Cruise Report W-178 Scientific activities undertaken aboard SSV Westward St. Croix – Carriacou- Cienfuegos, Cuba – Key West 28 November 2001 – 4 January 2002 Table of Contents Preface 3 Ship’s company 4 Cruisetrack 4 noon and midnight positions 5 Academic and research programs 6 Scientific results 6 Student research projects 7 Physical oceanography 7 Chemical oceanography 10 Biological oceanography 13 Geological oceanography 20 Pollution studies 22 Appendices Appendix A: Sampling stations 25 Appendix B: Hydrocast station summary 28 Appendix C: CTD plots 30 Appendix D: Neuston tow summary 36 Appendix E: Meter net summary 37 Appendix F: Meter net summary 38 2 This is a report outlines the scientific and academic endeavors undertaken aboard the SSV Westward during the cruise W 178. It consists of a summary of the oceanographic data collected and synopses of student research projects. Complete data sets, more detailed cruise information and student reports are available upon request from the Sea Education Association and the Chief Scientist. The cruise track of W-178 took us from the eastern end of the Caribbean Basin, the Windward Islands, through the Greater Antilles and the Gulf of Mexico to our destination of Key West, Florida. During the six-week trip, our wake stretched over 3200 miles and was punctuated by 96 research stations. Our departure from St. Croix coincided with the passage of a rare late-season hurricane Olga some 600 miles to our North, providing early gentle northerly winds for our southerly passage. This anomalous weather pattern wafted us southeast, as we sampled our way down the Lesser Antilles island chain toward our first port stop on the island of Carriacou, Grenada. The first part of the cruise presented the challenge of a ship’s company coming together as a crew operating the ship while undertaking an early and ambitious sampling program. Although the winds were light, we were treated to the sight of most all of the Windward Islands. Highlights included the sight of the continuing volcanic eruption on the island of Monserrat, a reminder that the process creating the island arc is still ongoing. Carriacou saw the arrival of a very different crew that departed St. Croix. A very busy sampling schedule early on in the trip coupled with the rapid learning of lines produced a very busy 12 days. Everyone emerged from this experience stronger, and, a testament to the students and the staff, as a tight and well functioning crew. The second leg of the cruise took us across the Caribbean basin from Carriacou to Cienfuegos, Cuba. Contrasting the conditions of the previous leg, these were a fast fourteen days of down wind sailing in up to force 7 conditions, providing for some exciting hydrocasts and plankton tows. During this leg, Caribbean showed us her best: the northeast trades were true, and the skies favored celestial observations as the sextants came out of their boxes en force. Successful navigation by stars alone, briefly interrupted by a tropical wave and associated clouds, carried us through the straits of Jamaica and the approach to Cuba. This approach also marked the end of scientific sampling for some time to come, but not before all objectives of the science program were successfully met. Following a memorable port stop in Cienfuegos came an equally memorable Christmas celebration off the Cayman Islands. The often rough Yucatan Strait showed us a very gentle side, allowing the culmination of the science program in the oral presentations of student projects in a gentle southwesterly breeze. Not that the challenges were over, as the students took over the running of the ship during the junior watch officer phase. Navigational challenges were not lacking as this happened upon our entry to some of the busiest shipping lanes of the Caribbean. The final challenge of the trip, a student executed research mission during the worst weather of the trip, saw magnificent teamwork in the student body successfully directed and carried out both deck and lab activities. All too quickly we found ourselves in Key West. A successful trip, made such by the hard work by the students and the staff, an experience that doubtless will stay with every one of us. My sincere thanks to you all for making it thus! Jan Witting Chief Scientist 3 Ship’s company, SSV Westward, Students: SEA cruise W-178 Bruce Beagley Roger Williams Univ. Carrie Boudreau St. Joseph's College, ME Nautical Staff Michelle Buckius Wake Forest University Zachary Caldwell Univ. of Hawaii, Hilo Jen Irving Master Samuel ChamberlinBates College Timothy Frush 1st Mate Serena Cross University of Redlands Timothy Collier 2nd Mate Meghan Donohue University of San Diego Dusty Smith 3rd Mate Ashley Ellison Bates College Alexandra Farrington St. Michael's College Bruce Wooster Engineer Megan Gadsby Bates College Laura Morrissey Steward Megan Griffin Drexel University Elizabeth Hamm Connecticut College Megan Jennings Wheaton College Scientific Staff Claudia Jones Univ. of Pennsylvania Jan Witting Chief Scientist Megan Lim Bowdoin College st Jim Watkins 1 Asst. Scientist Juliana Miller UNC, Chapel Hill nd Caleb McLennan 2 Asst. Scientist Kipling Morris Colorado College rd Liz Tuohy-Sheen 3 Asst. Scientist Robert Morrison Roger Williams Univ. Leonard Pace Hampton University Heather Petri U.C. Berkeley Shilpa Reddy Cornell University Taylor Rock American University Allison Suhr Univ. of Hawaii, Hilo 2001-087 (Westward W-178) Hourly Positions 30 Key West 20 Cienfuegos, Cuba Carriacou, Grenada 10 -90 -80 -70 -60 -50 West Longitude Figure 1. Cruise track and hourly positions. 4 Table 1: W-178 Noon and Midnight Date Time Lat. Lon. Date Time Lat. Lon. (local) (N.) (W.) (local) (N.) (W.) 28-Nov-01 0:00 17°44.8' 64°41.9 17-Dec-01 0:00 19°01.6' 77°50.5' 12:00 17°46.3' 64°41.9' 12:00 19°20.1' 78°38.8' 29-Nov-01 0:00 17°30.7' 63°40.3' 18-Dec-01 0:00 19°42.9' 79°06.8' 12:00 17°01.7' 62°53.9' 12:00 20°15.2' 79°42.9' 30-Nov-01 1:00 16°39.5' 65°34.3' 19-Dec-01 0:00 20°38.6' 80°00.9' 12:00 16°23.1' 62°05.6' 13:00 21°09.4' 80°08.0' 1-Dec-01 0:00 15°54.4' 62°18.2' 20-Dec-01 0:00 21°26.8' 80°21.0' 12:00 16°05.9' 61°48.8' 12:00 21°50.6' 80°21.8' 2-Dec-01 0:00 15°08.5' 61°27.5' 21-Dec-01 0:00 22°08.5' 80°27.4' 12:00 14°32.3' 61°07.7' 12:00 22°08.5' 80°27.4' 3-Dec-01 0:00 14°28.8' 61°21.2' 22-Dec-01 0:00 22°08.5' 80°27.4' 12:00 14°21.1' 61°38.0' 12:00 22°08.5' 80°27.4' 4-Dec-01 0:00 13°44.3' 61°28.0' 23-Dec-01 0:00 22°08.5' 80°27.4' 12:00 13°11.3' 61°19.9' 12:00 22°08.5' 80°27.4' 5-Dec-01 0:00 12°49.0' 61°29.9' 24-Dec-01 0:00 22°08.5' 80°27.4' 12:00 12°29.1' 61°27.8' 12:00 21°40.6' 80°39.7' 6-Dec-01 0:00 12°29.1' 61°27.8' 25-Dec-01 0:00 21°33.2' 80°51.3' 12:00 12°29.1' 61°27.8' 12:00 21°20.6' 80°58.7' 7-Dec-01 0:00 12°29.1' 61°27.8' 26-Dec-01 0:00 21°21.2' 81°28.7' 12:00 12°29.1' 61°27.8' 12:00 21°14.5' 81°54.4' 8-Dec-01 0:00 12°42.8' 61°24.8' 27-Dec-01 0:00 21°05.2' 82°40.9' 12:00 12°50.1' 61°30.9' 12:00 21°22.5' 83°40.4' 9-Dec-01 0:00 13°20.5' 62°12.7' 28-Dec-01 0:00 21°30.9' 84°16.5' 12:00 13°48.3' 63°03.0' 12:00 21°35.3' 85°10.2' 10-Dec-01 1:00 14°25.6' 64°13.3' 29-Dec-01 0:00 21°41.8' 85°30.6' 12:00 15°15.2' 65°27.6' 12:00 22°14.4' 85°29.5' 11-Dec-01 0:00 15°47.4' 66°35.9' 30-Dec-01 0:00 22°34.3' 85°14.1' 12:00 16°15.7' 67°31.7' 12:00 23°17.7' 85°14.6' 12-Dec-01 0:00 16°30.0' 68°35.9' 31-Dec-01 0:00 23°59.8' 84°53.4' 12:00 16°49.7' 69°18.9' 12:00 24°10.6' 84°23.3' 13-Dec-01 0:00 17°01.2' 70°30.5' 1-Jan-02 0:00 24°07.9' 83°42.0' 12:00 17°00.0' 71°34.1' 12:00 24°09.3' 83°13.2' 14-Dec-01 0:00 17°14.3' 72°37.3' 2-Jan-02 0:00 24°17.5' 82°54.1' 12:00 17°20.1' 73°21.6' 12:00 24°19.0' 82°34.7' 15-Dec-01 0:00 17°33.5' 74°03.7' 3-Jan-02 0:00 24°18.5' 82°08.4' 12:00 17°49.1' 74°58.4' 12:00 24°07.3' 81°55.2' 16-Dec-01 0:00 18°27.1' 76°11.3' 4-Jan-02 0:00 24°20.1' 81°54.5' 12:00 18°39.6' 76°52.6' 5 Academic and Research Programs Academic program.