle Detwiler Princeton University Matthew Fromboluti Carleton College Michael King Colby College Erin Knight Hamilton College Mark Kuske Oregon State University Elizabeth Lovelock University of Pennsylvania Coleen MacNally Hamilton College Brenna Mahoney Cornell University Michael-Ryan McCabe Georgia Institute of Technology Kristen Mitchell Eckerd College Laura Nelson Dartmouth College Sara Nelson University of Arizona William Palmieri St. Olaf College Celeste Plautz Lake Forest College Kathleen Ryan Williams College Patrick Schmidt Villanova University Emily Warrener Earlham College Visitors Raymundo Avendaño Ibarra IPN-CICIMAR, Mexico Víctor Andrés Levy Pérez IPN-CICIMAR, Mexico Andrea Levy de la Torre La Paz, Mexico 4 Introduction This report outlines the academic program and shipboard research activities of SEA Semester S-189 aboard the SSV Robert C. Seamans from 16 October 2003 to 24 November 2003. It includes a summary of the oceanographic data collected and the scientific results from student research projects. The information presented here is a preliminary analysis of data collected during S-189. It is not intended to represent final interpretation of the data and should not be excerpted or cited without written permission from SEA. Cruise S-189 departed from San Diego, CA on 16 October 2003 after a rigorous six- week academic shore component in Woods Hole, MA. On shore, students investigated oceanographic topics in the scientific literature and completed written proposals for their research at sea. Shipboard, the sampling program was designed to carry out these student research projects which span the four major disciplines of oceanography – physical, chemical, biological, and geological oceanography (Table 1). Student research efforts culminate in a written paper and an oral presentation to the ship’s company. Abstracts and selected figures from student research papers are included in this report, and the complete student research papers from cruise S-189 are available upon request from SEA. In addition to the formal scientific research and academic activities (Table 2) onboard, we were continually amazed by what we observed from the deck. Throughout our journey of 2812 nautical miles we observed fin whales just off the stern, dolphins in the bow wake visible only by bioluminescence, and a squid feeding frenzy illuminated by the deck lights during a nighttime sampling station. During our port stop in La Paz, Mexico we made many new friends during a reception dockside aboard the Seamans. Students were excited to meet scientists from the local research institutions such as IPN-CICIMAR, and we all enjoyed one of many incredible La Paz sunsets. For the second leg of the trip we were fortunate to be joined by observers and visiting scientists Víctor Andrés Levy Pérez and Raymundo Avendaño Ibarra from IPN-CICMAR, and visiting student Andrea Levy de la Torre. No sooner had we departed Bahía de La Paz than our visitors became fully-participating members of the ship’s community, from taking turns at the helm to giving us an overview of research activities of the Sardine Group at CICIMAR. The excellent leadership of the staff, creativity and energy of the students, and enthusiasm and friendship of our visitors made S-189 a success both scientifically and personally. A heartfelt thanks to all aboard. Kara Lavender Chief Scientist, S-189 5 Table 1: Student research projects, cruise S-189. Title Student Investigators A Comparative Sediment Analysis of the California Natalie Ashton Continental and Baja Peninsula Borderlands in the Eastern Pacific Myctophid Distribution According to Temperature and Tootsie Burk Salinity along the S-189 Cruise Track A Compositional Analysis of Sediments in the California Michael King Bight and Coastal Baja Liz Lovelock Comparison of Gravity Cores in the Southern California Erin Knight Bight and the Gulf of California Diel Vertical Migration of Marine Copepods in the Coleen MacNally Eastern Pacific Ocean in Relation to Size and Color Meredith Costa What Determines the Extent of Zooplankton Vertical Brenna Mahoney Migration? An Examination of Thermocline Limitation on Copepod Diel Migration The Thermohaline Structure of the Ensenada Front and Mike McCabe Surrounding Current Systems Meara Ryan Ocean Profiling: Phosphate and Oxygen in the Eastern Kristen Mitchell Pacific along Baja California and in the Gulf of California Kat Cohn The Oxygen Minimum Zone and its Effect on the Laura Nelson Habitation Depths of Zooplankton in the Eastern Tropical Kyle Detwiler Pacific An Examination of the Currents of the Southern Sara Nelson California Bight during October 2003 Mark Kuske The Influence of the Island Mass Effect on the Vertical William Palmieri Distribution of Phytoplankton in the Eastern Pacific Matthew Fromboluti Ocean Zooplankton Biomass Density and Diversity Observed Celeste Plautz from San Diego, CA to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico The Effects of Island Masses on Current Flow in the Patrick Schmidt Eastern Pacific A Distribution Study of Halobates along the Baja Emily Warrener Peninsula and in the Gulf of California Distribución de Peces Juveniles Epipelagicos Andrea Levy de la Torre 6 Table 2: Academic lectures and activities. Date Topic Speaker(s) 18 Oct. Academics at sea E. Rappaport and K. Lavender 20 Oct. Student project introductions Students 21 Oct. Tropical storms E. Rappaport Ongoing Creature features Students Systems chases Students 22 Oct. Reefing the main All hands 23 Oct. Light in the ocean K. Lavender 24 Oct. Data discussion groups Students and Asst. Scientists 25 Oct. Line chase Students 27 Oct. Sound in the ocean S. Piwinski 28 Oct. Nautical science Q&A E. Rappaport and Students 29 Oct. Lab practical exam Students 30 Oct. Stars E. Rappaport 31 Oct. Data discussion groups Students and Asst. Scientists 1 Nov. Bosunry B. McKee 7 Nov. Data discussion groups Students and Asst. Scientists 8 Nov. Anchoring E. Rappaport 10 Nov. Ships and traffic E. Rappaport 11 Nov. Oceanography in the Pacific J. Watkins 12 Nov. Oceanography Q&A C. Loarie 13 Nov. Career paths of sailors E. Rappaport and Mates 14 Nov. Research by the Sardine Group at V. A. Levy Pérez and IPN-CICIMAR R. Avendaño Ibarra 17 Nov. Latitude by Polaris P. Coughlin 18 Nov. Student research project presentations Students 19 Nov. Student research project presentations Students 20 Nov. Measuring ocean circulation with floats K. Lavender 21 Nov. Science sum-up K. Lavender Buoy chase All Hands 22 Nov. Mission: Operation CON GANAS Students 7 Data Description This section provides a record of data collected aboard the SSV Robert C. Seamans during cruise S-189 (U.S. State Department Cruise 2003-042), which departed from San Diego, CA and transited the Southern California Bight, the eastern Pacific offshore of Baja California, and the Gulf of California, en route to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (Figure 1). Figure 1: S-189 cruise track plotted from hourly positions. During the six week voyage we collected samples or data at 87 discrete oceanographic stations (Figure 2, Table 3), surface samples at 39 locations (Figure 2, Table 4), and we continuously sampled water depth and sub-bottom profiles (CHIRP system), upper ocean currents (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler, or ADCP), and sea surface temperature, salinity and in vivo fluorescence (seawater flow-through system). This report summarizes sea surface chemical and biological characteristics (Tables 4 and 5), and chemical and biological properties with depth (Table 6). Lengthy CTD, CHIRP, ADCP, and flow-through data are not reported here. All unpublished data can be made available by arrangement with the Sea Education Association (SEA) data archivist (contact information, p. 2). 8 a) b) CTD Neuston Net Hydrocast Meter Net 32 Towfish 32 Tucker Trawl Phytoplankton Net CalCOFI Net 27 27 22 22 17 17 -121 -116 -111 -106 -121 -116 -111 -106 c) d) Shipek Grab Surface Stations Gravity Core 32 32 27 27 22 22 17 17 -121 -116 -111 -106 -121 -116 -111 -106 Figure 2: Locations of oceanographic sampling stations. a) Hydrographic equipment b) Net tows c) Sediment collection d) Surface stations. 9 Table 3: Oceanographic sampling stations. Local Log Latitude Longitude Cast Station Number Date Time (nm) (N) (W) Depth (m) General Locale CTD S189-002-CTD 18-Oct-03 1804 119.9 33° 08.7 118° 00.2 840 So. Calif. Bight S189-004-CTD 19-Oct-03 1118 177.5 33° 33.0 118° 46.1 432 So.
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